Doodly Reviews

Pros

The drag-and-drop interface of this whiteboard animation software is very user-friendly: I didn't have any previous experience with animation software, but I was able to create engaging videos quickly. It's solid software. The basic version of Doodly is also very affordable. I paid $67 for it in 2019, which is a one-time payment. Doodly is perfect for creating short videos to explain concepts, in a cartoon style, which is a very nice idea. As a career coach and trainer, I find it very useful to communicate in a funny and effective way with my clients. The 3-minute limit is not a big issue for me as I prefer to keep my videos short and to the point.

Cons

Even if the standard version of Doodly is affordable, I should mention that if you want to explore more features, they are charged, and it can quickly become unaffordable. It's easy to buy it the first time, but after that, if you want to explore more, and add character to your materials, it can become very expensive. The basic version is somewhat limited, from this point of view. This is the marketing upselling strategy of the manufacturer. A little... greedy.

Pros

Ease of use and large amount of assets. The cost. I paid a one off price prior to it being offered for a monthly fee.

Cons

Could do with a few more hand options for moving solid items other than a pen

Alternatives Considered

VideoScribe

Reasons for Switching to Doodly

The cost of doodly seemed a better deal by far.

Pros

I have tried months on this on but ended up going to my previous software

Cons

Could not customize anything with the basic version, they said its unlimited but comes with a string of purchases. which i did not had to do with videoscribe.

Pros

The easiest way to create an explainer video. It has a tons of ready-made drawings that you can search for inside the software. Just select the one you want, and the tool will automatically make it as a drawing.

There are a huge amount of assets ready to use, but if you don't find what you're looking for, you can import your own and use the "edit" tool where you can place points on how the drawing hand will make that drawing appear in the video. Honestly, in my opinion, this is the best feature.

Using this, you can use whatever image you want and just tell it how to draw, and you'll have a nice explainer video, with custom drawings, that makes your video unique. This is a lengthier process than normal, since you have to teach the tool how the hand needs to move, but for me, it's better.

The options you have is how fast or slow you want the hand to draw the asset. You can also chose different hand styles, with a shirt, without a shirt, different pen types, and even cartoon hands!

Another great option is you can choose whatever background you want to use. The standard is white, but you can also switch to a blackboard, a greenboard, a glassboard and even CUSTOM - where you upload whatever background you want. This is great if you want it written over a video, or special slides. Again, I like custom the most, but make sure the assets you are using or uploading have transparency for best looking results.

Cons

There is rainbow add-on that gives you "colorful" assets, but it basically just gives the option to have those previous characters be filled with color. The color in these assets doesn't have a nice path for the hand to move when filling them up. It just goes to a standard fill, which isn't fancy at all, and looks un-natural to the rest of the drawing. To be honest, I don't even use this add-on and it seems like a lazy attempt to get more money.
There is also no way to mass-add assets that are made for doodly. Over time I got several assets that I've received as a bonus or reward through email, but I just got an archive with image files. Of course I can add these in, but they don't have the drawing paths included, so I would need to edit and configure the drawing paths manually. There are no specific software file types for these types of assets.
You can also buy assets from the marketplace, which I've never done, but I'd expect those to have the drawing paths included in the purchase.

Pros

I bought this for my blogs first and then to fulfill clients’ requirements if it is needed fully. It is absolutely amazing. It is straightforward to use, and you can create professional-looking animated videos within minutes. It is great for explaining the concept of any service or product. I am still learning thanks to this app, and it has a lot more potential than you would think at first glance because of just how little tech know-how required!

Cons

Doodly is a great tool that takes advantage of creative, design-driven people. Though the capability to make a visual mind map has been patented by Doodly, their Basic Version is still quite budget friendly for those just starting out or are in need of a powerful diagramming app at work or school. Users can choose from seventy-seven preloaded templates and download whatever basic assets they want the software to use when presenting their doodles to others (Black & White Templates). However, there is also an option if you need some premade doodle templates or want something colorful (Rainbow Templates). Additionally, there are other templates available such as Business Templates and Training Templates that range up to more than $250 altogether!

