It guides attention
Moving lines draw the eye. Because only one element is being drawn at a time, viewers aren't left scanning a crowded slide.
For teachers and creators who explain with a pen.
Free Whiteboard Animation Maker:Create Whiteboard Animations with AI
A hand, a pen and a voice explaining one idea at a time: that is whiteboard animation. Describe your topic and Explainimate's free whiteboard animation maker uses AI to produce the whole thing, from the script to the last stroke, in your browser.
Try
Marker, pen or stylus
or a photo of your own hand
9
narration languages
Up to 5 min
per video
$0
script, hand edits and export
Watch a whiteboard video being drawn
A finished video, drawn live in your browser by the same engine that will draw yours. Pick another style to redraw it with a different board and pen.
What is whiteboard animation?
Whiteboard animation is a video style in which illustrations appear to be drawn on a white surface, usually by a visible hand holding a marker, while a narrator explains what is being drawn. It spread widely in the 2010s through lecture-style videos and has since become a standard format for training, education and product explainers.
The format is deliberately simple. There is one surface, one pen and one voice. Nothing appears on screen unless the narrator is talking about it. That restraint is what makes whiteboard videos easy to follow: the viewer's eye goes where the pen goes.
How to make a whiteboard animation online
The traditional process took five steps: write a script, record a voiceover, find or draw an image for every idea, place each image on a timeline with draw timings, then align everything to the audio. Explainimate collapses that into three.
Step 1: Describe the topic or paste a script
Enter a prompt, or paste your script to be read word for word. Choose the length, the drawing hand, the frame and the voice.
Step 2: Approve the script and scene plan
Review the narration and the picture idea for each scene. Edit anything, then approve. This step is free.
Step 3: Let the AI draw, then export
A pen draws every scene as the narrator speaks. Edit a single element if needed, then export an MP4 for a website, an LMS or social media.
Why the format works
Words and pictures arrive together
When a diagram builds up at the same moment it is explained, viewers hear and see the idea together. That pairing is a widely used principle in instructional design.
Anticipation keeps people watching
A half-drawn picture creates a small question ("what is this going to be?"), and viewers tend to stay to see it finished.
It is easy to update
A drawn style has no actors, sets or footage to reshoot. Change a sentence or a drawing, and export again.
How the whiteboard AI works
There are two ways an AI can produce a whiteboard video. The first is to generate images or video frames and add a drawing reveal on top. It is fast, but text tends to come out garbled, and you can't edit one part of a picture without regenerating all of it.
Explainimate uses the second approach. A language model writes the script, then writes each scene as drawing instructions: vector paths, objects, labels and arrows. The drawing engine renders them and a pen follows the actual stroke paths: outlines first, then colour, then labels. The result behaves like a real whiteboard artist's work: lines have an order, labels are real text that never comes out garbled, and every object can be changed on its own.
What drawing with code gets right that image-based tools miss
Readable text
Labels and titles are rendered as text in the style's own font, so there are no warped letters.
The same characters in every scene
Recurring characters and objects are designed once for each video and reused, so the hero of scene 1 looks the same in scene 10.
Element-level editing
Each object is separate. Rename one label or move one figure by hand, or ask the AI to recolour one arrow, without touching the rest of the scene.
Sync: the pen follows the voice
A whiteboard video only works when the drawing and the narration move together. Explainimate gives each scene as long as its narration takes to read, and the pen draws that scene while it is being explained. If the voice-over runs longer than planned, the scene is lengthened so nothing is cut off. Prefer silence? Choose no voice and the narration appears as captions instead.
Drawing styles and hands
Classic whiteboard
The original look: dark line work on a light board. High contrast, works for any topic.
Bold marker
Thick black marker outlines with partial colour fills, closer to a doodle style. Good for training and everyday stories.
Full colour
Coloured pencils, markers and fills, often used in marketing and on YouTube.
Chalkboard
Light lines on a dark board, or dark chalk on white. Popular for lessons and science.
Stick figures
Minimal characters that make stories and scenarios quick to follow. See the stickman explainer video generator.
Every style is available on every account, and so is the drawing hand: a real hand with a marker, an illustrated hand with a stylus, a pen on its own with no hand, or a photo of your own hand.
Where it is used
Employee training and onboarding
Policies, procedures and safety rules become short drawn lessons: paste the text and the script turns it into scenes. Upload the MP4 to your LMS.
Classroom and online courses
Teachers use whiteboard videos for flipped classrooms and revision, and can make each lesson in another narration language too.
Marketing and sales
A hand-drawn explainer stands out among stock-footage ads and polished 3D renders. For a product-led look, start from the AI explainer video maker.
YouTube and social
Whiteboard and doodle styles are common on educational and faceless channels. Vertical 9:16 export works for Shorts and Reels.
