Who Really Uses 2D Animation? What We Learned from 40 Companies

TL;DR

• 2D animation is no longer just for cartoons. It has become a flexible marketing tool used across different industries.
• Based on MTA’s small research sample of 40 companies, startups use 2D animation more often than enterprises, mainly because it is cost-effective, scalable, and easier to update.
• For anyone asking who use 2D animation, the strongest pattern we found was among SaaS and AI companies, where 2D helps explain complex products, abstract ideas, and technical workflows in a simple visual way.
• 2D animation is especially useful for brands that need to explain their product clearly without overwhelming the audience with too many dashboards, features, or technical details.
• A strong 2D animation service can help growing companies create polished, on-brand videos that are easy to adapt as their product, messaging, or campaign needs change.

2D animation service

When you hear “2D animation,” your first thought is probably a childhood cartoon or maybe a movie you watched recently. And you would not be wrong. 2D animation is one of the most familiar styles out there and often associated with entertainment.

But here’s the cool part — 2D animation goes way beyond cartoons. It’s one of the most versatile marketing tools out there, used across almost every industry. Chances are you have already come across it in your own field, whether it is a competitor’s promo video or an ad that popped up on your socials. We actually talked about marketing video and how big brand use it in our previous blog “Explore 10 Video Marketing Types” where a lot of the example we used are 2D animation.

For us, 2D animation is what we do best. We have worked with startups, enterprises, and everything in between (you can check our GotPhoto case study to see what we can do with 2D animation and how we did it). That got us curious about a bigger question. Who is really using 2D animation for their videos, and how are different industries making the most of it? That is what we wanted to find out in this blog.

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Our method: finding out who uses 2D animation service

We know it is impossible to figure out exactly what every company is using for their video content, especially when they are not our clients. When this idea first came up, one of our writers pointed out that if we only used our past projects, the results would probably be biased. Most of our early clients were startup IT companies, so our experience might not reflect the bigger picture.

That is why we decided to run our own small research. We collected a sample of 40 companies: 20 startups and 20 more established enterprises. For this study, we defined them as:

• Startup: A young company focused on innovation, rapid growth, and finding a scalable business model.
• Enterprise: A large, established company with proven processes, stable revenue, and a focus on efficiency and expansion.

We also noticed that these companies came from a wide range of industries, so we divided them into categories like:

• AI and SaaS
• Finance
• Food and Beverage
• IT and Technology
• Marketing
• Others

To keep things consistent, we pulled the samples from the YC company list and the Fortune 500 list. We then checked their most recent videos on their websites, LinkedIn pages, or YouTube channels. To make sure the data was fresh, we only looked at videos uploaded in the last month, since enterprise content in particular can vary a lot from campaign to campaign.

Once we had all the data, we started looking for patterns.

So, who’s really using 2D animation?

Before jumping into the results, just a quick disclaimer. The sample size we used for this research is relatively small, so it does not represent every industry in full detail. That means the findings may not apply directly to your company’s exact situation. Instead, think of this blog as a starting point, a first step to see how other companies in your industry are using 2D animation and where it might fit for you.

Okay, let’s dive in

Start-up vs enterprise

Here is where things got interesting. From the data we collected, there is a pretty clear split between startups and enterprises. Startups use 2D animation way more often. For them, it is a simple, effective way to explain their product, tell their story, and look polished without spending a fortune.

Enterprises, on the other hand, lean more toward live-shoots or talking-head videos. That style feels more traditional and fits the way bigger companies usually communicate, whether it is through leadership messages, brand culture, or corporate updates.

When it comes to 3D animation or mixed media, our sample was too small to say anything conclusive. A few companies are experimenting with it, but not enough for us to call it a trend just yet. It would definitely be interesting to explore with a larger dataset.

Video type and industry

On the other hand, when we looked specifically at SaaS and AI companies, a strong pattern stood out. Out of the 12 companies in this category, 9 of them used 2D animation for their video content. The other three went with talking-head style videos where they demonstrated the product live or used a mix of live footage and animation to tell their story. Interestingly, none of the SaaS or AI companies in our sample used 3D animation at all.

It is worth noting that because we pulled our company list from Y Combinator and the Fortune 500, a large portion of the sample naturally came from IT and technology-related industries, including SaaS and AI. This explains why we ended up with more SaaS and AI examples compared to other fields. For the “Other” category, we placed companies from more niche or miscellaneous industries, such as medical, aviation, or manufacturing, to keep the dataset balanced.

