Moho vs Toon Boom Harmony
The split starts with how you pay. Moho is sold by LOSTMARBLE LLC as one-time perpetual licences in two editions, Debut and Pro, with a 30-day trial. Toon Boom Harmony is sold only as subscriptions in Essentials, Advanced and Premium editions, billed monthly, yearly or every three years in EUR, with a 14-day trial. That makes Moho the natural fit for a solo animator who wants to own the licence, and Harmony the one built around studio pipelines that treat software as a running cost. Both list Windows and macOS requirements.
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Choose Moho ifyou are a solo animator or small team who wants to pay once and keep working on rigged cut-out characters. You also want the long 30-day trial and free 14.x updates for owners of version 14.
Choose Toon Boom Harmony ifyou run a studio or freelance business that wants drawing, rigging and compositing in one pipeline and can budget a recurring fee. You also want Node View, deformers and master controllers available in the Premium edition.
Moho and Toon Boom Harmony side by side
| Moho | Toon Boom Harmony | |
|---|---|---|
| Our animation software rank | #1 of 12 | #6 of 12 |
| Established in | Not stated by the vendor | Canada |
| List price, 7 November 2026 | Debut 14 and Pro 14, each a one-time perpetual licence, 30-day trial | Three subscription editions in EUR, billed monthly, yearly or three-year, with a 14-day trial |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Solo animators and small studios wanting rigged cut-out characters on a one-time licence | Professional studios and freelancers building cut-out rigs and traditional animation in one pipeline |
| Not for | Linux users, because only Windows and macOS builds are listed | Hobbyists who want to buy once and own the licence |
Both are reviewed in full in our animation software ranking: Moho and Toon Boom Harmony.
Where they differ
Moho 3 · Toon Boom Harmony 2 · open 1- 01
Own it once or rent it
Moho's buy page lists Moho Pro 14 and Moho Debut 14 as one-time purchases for Windows or macOS, with online activation required, and the product page calls both licences perpetual. Harmony's shop lists only subscriptions, with no perpetual option, and a separate student price list. Stopping payment on Harmony ends access, while a Moho licence stays yours after purchase. For anyone who dislikes recurring bills, or who wants a fixed cost for a long personal project, this round goes clearly to Moho.
Edge: Moho
- 02
Billing terms you can pick
Harmony's shop bills Essentials, Advanced and Premium monthly, yearly or for three years, in EUR, so a studio can match the term to a production schedule and cancel after a short job. Moho offers no term choice, only an edition choice between Debut and Pro, each bought once. We print no price figures here, because the numbers sit on the vendors' own shop pages and can change. Flexible terms favour Harmony for short projects, while Moho suits long-term ownership.
Edge: Toon Boom Harmony
- 03
Rigging depth by edition
Moho Debut limits Smart Bones, meshes and PSD import to ten layers, while Pro adds full Smart Bones, meshes, physics, particles, Liquid Shapes, a 3D camera and FBX export for Unity. Harmony's Essentials covers vector drawing and an HD or 2K camera, Advanced adds bitmap tools and a 4K camera, and Premium adds Node View, deformers, master controllers and an 8K or larger camera. Each vendor holds its deepest rigging tools back for its top edition, so neither wins here.
Depends on the buyer
- 04
Trial length and what it hides
Moho's trial runs 30 days with a Demo Mode watermark, and it cannot import external images or movies and has exporting disabled. Files made inside the trial still work after you buy. Harmony advertises a 14-day free trial, but its Harmony page gives no list of what that trial restricts. Moho gives you more days to judge the drawing and rigging tools, though you cannot test a real export or imported artwork, which is a real gap for a team with existing assets.
Edge: Moho
- 05
Platforms and where the vendor sits
Moho lists Windows 10 or 11 and macOS 10.15 or later, including Apple silicon, and no Linux build. Harmony's page lists Windows and macOS requirements as well. On company details, Toon Boom Animation names a Montreal, Quebec, Canada address on its about page, though ownership is not stated there. LOSTMARBLE LLC appears in Moho's copyright notice, and the terms do not name a country, address or jurisdiction. Harmony is clearer about where its maker is based.
Edge: Toon Boom Harmony
- 06
Upgrading to the next release
Moho 14 owners receive 14.x updates free, with the home page naming a free Moho 14.5 update, and the buy page lists discounted upgrades from earlier versions. Buying a new major version later is a separate decision. Harmony upgrades work differently, since a subscription is the licence, and its Harmony page is silent on upgrade pricing between versions. Moho states its upgrade path in writing, so a buyer can plan costs for the version they own.
Edge: Moho
When neither fits
If you need a free program, or a tool built for frame-by-frame traditional animation without rigging, neither fits. OpenToonz is free and open source, and TVPaint Animation is a drawing-first alternative worth checking.
Moho or Toon Boom Harmony: questions
3 answersWhich export formats does each program support?
Moho Pro lists FBX export for Unity, and the trial has exporting disabled entirely. Harmony's product page names no export formats, so test your target format in a trial before committing a pipeline.
Do I pay again when a new version comes out?
Moho 14 owners get 14.x updates free, including the 14.5 update named on the home page. Discounted upgrades are offered from earlier versions, and the buy page gives the details. For Harmony, no separate upgrade fee is shown on its pages.
Can a small studio start with the cheaper edition?
Yes on both, but with limits. Moho Debut caps Smart Bones, meshes and PSD import at ten layers, and Harmony Essentials has vector drawing with an HD or 2K camera. Teams doing serious rigging should check whether Moho Pro or Harmony Premium is needed first.
Sources
Checked 7 November 2026- Moho buy page: the one-time purchase, online activation and free 14.x updates for version 14 owners.
- Moho Pro 14 product page: perpetual licences, Debut limits and the Pro feature list, plus system requirements.
- Moho trial page: the 30-day trial with no import, no export and a watermark.
- Moho terms of service: the LOSTMARBLE LLC name with no country given.
- Moho home page: the free Moho 14.5 update for Moho 14 owners.
- Toon Boom shop: edition contents, EUR billing terms, subscriptions only and student prices.
- Toon Boom Harmony page: the 14-day trial and the Windows and macOS requirements.
- Toon Boom about page: the Montreal, Quebec address, with ownership not stated.