For those who don’t know the tool: Callipeg is a hand drawn 2D animation app for iPad, Android tablets and iPhone. The desktop version targets macOS and Windows, with export routes to Adobe After Effects, Toon Boom Harmony, TVPaint Animation, Blender, Clip Studio Paint and OpenToonz.
Desktop, with fewer couch excuses
Callipeg Studio is coming to desktop! The platforms are macOS and Windows, and the current official FAQ lists the PC version as “in development.” The desktop beta page is already live, with registration for an upcoming desktop version.
The beta wording matters. It is not a free trial. It can be unstable because development is ongoing, and testers must provide feedback. Sensible, slightly boring, absolutely relevant. Test the desktop build on throwaway shots before production, and keep your eyes peeled for a later 2026 release.
Still a drawing app first
The core pitch remains traditional 2D animation, not a miracle blender full of vapor. The current app supports frame-by-frame animation, keyframe animation, drawing layers, video layers, transformation layers, audio layers and group layers.
It also supports timelines at 12, 24, 25, 30 and 60 frames per second, canvas work up to 4K, onion skinning up to eight frames before and after the current frame, custom brushes, palettes, color history, video import for rotoscopy and audio import for lip sync. Callipeg keeps the paper-animation metaphor, then adds timeline management, layer types and export paths for actual production handoff.
Inbetween Assist, not magic paste
Inbetween Assist is one of the more interesting animation-specific tools. It works inside the onion skin bar and helps place onion skin images between two drawings. With one point per onion skin image, it can determine position. With two points per image, it can add size and rotation information.
The edit mode can add an arc, and the magnet can snap the spacing to halfway, thirds and quarters. This is not automatic animation. It is a placement assistant for artists who still make the drawing decisions. Good. The robot can hold the ladder, not paint the ceiling.
The current homepage also lists a newer flip workflow. The flip button can be placed anywhere, supports linear or radial flipping, and exposes flip settings directly from the button. For animators who check motion constantly, that is the kind of small interface idea that can matter more than another shiny panel nobody asked for.
Desktop interface, cautiously
That sounds promising for artists who want a Cintiq, a big monitor, and less tablet-posture gymnastics. The caution is simple: the current tablet app relies heavily on touch, stylus behaviour and gestures. The official FAQ already notes differences between the iPad and Android versions because Android does not handle finger touch during stylus use in the same way. So the desktop version has a real ergonomics job ahead of it. A good desktop port is not just the tablet UI wearing shoes. It needs keyboard shortcuts, predictable tablet input, clear layout management and boring reliability. Especially boring reliability. Production loooooves boooooooring.
Exports that understand other rooms
The export story is unusually relevant here, because most artists will not finish every project inside one app. D’uh. The current export documentation gives routes into several production tools. JSON export stores shot data, layers and images in a zip archive for import scripts, with options for After Effects, Harmony and TVPaint. OCA export stores shot data, layers and images in a zip archive for Blender. XDTS export carries images plus data for layer structure and exposures into Clip Studio Paint and OpenToonz, and can translate animation into a Toei Digital Exposure Sheet.
https://www.youtube.com/@Callipeg
There are also exports to the app’s PEG format, MP4, HEVC with or without transparency, GIF, PNG, TGA and PSD. The practical takeaway is clear: this is meant to sit near other tools, not demand a tiny sovereign kingdom.
Pricing without the rental treadmill
Desktop pricing is listed at €35 as a one-time purchase per platform. Current official mobile pricing lists the iPad app at $14.99 as a one-time purchase, with prices varying by location and local currency. Callipeg mini is listed at $4.99 as a one-time purchase. The official FAQ also states that subscriptions ended in December 2024 and that there is no free trial.
On Google Play, the Android version is also sold as a paid app, with regional pricing shown by store location. The Android store page says there are no subscriptions and that all updates are included. Storefront prices can and do vary by country.
https://callipeg.com/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/callipeg-2d-animation-app/id1456172656
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=enoben.callipegandroidprod
