Dragonframe
Dragonframe develops Dragonframe 2026, the industry-standard stop motion animation software for Mac, Windows, and Linux, plus a proprietary hardware ecosystem, sold directly to major film studios, independent filmmakers, and educational institutions worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersOjai, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Dragonframe does
Dragonframe develops and sells Dragonframe 2026, the de facto industry-standard software for stop motion animation, available on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The product provides frame-precise image capture, advanced motion control, lighting management, and integration with professional cinema cameras including Canon EOS systems. The core software is supplemented by a proprietary hardware ecosystem — the Dragonframe Controller (Bluetooth/USB handheld), DDMX-512 DMX lighting controller, DMC-32 motion control device, and EOS Live-View Correction Cap — designed for exclusive interoperability with the software platform.
The company operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market, selling perpetual software licenses and hardware accessories through its own e-commerce store, supplemented by a free trial download funnel, a reseller program, and dedicated educational pricing for academic institutions. Customers include major feature film animation studios (Aardman Animations, Laika, Studio Ghibli, Walt Disney Pictures, Blue Sky, Blumhouse, Phil Tippett) as well as a long tail of independent filmmakers and educational users globally. The website is localized into seven languages — English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese — indicating international market focus.
Dragonframe is a privately held micro-cap company headquartered in Ojai, California, with 1–10 employees. The company has not disclosed external funding, ownership structure, or revenue figures. Its strategic posture is organic and cash-flow funded, with growth driven by product iteration (Dragonframe 2026 release), hardware ecosystem expansion, channel diversification (resellers, education), and geographic localization rather than headcount scaling or external capital deployment.
Dragonframe firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dragonframe
- Legal name
- Dragonframe
- Website
- https://dragonstopmotion.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Dragonframe develops Dragonframe 2026, the industry-standard stop motion animation software for Mac, Windows, and Linux, plus a proprietary hardware ecosystem, sold directly to major film studios, independent filmmakers, and educational institutions worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dragonframe industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Animation software
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Animation Production (2D/3D/Stop-Motion) (MPAAAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Character & Creature Animation (MPADACAE)
Keywords
Where Dragonframe is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ojai
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Dragonframe business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Software Licenses: Dragonframe sells perpetual software licenses for its stop motion animation application. The software is available in versions (Dragonframe 2026) with different configurations to serve various user tiers from independent filmmakers to major studios.
- Hardware Products: Sale of proprietary hardware including Dragonframe Controller (Bluetooth/USB), DDMX-512 lighting controller, and DMC-32 motion control accessories. These hardware products complement the software ecosystem.
- Educational Licensing: Special pricing programs for educational institutions, providing discounted access to the software for teaching and learning purposes in academic settings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Standard Software License |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Educational Pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hardware Accessories |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Dragonframe product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dragonframe develops and sells Dragonframe 2026, an industry-standard stop motion animation software for Mac, Windows, and Linux that provides frame-precise capture, camera control, motion control, and lighting management. The company complements the software with proprietary hardware accessories — the Dragonframe Controller, DDMX-512 lighting controller, DMC-32 motion control device, and EOS Live-View Correction Cap — sold individually and through its online store, with educational and reseller pricing programs.
Product overview
Dragonframe offers a unified stop motion animation software platform (Dragonframe 2026) supplemented by a suite of proprietary hardware accessories. The product line includes the core Dragonframe software for Mac, Windows, and Linux, the Dragonframe Controller for Bluetooth/USB remote operation, DDMX-512 for lighting control, DMC-32 for motion control, and the EOS Live-View Correction Cap for Canon camera integration. The software serves as the industry standard, while hardware products provide essential motion control, lighting, and camera connectivity capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Dragonframe Controller: Bluetooth + USB connectivity in a shock-resistant case for stop motion animation control
- DDMX-512
- DMC-32
- EOS LV Correction Cap
Products and services
- Dragonframe 2026 Industry-standard stop motion animation software for Mac, Windows, and Linux that provides frame-precise capture, camera control, motion control, and lighting management for professional and independent stop motion production.
- Dragonframe Controller Handheld hardware controller with Bluetooth and USB connectivity in a shock-resistant case that enables remote operation of the Dragonframe software during animation shoots.
