Animated sticker maker for WhatsApp, Telegram and Discord
One character, one motion, and the right file for each app. Transparent background included.
Advanced settings
Output: 512×512, transparent background
This animated sticker maker turns one picture into a moving sticker with a transparent background. Choose wave, nod, bounce, laugh, cry or hearts, then export for your app: animated WebP for WhatsApp, WEBM for Telegram, or GIF for Discord. A plain GIF won't work as a WhatsApp or Telegram sticker, which is why the formats differ.
How it works
- 1
Upload your character
Use a person, a pet or a cartoon with a clear outline. The tool removes the background, so a plain backdrop makes for cleaner edges.
- 2
Pick a reaction
Six motions cover most of what stickers say: wave, nod, bounce, laugh, cry and hearts. Each runs about one second and resets itself.
- 3
Export for your app
Choose WhatsApp, Telegram or Discord. Each option selects the file type those apps accept and targets their size limit.
What each app accepts from an animated sticker maker
Every chat app has its own format, and they aren't interchangeable. This is the main reason a file from a generic GIF tool gets rejected, and why an animated sticker maker has to export more than one format. We read each platform's official documentation on November 7, 2026, and the table below records what it says. Links are in the sources list at the bottom of this page.
| Telegram | Discord | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Animated WebP | WEBM with VP9, no audio | GIF or APNG (also Lottie on some servers) |
| Size | Exactly 512 × 512 | One side exactly 512, the other 512 or less | Exactly 320 × 320 |
| File limit | 500 KB | 256 KB | 512 KiB |
| Length | 10 seconds or less | 3 seconds or less | 5 seconds |
| Other rules | First frame should show the full sticker | Up to 30 FPS, should loop | Five free slots per server |
| What you get here | 512 × 512 WebP | 512 × 512 WEBM | 320 × 320 GIF |
Note the last column. Our sticker scene renders at 512 × 512, while Discord asks for exactly 320 × 320, so the Discord GIF is exported at 320 × 320 and is ready to upload as it is.
Why file limits shape animated stickers
A sticker is a small file doing a lot of work. With the default 8 frames, the limits above work out to about 62.5 KB per frame on WhatsApp but only 32 KB per frame on Telegram. Length is rarely the issue, because our loop runs 0.96 seconds, well inside every limit. Weight is what catches people out.
Our animated sticker maker lowers colors or compression step by step until the file fits. Simple, flat characters survive this with no visible change. Detailed photos are harder, and may lose some sharpness on the tightest limit. That is one more reason cartoon-style art tends to make better stickers than photographs.
Animated sticker maker for WhatsApp: the checklist
WhatsApp's rules come from its official sticker documentation, which is written for sticker apps. That matters: WhatsApp's documented way to bring in your own designed stickers is to package them in an app, so a loose WebP file isn't a finished pack by itself. Its help center also describes making custom stickers from photos inside the app, which is a different route. Our animated sticker maker prepares the file. Getting it into WhatsApp is a separate step.
- Check the first frame. WhatsApp ends the animation on the first frame after looping, so that frame needs to be the complete image.
- Make at least three. A pack in a sticker app needs 3 to 30 stickers.
- Don't mix types. A pack is all static or all animated.
- Provide a tray icon. It must be a static 96 × 96 image of 50 KB or less.
- Try it on light and dark. WhatsApp suggests an 8 px white outline, since stickers appear on many backgrounds.
Animated sticker Telegram users can publish
Telegram offers more than one animated format. The vector .TGS format needs After Effects, which isn't what this animated sticker maker produces. Our output is the video kind: WEBM encoded with VP9, with no audio stream. Telegram says the video size should not exceed 256 KB, and that the sticker should loop for the best experience.
To publish, open Telegram's @Stickers bot, follow its prompts to create a set, and send it the WEBM file. Custom emoji use a different size, exactly 100 × 100, so a 512 px sticker won't work as one without resizing.
Animated stickers on Discord
Discord stickers belong to a server, not to you. Every server has five free sticker slots by default, and Boost levels add more. You need permission to create expressions on that server, and animated GIF stickers follow the 320 × 320, 512 KiB limits in the table above.
GIF has hard transparent edges, so a thin line can appear around the character on a dark theme. Test the file in dark and light modes. If you want something small for use inside messages, a custom emoji may suit you better than a sticker, and it has its own smaller size.
What makes a sticker read at chat size
A sticker lives in a small square in a busy chat. An animated sticker maker can't rescue art that is unclear at that size. Before you spend a credit, use this list to judge your picture. Sticker motions are stronger than those on our photo pages, as a wave or a hop has to read at a glance.
| Motion | Says | Works best on |
|---|---|---|
| Wave | Hello, goodbye | Characters with a visible hand |
| Nod | Yes, agreed | Heads and busts |
| Bounce | Excited | Round, simple characters |
| Laugh | That's funny | Faces with big features |
| Cry | Sad, or sad for fun | Cartoon faces with large eyes |
| Hearts | Love, thanks | Almost anything |
Big head, bold outline, one emotion: that formula is hard to beat. Real photos of people can work, but the movement is more likely to distort them. Only use pictures of real people with their permission, and don't use characters you don't own.
What this animated sticker maker doesn't do yet, and its cost
The animated sticker maker makes one sticker per generation. It doesn't build a full pack in one step, and it doesn't remember a character, so a set of stickers can vary slightly from one to the next. If matching a character precisely across 20 stickers matters, a designer is still the better choice.
You can try the animated sticker maker 3 times with no account and 5 more after signing up, though free output carries a corner watermark, which is a poor look on a sticker. A paid sticker costs 1 credit at standard quality or 2 at high quality. A set of 10 at high quality uses 20 credits, which fits in the $6.99 pack of 25. Pack credits never expire, and any failed or blocked run refunds itself.
Questions
Can I use a GIF as a WhatsApp or Telegram sticker?
Not as it stands. WhatsApp's sticker documentation requires WebP, and Telegram's video stickers require WEBM. Export the correct format from the animated sticker maker instead of converting a GIF.
Will the sticker keep a transparent background?
Yes. WebP and WEBM keep smooth edges, while GIF edges are hard. Very fine hair can lose a little detail when the background is removed.
Can the tool add stickers straight to my WhatsApp?
No. You download the file, and adding it to WhatsApp is a separate step that happens outside our site. Telegram is simpler, thanks to its @Stickers bot.
Can I make animated stickers from a photo of my pet?
Yes. Pets are a favorite subject for an animated sticker maker, particularly close-ups with a clear outline. Try Bounce or Hearts first.
Why is my Discord sticker upload rejected?
Most often it is the size or the file type. Discord asks for exactly 320 × 320 and up to 512 KiB, which is what the Discord GIF option exports. Check you picked that option rather than the WhatsApp or Telegram file.
Can I change how fast the sticker plays?
Yes. The animated sticker maker has a speed slider that changes frame time at no credit cost. Stay within the length limit of the app you are targeting.
Related tools
Sources
- Telegram: Stickers and emoji, checked 2026-11-07
- WhatsApp: Android sticker requirements (official sample repository), checked 2026-11-07
- WhatsApp Help Center: stickers, checked 2026-11-07
- Discord Developer Docs: Sticker resource, checked 2026-11-07
- Discord Blog: How to create and upload your own stickers, checked 2026-11-07
Last updated 2026-11-07.