Comparison table
| Tool | Price model | IK | Graph editor | Layers | Blender support | Collaboration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eclipse Animator | Free right now ($0 on the store, launch window) on 2026-10-17; later price not announced | Yes (IK toggle) | Yes | Yes | Yes: armature import, two-way animation export, free add-on | Yes: live collaboration |
| Moon Animator 2 | Paid (see listing for price) | Not listed on its store page. Check the listing and the developer’s community. | ||||
| Apex Animator | Free; developer says it will stay free | Yes (IK/FK, Auto-IK) | Yes | Yes | No Blender files yet (developer, Oct 7) | Yes: Team Create editing |
| Roblox Animation Editor | Free, built into Studio | Yes (Manage IK) | Yes (Curve Editor) | Not in the docs | Not in the docs | Not in the docs |
| Blender | Free, open source | Yes (IK constraint) | Yes | Yes (NLA tracks) | It is Blender. Getting animation into Studio needs a bridge such as Eclipse’s add-on | Not covered here |
“Yes” means the feature appears on the tool’s own listing, announcement or docs. “Not in the docs” means we could not find it there, not that it is missing. We did not benchmark the tools ourselves.
Which one should you pick?
Total beginner
Roblox’s Animation Editor. Nothing to install, and Roblox’s own docs walk you through it.
Want free and more power
Apex Animator. Free, with IK/FK, a graph editor and layers.
You also use Blender
Eclipse Animator. Of the plugins here, it is the only one we found with a Blender add-on and two-way export.
Need stability now
Moon Animator 2, if you already own it. It has been on the store since 2020.
Eclipse Animator
Published by the verified creator riftkuro on October 14, 2026. The listing has the longest feature list of any plugin here: IK toggle, graph editor, animation layers, motion paths, cameras and screen effects, live collaboration, a pose library, physics, a Module Exporter, and Blender armature import with two-way animation export. A free Blender add-on handles the link.
Good for: cutscenes, cinematic camera work, and anyone who already animates in Blender. Watch out for: it is days old and the listing itself says to expect bugs. It also launched free for a limited window. See is it free? and every feature explained.
Moon Animator 2
Made by xsixx and on the Creator Store since February 2020, Moon Animator 2 is the paid plugin most Roblox animators learned on. It has years of community tutorials behind it. Its store description does not list features, and it runs sales, so check the listing for the current price.
Good for: people who already own it, and teams with files built around it. Moving to Eclipse? Read Eclipse vs Moon Animator 2.
Apex Animator
Announced on the DevForum by codedtocode on October 6, 2026 as a free plugin, with updates up to 1.6.0 (face animation) by October 15. Its post lists IK/FK with foot and hand planting, a full graph editor with Bezier handles, animation layers, face animation, and Team Create editing where several people work on one animation at once. Some extras, such as sounds and screen effects, need its optional ApexEngine runtime in your game.
Good for: free, game-ready animation with modern posing tools. Watch out for: the developer said on October 7 that it does not support Moon Animator or Blender files yet.
Roblox’s built-in Animation Editor
Free and already in Studio, opened from the Avatar tab. Roblox’s docs show a Manage IK window and a Curve Editor. Note that opening the Curve Editor converts the clip to a curve animation, and quaternion rotations become Euler angles that cannot be converted back.
Good for: beginners, simple emotes and tool animations, and anyone who wants zero setup.
Blender
Free, open-source 3D software with a full animation toolset: IK constraints, a Graph Editor for curves, and the NLA editor, whose tracks work like layers. It is a separate program, so the animation has to get back into Studio. Eclipse’s add-on is one way to do that. We have not checked other import paths for this page.
Good for: experienced animators and complex rigs. Watch out for: the steepest learning curve here.
Install any plugin only from its official Creator Store page. “Free” copies of paid plugins shared as files are a common way to spread malicious scripts.