Vtubing does not have to be expensive!
It also doesn't have to require a decade of digital art experience. Vtubing in 2026 is incredibly accessible to anyone with a webcam and a laptop. As a currently self-employed vtuber with a tight budget, I've learned from so many incredible creators just how much you can do for absolutely free to get started with vtubing! I've spent a lot of time sending people suggestions and learning, but I thought- "wouldn't it be easier if I made a page compiling it all?" So that's exactly what this page aims to be! I'll be doing my best to also list these in order of complexity, starting from "literally just a character creator" to "what is unity and what are we doing here?". If you're here and interested in breaking into vtubing for whatever reason, allow me to start us off with the most basic of basics- the thing that makes a vtuber a vtuber!
Before we dive into my specific reccomendations-
The models
Where do we start for this? Well, this specific guide is going to primarily focus on 3D vtubing- but I'll include any solutions I know for free 2d vtubing as well where I can! To get started with a model, what are free programs you can use?
free 3D programs
- Vroid Studio (VTUBER CREATION)
Vroid Studio is a free model creator for those who don't want or have time to learn how to model and rig a model from scratch. Presenting you with a pre-rigged base and dozens of pre-made options for clothing, hairstyles, eyes and accessories, you can use Vroid (especially paired with Booth.pm) to create a beautiful customized model for your vtubing journey! This program for its simple UI can be used to create a lot more than meets the eye- using tricks within and out of the program to make your model perfect. (Hint: You can manually input numbers beyond the sliders of any parameter if their base range isn't enough for what you need!) - VMagicMirror (3D TRACKING)
VMagicMirror is the first of three tracking softwares I'll show you, it's in my opinion the easiest one to use- as it's the lightest on your computer and has the least complicated buttons you'll be looking at. This program is great! My only warning: If you proceed into any tutorials using unity this program does not take kindly to external model additions and will, generally speaking, display them completely differently to how you've textured them in unity. This is why I had to stop using VMagicMirror, my halo (along with things like my wings and cross accessories in New Moon and 09Cross respectively) displayed totally wrong even if I used the vrm shader in unity when adding them on! It also doesn't have any form of free hand tracking, you'll have to pay a small fee to unlock that properly. I'd give this program an honest 8/10, it's really good for a free tracker! Just not the MOST bang for your buck. - VSeeFace (3D TRACKING)
VSeeFace is probably the best of the three for vtubers who are starting or even just want a simplier program to work with! This program allows the use of simple filters, it's compatible with leapmotion trackers if you invest in those (actually, all of the trackers are. I just know this one does especially good with it.) and allows for the easiest swapping between models without having to filter through different tabs a bunch. This program is donationware the same as VMagicMirror- meaning it's entirely free and you can choose to donate to its creator if you have the money and want to support them! Unlike VMagicMirror though, no features that I know of are hidden behind donating. This is my 9/10 tracker! - WARUDO (3D TRACKING)
Warudo is, by far, the best of these three trackers in my opinion! While they have a paid version for corporations (and a discounted price for indies) you will get more than enough that unless you're trying to host full on virtual concerts, you won't need it. Easy onboarding where you can simply answer questions to find what tracking works best for you, free webcam based hand tracking, customizable lighting that looks crisp, and the ability to place your vtuber in 3d enviornments and pose them with dozens of free poses and enviornments. I personally pair this program with XR Animator for the purposes of tracking that covers my head, hands, and shoulders so I can shrug and such! ALSO ALSO: This program accepts both MMD motions and camera motions, you can find guides (including ones I'll link below) to do this- but this means you could use Warudo to dance and such without fullbody tracking! In case you couldn't tell, this is my 10/10 recommendation. - Argamawitch (3D TUTORIALS)
Argamawitch was the first person I learned Vroid from, her tutorials are great for getting started. Bear in mind a number of these tutorials are made using the older versions of Vroid from before their full launch on Steam, but the program didn't actually change all that much- it just got more diverse. So most of these shooould hold up! She'll get you started, and also she has tons of free and inexpensive assets on her own booth.pm which you can grab for designing your vroid model! If you're looking into live2d, she also appears to have tutorials for that as well although I haven't personally watched them! - Kana Fukuyo(3D TUTORIALS)
Kana Fukuyo has tons of tutorials ranging from Vseeface to Warudo to MMD to Vnyan (a program I know nothing about and therefor haven't listed here.) She's how I learned all about using Warudo including MMD motions! Paired with Argamawitch these two vtubers will get you started swiftly on your 3d journey if that's the direction you choose to take! Oh, speaking of which. This next solution is going to sound really weird... but I need you to trust me. - Sweet Home 3D (3D BACKGROUNDS)
Okay yes, this is a straight up interior design program. I know that, you know that. You can however use this simple drag and drop program (along with free obj files and such you find online!) to create a CUSTOM 3D enviornment for your vtuber. If you use Warudo for tracking, you can directly add it to your scene- if not, you can take screenshots of your various rooms in your virtual home to use as png backgrounds for streams or just chatting screens! It's not the mos eye-catching backgrounds, but being able to fully customize your layout and colors makes things way more personal in a way I think is really cool! Kana Fukuyo linked directly above this entry has a tutorial on how to use SH3D backgrounds in Warudo, so if you're interested in unpacking that whole thing go check it out! Just be aware you'll have to use Unity, but she'll walk you through the whole process! - VTube Studio (2D TRACKING)
This is The 2d Tracker, full stop. 99.9% of 2d vtubers use this program, every customizable model I suggest that isn't hosted in its own software is going to track using VTS- it does everything it needs to! You'll have to crop out a watermark which limits how much motion you can do to use it for free- but honestly that's never caused me any problems when running my customizable models! Plus there's hundreds if not thousands of items you can download as props for within VTS by pinning them directly to your model like they're sticky notes! Very easy to use, easy to set up in OBS, easy on the eyes- easy. We don't need to reinvent the wheel with this one. - vTuber Kit (VTUBER CREATION)
And immediately I hit you with an option that is in fact hosted in its own software- This adorable custom vtuber program works all on its own- with webcam tracking, customizable colors and hair style elements and outfits and twitch integrations! I played with it myself before recommending it and it's absolutely adorable! Gradients are a bit of a nightmare, admittedly- though I theorize longer hair will make them a little easier to sort. Eithr way, for a free program this is an amazing piece of tech that you could definitely get a lot of mileage out of!