Zephyr
Zephyr is a free texture packer and sprite editor for 2D games, with tools for organizing sprites, defining animations, and exporting atlas assets.
What Zephyr is
Zephyr is a free texture packer and sprite editor for 2D games, with tools for organizing sprites, defining animations, and exporting atlas assets. Sprites can be arranged in a tree, packed into an atlas, and given pivots and editable rectangle, circle, or polygon hitboxes. Atlas packing offers Shelf and MaxRects algorithms, configurable padding, and a maximum texture size; the preview updates in real time. Animation setup uses a frame timeline with per-frame delays, looping, and Forward, Reverse, or PingPong playback. Export creates a packed texture plus JSON metadata containing sprite locations, pivots, hitboxes, and animation information. A project is saved in one .zephyr file, but its source images are referenced by relative paths and must stay alongside it. Downloads are listed for Windows, macOS, and Linux, including Windows and Linux ARM64 archives, for version 0.2.1. The maker says to extract the archive and run the executable, without installation. The source code uses the MIT License; artwork and mascot rights are reserved separately.
Good
- Supports Shelf and MaxRects atlas packing.
- Hitboxes can be edited with interactive handles.
- Animations support delays, looping, and three playback modes.
- Exports atlas textures with JSON metadata.
- Archives can be run without installation.
Watch out
- Source images must remain alongside the project file.
- Listed downloads are version 0.2.1.
- Artwork and mascot rights are reserved separately.
Who it suits
Zephyr suits 2D game creators who need to pack sprite atlases, edit hitboxes, and define animations. It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Verdict
Zephyr brings atlas packing, sprite hitbox editing, animation setup, and metadata export into one tool. Keep its relative-path requirement in mind when moving project files.
Plans and prices
From Zephyr's own pricing page, checked 30 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Name your own price | — | downloadable tool · Windows and Linux listed under platforms · macOS binaries also listed for download |
The facts
Each one read from Zephyr's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Animation
- Animations use a frame timeline with per-frame delays and Forward, Reverse, or PingPong playback, and can loop.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Atlas packing
- It offers Shelf and MaxRects packing algorithms, configurable padding, and a maximum texture size, with the atlas updating in real time.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Downloads
- The download page lists Windows, macOS, and Linux archives for version 0.2.1, including Windows and Linux ARM64 builds.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Export
- Export writes a packed atlas texture and JSON metadata containing sprite positions, pivot points, hitboxes, and animations.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Installation
- The maker says to extract the platform archive and run the executable, with no installation required.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Project files
- Projects are saved as one .zephyr file, while source images are referenced by paths relative to that file and need to remain alongside it.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- Zephyr is a texture packer and sprite editor with animation support for 2D games.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Security
- The repository links a GitHub security policy, but the opened page does not provide security or compliance details.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Source license
- The source code is licensed under the MIT License; the artwork and mascot are separately reserved by the copyright holder.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Sprite hitboxes
- Sprites can have Rectangle, Circle, or Polygon hitboxes whose shapes and positions are editable with interactive handles.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Sprite workflow
- It organizes sprites in a tree, packs them into an atlas, supports per-sprite pivots and hitboxes, defines animations, and exports a texture with JSON metadata.checked 30 Sep 2026
The company
- Maker
- The project credits Christopher Whitley (AristurtleDev) as its copyright holder and Aristurtle as its itch.io author.checked 30 Sep 2026
Alternatives to Zephyr
- 1
TestMu AI
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.3From $17 a month - 2
TestQuality
Free planWebAPILinuxmacOS7.9From $8 a month - 3
aqua
Free planWebAPIExtensionLinux7.8Free plan - 4
Klaros-Testmanagement
Free planAndroidWebAPILinux7.6Free plan - 5
Kualitee
Free planAndroidiOSWebWindows7.5From $292 a year - 6
Tuskr
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.5From $90 a year