Alternatives Considered

VideoScribe

Reasons for Switching to Doodly

- Clean UI & UX designed soft makes it easy to use - Functionality is faster than other similar apps I know - Assets, Props, Elements look more Premium Quality than other similar apps I know - As a result, output quality of the videos seems to me far better than any other apps I have used so far - Great learning videos on Doodly Official YouTube channel that anyone can learn and apply

Pros

I liked its working Interface, it has all the necessary features to smoothly create a Doodle video. A wide variety of Doodle images are their to choose from. Other than Adding doodles we can also add Customisable text and Music. Their is also option to add Custom Doodles. This application has all the features and functions to create an advanced and easy to understand Doodle videos , it is depending on editor that how proper and Clear video he will create.

Cons

I haven't found any issues, but as a suggestion I would recommend to add, the 3d doodles to make video more advanced.

Pros

1) Graphics are intricate and appealing
2) Graphics are upscale in its creation
3) Movement of hand is multi-directional, not just up and down.
4) The ability to purchase industry type graphics is a plus

Cons

I would like to see the ability to have some animation (movement) to the graphics.

Pros

I love Doodly. It is a great piece of software and allows you to create awesome videos. Toonly is a great addition as well.

Cons

The only thing that I have issues with is learning. There is so much to learn when it comes to animation that it may take new users time to understand. There are plenty of tutorials available but you may have to invest some time to watch them.

Pros

Doodly is a very simple and very effective program for creating animations for various needs. I use it in presentations, advertisements, videos, in employee training.It has very good customer support and a good YT channel.

Cons

A personalized avatar cannot be created. That possibility would be very good.

Pros

Some ready photos which can be used but not specific to the subject you need

Cons

Some photos are good to use. It has some sounds to use.

Pros

I like how easy to use Doodly is. As you scroll through its library you keep getting new ideas for your project.

Cons

Video rendering takes more time, Many library content comes with premium version, using color media library also require premium version.

Pros

What I liked best is that it is pretty easy to get in there and put together a short video that does exactly what I need it to do. I usually create my explainers here, then import them into another program for more stuff.

Cons

This is exactly what I bought it for and it works good for that.

Pros

1. Pricing: I believe sometimes there is a lifetime-license that gets advertised. I was lucky to see one and grabbed it. Boy, it was worth it! Doodly is my first experience with a whiteboard animation software and it met all my requirements; until I found a serious flaw in its design - which I mentioned in the Cons. (this is just me and you could be better off without this feature)2. Ease of use: it's quite easy to use, right out of the box. The UI is self-explanatory.3. We can easily import external SVG files and customize our drawings. It is not always smooth and requires some work, but it works!4. They provide frequent updates, as far as I've noticed.

Cons

1. I don't like its rendering speed. It can be improved. But any whiteboard animation tool has slow rendering, not sure why!2. VideoScribe - a similar whiteboard animation software has a feature that can show all our images/designs on a single infinite canvas page. Doodly is a page by page animation tool - the video output cannot show all the designs zoomed out in the end. This is a serious drawback for me because I want to show the "big picture" with all my images in the end of the video - VideoScribe has that option right off the bat, but Doodly fails in that.3. Doodly, and its maker, seem to 'sell' every component associated with Doodly that could easily be provided with a simple straight-forward pricing. For e.g. I first bought the basic Doodly tool, then they offered me as an upsell the color version. This was sick! I would expect color option to come along with the base version and not pay again separately for the same image to use in color. Again, VideoScribe was generous here.

Alternatives Considered

VideoScribe

Pros

When you get started the output of doodle videos once finished is the highest of quality. I cannot think of any other doodle making software that actually gives a great output such as doodly

Cons

There could be more ease of use when syncing to voiceovers. Everything works great but would like it to have a better function to sync voice to doodle

Pros

I loved how easy it was to get started with Doodly without having to read various tips and tricks. Doodly is highly intuitive, but perhaps its best feature is that it is actually fun to use.

Cons

Doodly is great for eye-catching videos that work well on social media - great for my clients who want to promote their products and services on social media platforms. However, it is quite limited if you want to create anything other than animations. Also, the image options available with the basic version of Doodly are quite limited. If you are looking for something specific, the chances are good that you will need to buy additional packs of images from Doodly. These can be a little pricey.

Alternatives Considered

Animaker

Reasons for Switching to Doodly

I found an offer for lifetime use of Doodly, whereas the more advanced features of Animaker were only available on a subscription basis.