Whiteboard video maker: manual software vs AI
| Manual whiteboard software | AI whiteboard animation (Explainimate) | |
|---|---|---|
| Script | You write it (some tools assist with AI) | AI drafts it, you approve it |
| Visuals | You choose and place each image | AI plans and draws each scene |
| Timing | You set draw durations by hand | Each scene is timed to its narration automatically |
| Voiceover | Record or add an AI voice, then align | Generated with the drawing |
| Edits | Move items on a timeline | Click one element, or describe the change |
Prompts that get the most out of whiteboard AI
- "Explain [concept] to [audience] in [length]. Draw [specific picture]."
- Paste your script and switch on "Use my script word for word": one drawing is planned for each scene.
- "Chalkboard style. Walk through [process] step by step and circle the final result."
- "Compare [A] and [B] side by side, one on the left and one on the right."
Each prompt sets the audience, the length and one visual target, which gives the AI enough to plan scenes without guessing. You can refine everything during script review, so it's fine to start with a rough brief.
Tips for writing the script
Aim for about 150 spoken words per minute. Write the way you speak, in short sentences. Give each scene one idea, and mention the thing you want drawn ("imagine a bucket with a hole in it") so the picture has a cue to follow.
What's free and what's paid
The drawing hand is not an upsell. It is the point of whiteboard animation, so it is on every account, along with every style and videos of up to 5 minutes.
Save 10% · 33% more credits
Starter
$9.90
$8.90 / month
For a video now and then.
Billed $106.80 yearly- 120 credits every month
- About 3 minutes of video a month
- Credits are added monthly and last until the yearly term ends
- No watermark on exports
- 10 free scripts a day, then credits
- Unlimited hand edits and exports
- Every drawing style
23% more credits
Creator
$19.90 / month
For a channel that posts every week.
Billed $238.80 yearly- 270 credits every month
- About 6 minutes of video a month
- Credits are added monthly and last until the yearly term ends
- No watermark on exports
- 10 free scripts a day, then credits
- Unlimited hand edits and exports
- Every drawing style
Save 25%
Pro
$39.90
$29.90 / month
For daily posting or several channels.
Billed $358.80 yearly- 410 credits every month
- About 10 minutes of video a month
- Credits are added monthly and last until the yearly term ends
- No watermark on exports
- 10 free scripts a day, then credits
- Unlimited hand edits and exports
- Every drawing style
Prices in USD, before tax.
Free to start
the AI writes up to 5 scripts a day for free once you sign in (3 without an account). Editing by hand and exporting are free on every account, as often as you like.
Plans from $9.90/month
or $8.90/month billed yearly, which gives the most credits for the money. Credit packs start at $19.90 with no subscription and last 12 months, but a plan gives more credits for the money.
After you buy
10 free scripts a day, then scripts use credits like the rest of the AI work, usually 1–2 each, and exports carry no watermark. Accounts that have never bought anything export with a small watermark.
FAQ
What are the best whiteboard animation tools?
The best whiteboard animation tools depend on how much time you want to spend per video. Manual whiteboard software gives you full control: you choose each image, place it and set its timing yourself. AI whiteboard animation tools like Explainimate write the script and draw the scenes for you, and you edit only what you want to change.
What is whiteboard animation AI?
Whiteboard animation AI is software that turns a prompt or a script into a whiteboard-style video automatically. It writes the narration, chooses what to draw in each scene and animates the drawing, so the pictures appear while the voice explains them. With Explainimate you check the script before anything is drawn.
How do I make a whiteboard animation online?
To make a whiteboard animation online, type a topic or paste a script into Explainimate and approve the AI-written script and scene plan. The tool then draws and narrates the animation in your browser, and you can edit any element before exporting an MP4. There is nothing to install.
Is there a free whiteboard animation maker online?
Yes, Explainimate is a free whiteboard animation maker to start, and it runs online with nothing to download. Every account gets the drawing hand and every whiteboard style. Every account gets free scripts each day, and hand edits and exports always cost nothing; drawing uses credits, and new accounts get free credits. No credit card is needed to begin.
Can I get a whiteboard animation with a hand and pencil?
Yes, you can pair a drawing hand with pencil lines. Choose a real hand holding a marker, an illustrated hand with a stylus, a pen on its own, or upload a photo of your own hand. For pencil lines, pick a pencil style such as Notebook or Classic Style - B&W.
Do I need to download whiteboard animation software?
No, you do not need to download whiteboard animation software. Everything runs online, with nothing to install on Windows or Mac. The video file is made in your browser, which needs to support video encoding, as recent versions of Chrome and Edge do; other browsers may save a WebM file instead of an MP4.
How long should a whiteboard animation be?
For marketing, a whiteboard animation works best at 60–90 seconds, while training and lessons usually hold attention for 2–5 minutes per topic. Explainimate makes videos of up to 5 minutes, so split longer material into a series of short videos, one idea each, which also makes them easier to update.
What is the difference between whiteboard and doodle animation?
Whiteboard animation and white board doodle videos are close relatives. Whiteboard animation usually means dark line work on white with a visible hand drawing it; doodle videos are more playful and colourful. Explainimate has styles for both looks, from the classic Whiteboard style to Bold marker, Playful and Crayon.
What will you draw first?
Type a topic and read the script before anything is drawn. When it sounds right, press Draw and watch the pen go.
Write my first script