Of course, this was still a relatively small sample, and a more balanced dataset would give a clearer picture across industries. But for anyone asking who use 2D animation, the takeaway is simple: SaaS and AI companies lean heavily toward 2D animation as their go-to format for video content. This also shows why a strong 2D animation service can be valuable for brands that need to explain complex products clearly, quickly, and in a way that is easy to update over time.

What we learned from the results

Now that we’ve got the numbers and understand what they mean, we took a closer look to see how this applies to real-world projects. So what does this mean? Well, for us this data can help us to be more prepared when we are talking with potential clients; we can suggest to them content that they might like.

But for a general audience, these data could help them plan better on how they approach creating a video campaign or release a video. It’s worth noting that most of the companies in our list are based in the U.S., so the trends we found might look different in other regions. With that being said, let’s jump right in.

Why SaaS and AI content chose 2D animation

We also wanted to understand why SaaS and AI companies seem to lean so heavily toward 2D animation. A few reasons stood out.

First, 2D animation helps make the invisible visible. SaaS platforms and AI tools often deal with things that are hard to show, like data flows, algorithms, automation, or behind-the-scenes processes. Instead of explaining all of that with blocks of text or overly technical visuals, 2D animation services can turn those ideas into simple, engaging graphics that are much easier to understand. Our project with Finto is a good example of this, where we helped package a big product idea into an upbeat and easy-to-follow 2D animation.

Another reason is that 2D makes product storytelling easier. A typical SaaS or AI product can have a lot going on: dashboards, screens, features, workflows, and user journeys. If you try to show everything at once, the video can quickly feel overwhelming. With 2D animation, brands can strip things back and focus on the key features, flows, and benefits that actually matter.

Lastly, 2D animation is flexible. SaaS and AI products change all the time, with new features, updated dashboards, and shifting messaging. Instead of reshooting a live demo or starting a whole campaign from scratch, 2D animation services make it easier to update visuals, tweak workflows, and keep the content feeling current as the product evolves.

Why startup chose 2D animation

Well, the simple answer here is that as a brand-new company, startups need to put most of their budget, time, and energy into improving and growing their product. So it makes sense for them to go with a type of content that is both affordable and scalable. That is exactly where 2D animation fits in. It gives them a polished, professional way to tell their story without draining resources they should be putting into the business. Our work with Nixo is exactly that. They already had a solid UI design, and we elevated it through animation, adding movement, flow, and personality to make the video feel alive and engaging.

It also helps them launch with impact while staying on budget. A well-made 2D animation can make a young company look sharp and credible without the high costs of live action or 3D. That means they can make noise in the market while still being smart with their spend.

Another big benefit is how flexible 2D is as products evolve. Startups change fast, and so do their products. With 2D, it is easy to update visuals or swap in a new voiceover instead of redoing the entire video, which keeps the content relevant as the company grows.

And finally, 2D makes it simple to stay consistent with branding. From colors to fonts to the overall style, everything can match across their website, app, and social channels. That consistency helps them look more professional and makes it easier to stand out from other startups trying to get noticed.

Conclusion

So, here’s the big takeaway: 2D animation is not just for cartoons or movies anymore. It has become one of the most flexible tools brands can use, and you can spot it across almost every industry. From our small research sample, we saw that startups lean on 2D animation a lot more, while bigger enterprises usually stick with live-shoot or talking-head style videos.

SaaS and AI companies make this even more obvious. For anyone asking who use 2D animation, these industries are some of the clearest examples. They use 2D because it makes complicated ideas easier to understand, shows off products without drowning people in endless dashboards, and is simple to update when new features roll out. For startups, it is also a smart choice because they get something polished, scalable, and on-brand without stretching their budget too far.

Sure, our sample was small, but the trend is clear. 2D animation is quickly becoming the go-to format for growing companies that want to tell their story clearly and make an impact fast. That is also why strong 2D animation services can be so valuable, especially for brands that need videos that are easy to understand, easy to update, and built around real business goals.

For us, this is exciting because it helps us guide clients toward videos that not only work for their industry, but also fit their goals. And honestly, that is what we love doing: helping brands create videos that connect with people and actually deliver results. This can also be a continuation of our earlier blog, “15 Best Product Demo Videos” where we discussed type of video that companies tend to use and how they affect the business.

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If you are thinking about making a 2D animation for your brand, let’s chat. Book a call with us and check out our 2D animation service page.

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