Live2D Cubism

Software that rigs layered 2D illustrations so characters move, used for VTuber models, games and animation.

Unclaimed

The Live2D Cubism homepage — Screenshot of live2d.com taken by TopTool.

Pricing: Freemium · see prices
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Categories: Design & photo

About Live2D Cubism

Live2D Cubism Editor, from Live2D Inc. in Japan, turns a layered illustration (typically a PSD) into a model that can move, blink and speak while keeping the original drawing style. Users mesh the art, add deformers and motion parameters, then animate on a timeline with physics and lip-sync. Models are used in VTuber streaming apps, mobile and console games, and animation, and can be embedded through the separate Cubism SDK for Unity, Unreal, web and native code. The editor imports PSD, PNG and WAV and exports PNG, JPEG and GIF images and MP4, WebM and MOV video. It runs on Windows and macOS and needs an internet connection for license authentication.

Good for

Illustrators building VTuber avatars or animated anime-style characters for games and streams who want to animate their own drawings rather than rebuild them in 3D.

Watch out for

The FREE version caps a model at one texture file (up to 2048 px), 100 ArtMeshes, 30 parameters and 50 deformers, and a file over those limits cannot be saved. Commercial use of FREE is limited to individuals and companies with annual sales under 10 million yen. The store states there are no refunds, and annual plans cannot be cancelled mid-term.

Pricing notes

As of October 2026 the Live2D Store lists PRO for indie (revenue under JPY 10M) at $90.30 for the first year, or $13.15 per month, and PRO for business at $417.33 for the first year, or $60.83 per month; USD amounts are converted from yen. A 42-day PRO trial falls back to FREE after it ends.