Pros

it is an easy drag and drop program, has some features which are nice, overall easy to create

Cons

they are overpriced for the market compared to others, tehy break down their software at 67, then 97 more for enterprise, then 67 more to add color option, the upgrades are practically none, most bug fixes if anything

Pros

I like everything about Doodly. I like that it is very easy and intuitive to use and I can create amazing doodle explainer videos. I like the drag & drop feature, I like the multitude of drawing hands, I like the multiple boards I can choose for my scenes and even custom my board for my scene. I like the rainbow feature/integration what makes the videos so much better by bringing colour to my scenes, props and characters. I I like the prebuilt templates so if I need a ready made explainer video they have it there for me to customise myself. I like that I'm able to organise my projects in folders right inside the software dashboard. I also like that I'm able to select multiple elements on the canvas and align them. There as so much more features I like in Doodly!

Cons

For this value and for everything that Doodly allow you to achieve regarding doodle videos I can't really name something as least liked.

Pros

I liked the principle of doodle software. I liked that the animations could theoretically be implemented by people of any skill level.

Cons

Though in theory the idea of using doodle-creation software is easy and user-friendly, in fact, to use the software WELL it takes a long time with a high learning curve and high time-on-task. No training, no templates, and little customer service lined up to big promises and unachievable examples.

Alternatives Considered

VideoScribe and Animaker

Reasons for Switching to Doodly

The cost, with "ending soon" price of about $70 (which has laughably been an "ending soon" price for at least 7 years). In the end, I lost faith in this type of software.

Pros

You can illustrate videos really quick. It has a library of items you can use and that animation of the hand drawing while you have the audio commenting lets you create fewer scenes while delivering the audio content.

Cons

It has 2 versions: the standard and the premium. There's not much of a difference between the 2 just that it has more doodles to work with. But there are several doodles that are badly drawn or difficult to work with. I chose a doodle named "Amanda" and there are like 5 of these Amanda doodles that show her face as if she had a seizure with half of the face ok and an eye all twisted like if she were high.

The extra doodles you don't get with premium aren't that good. You aren't missing a thing.

You can't edit the sounds. You just have the chance to put them and that's it. No trimming, no volume.

The edit GUI let's you put items above the other, which is intended but you can't change the order of how are they drawn if you don't mess the layers and end up putting an item behind of another breaking the whole idea you were designing.

Finally, the preview won't let you start from a desired point, you need to start from the start every time you want to preview your work and you can't add markers to the timeline either.

Pros

Doodly is one of the best whiteboard animation software I've ever used!

Cons

Well, the render time takes more than usual even for a good pc, sometimes...

Alternatives Considered

VideoScribe

Reasons for Choosing Doodly

better price-value

Switched From

VideoScribe

Reasons for Switching to Doodly

Higher quality, and better price-value.

Pros

This is one of the best video creation tools I've used in a while, it's super easy to use and I can create my own explainer videos in minutes, instead of paying someone else to do it, I'm using Doodly to make videos for my courses and for marketing as well. What I like most about Doodly is
- Ability to upload my own images
- Free preloaded soundtracks for background music
- Ability to upload your font styles
- Custom voice over audio
- No limits over the number of videos, create unlimited videos!

Cons

- Internet connection is a must in order to use the software
- The Length of preloaded soundtracks are short, even I couldn't find soundtracks of more than 3 mins in length

Pros

Doodly supports multiple templates, characters packs that enable the creator to create a video with rocket speed. Doodly is suitable for educational videos, marketing videos, and analytical videos.

Cons

They do not disclose their pricing in a transparent way. They regularly promote one-time payment plans but you need to know one thing that you have some limitations on an on-time plan that you get noticed in ads. If you are willing to use enterprise characters and templates you need to buy separately from the doodly marketplace.

Pros

This software is very easy to get a grasp of. Doodly supplies a host of short videos on YouTube covering all aspects of use. It's possible to create a video within minutes.

Cons

The editing stage can look a little low res and jittery, but that's to enable editing at a fast pace. Once you have rendered the video, it is in high res.

Pros

I love the simple user interface how easy it is to create a scene, drag and drop characters, add voiceovers, and benefit from an existing template.

Cons

The standard plan (67$ lifetime) is far from enough, offers limited features, and offers a lot of upsells after buying the license; on the other side, their customer support is far from professional, they never resolved my issue.

Pros

It is the best budget friendly software for whiteboard animation. It works so fine and have a lot of cool products associated with it. The images are really amazing!

Cons

It would be awesome to post directly from the software.