- DDMX-512 DMX lighting controller accessory that enables precise lighting control for stop motion animation setups.
- DMC-32 Motion control device that enables automated camera movement for stop motion animation sequences.
- EOS Live-View Correction Cap Camera accessory that corrects live-view issues with Canon EOS cameras when used with the Dragonframe software workflow.
Companies that use Dragonframe
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Dragonframe technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Dragonframe partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Dragonframe competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cateater (Stop Motion Studio): Cateater develops Stop Motion Studio, a multi-platform stop motion application (iOS, macOS, Windows) competing directly with Dragonframe for independent and educational stop motion users.
- Boinx Software: Boinx Software produces iStopMotion, a direct competitor to Dragonframe in the stop motion animation software category, primarily serving Mac and iOS users. It is the most direct comparable product in the niche.
Broad incumbents
- Adobe: Adobe's After Effects, Character Animator, and Premiere Pro address animation and video production broadly. While not specialized in stop motion, Adobe competes for the same creative-tooling budget at studios and with independent creators.
- Toon Boom Animation: Toon Boom is the industry standard for 2D animation software (Harmony, Storyboard Pro) used by major studios. It is a broad incumbent in the animation production tooling space, adjacent to Dragonframe's stop motion niche.
Emerging players
- Blender Foundation: Blender is a free, open-source 3D creation suite that increasingly competes for animation tooling mindshare. While not stop motion-specific, it represents a low-cost alternative for studios evaluating creative pipelines.
- Maxon (Cinema 4D): Maxon's Cinema 4D is a 3D modeling, animation, and rendering tool used by motion graphics and visual effects professionals. It targets an overlapping creative-tooling audience and competes for the same studio licensing budgets.
- Fxhome (HitFilm): Fxhome's HitFilm offers video editing and VFX compositing tools targeted at independent filmmakers and YouTubers. It overlaps with Dragonframe's independent filmmaker segment for creative production tooling.
- Smith Micro Software (Moho): Smith Micro's Moho (formerly Anime Studio) is a 2D animation tool for character animation. It overlaps with Dragonframe's customer base of independent and educational animators, though it focuses on vector-based 2D rather than stop motion.
Regional players
- TVPaint Development: TVPaint is a 2D animation software widely used in European animation studios, particularly for frame-by-frame hand-drawn animation. It is a regional incumbent with comparable frame-precise workflows relevant to Dragonframe's traditional animation users.
Others
- Syntheyes (Andromeda Software): Syntheyes is a camera tracking and motion capture solution used in the same VFX and stop motion production workflows as Dragonframe. It is an adjacent enabling tool rather than a direct competitor, but commonly appears in similar studio pipelines.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Dragonframe social profiles
Digital presenceDragonframe financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dragonframe leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Dragonframe funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dragonframe M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dragonframe
What does Dragonframe do?
Dragonframe develops and sells Dragonframe 2026, an industry-standard stop motion animation software for Mac, Windows, and Linux that provides frame-precise capture, camera control, motion control, and lighting management. The company complements the software with proprietary hardware accessories — the Dragonframe Controller, DDMX-512 lighting controller, DMC-32 motion control device, and EOS Live-View Correction Cap — sold individually and through its online store, with educational and reseller pricing programs.
Is Dragonframe a public or private company?
Dragonframe is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Dragonframe founded?
Dragonframe was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Dragonframe based?
Dragonframe is headquartered in Ojai, United States, in the North America region.
How does Dragonframe make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses are the primary driver. The others are hardware Products and educational Licensing.
Who are Dragonframe's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cateater (Stop Motion Studio) and Boinx Software. Broad incumbents are Adobe and Toon Boom Animation. Emerging players are Blender Foundation, Maxon (Cinema 4D), Fxhome (HitFilm) and Smith Micro Software (Moho). TVPaint Development is listed as a regional player. Syntheyes (Andromeda Software) is listed as an others.
Does Dragonframe have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dragonframe.
What industry is Dragonframe in?
Dragonframe's product category is Animation software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAMAD, Animation Production (2D/3D/Stop-Motion), with a secondary code of MPADACAE, Character & Creature Animation. Its SIC code is 7829.