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Craft Studio vs Stitchmate
Stitchmate is a well-made browser pattern maker for cross stitch, needlepoint, diamond painting, crochet graphs, and fuse beads. Designing is free, and you pay when you want the printable PDF. Craft Studio is free all the way through, PDF included, and covers thirteen crafts with layers, motifs, and a project journal.
Side-by-side comparison
How Craft Studio stacks up against Stitchmate on the features that matter to makers.
Craft types
Thirteen crafts, including cross stitch, crochet and knitting colorwork, diamond painting, embroidery, needlepoint, quilt, fuse beads, and latch hook. Each with the right grid geometry and stitch terminology.
Five crafts in one editor: cross stitch, needlepoint, diamond painting, crochet graphs (C2C, tapestry, filet, and more), and fuse beads.
Thread brands
The full DMC solid range (489 colors) and an Anchor starter palette, plus yarn and bead palettes for the other crafts. Extract a palette from a photo or generate one with color-theory harmonies.
60+ thread brands, including hand-dyed, silk, and metallic threads, with one-click conversion from one brand to another.
Opening existing patterns
Image import only: drop in a photo or a plain color image of a chart and it's matched to your palette. It doesn't open OXS, PCStitch, WinStitch, or PDF pattern files.
Opens PCStitch .PAT, OXS (WinStitch, MacStitch, and others), and Pattern Maker .XSD files. Reading PDF charts you bought is in early access.
Pattern cleanup
The Check panel flags isolated single stitches, unused colors, and empty edges, so you can fix them by hand.
A FLOW score (0 to 100) rates how stitchable a chart is, with one-click and brush-based confetti cleanup.
Progress tracking
A project journal with progress photos and notes for each WIP, and a phone viewer with a row tracker for published patterns. No stitch-by-stitch tracker.
A free stitch-by-stitch tracker on every pattern: mark stitches, follow one color at a time, and sync across devices when signed in.
Platforms
Runs in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, or iPad, with touch and Apple Pencil support, and patterns sync through your account. The editor is built for tablet and computer screens, so it's cramped on a phone. There's no desktop or offline app.
Runs in the browser, plus an early-access desktop app for Mac and Windows that works offline. The app is free to download; PDF export from it needs a lifetime pass.
Exports
Printable PDF with symbol keys, plus PNG, SVG, and EPS on every pattern, and Excel for charts up to 300 × 300.
PDF with 90+ settings, made to work with Pattern Keeper, plus PNG and JPEG. PNG is free; the PDF is paid.
Pricing
Everything is free, with every craft, every editor tool, and PNG, PDF, SVG, EPS, and Excel export included. Your saved patterns are never deleted.
Free to design, edit, track progress, and export PNGs, keeping up to 10 patterns at a time. The printable PDF is $5.99 per pattern (5 for $12, 10 for $20), or a Personal Pass at $14.99 for 30 days, $59 for a year, or $99 once. Nothing renews.
Stitchmate details and prices checked October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
Which one is right for you?
Every tool has strengths. Here's our honest take.
Choose Craft Studio if…
- You also knit, embroider, quilt, or latch hook, and want one editor for all of it.
- You want a printable PDF for every pattern without paying per chart or buying a pass.
- You want to save as many patterns as you like.
- You want your designs, project journal, and a community gallery in one place.
Stick with Stitchmate if…
- You want to start designing without making an account.
- You need to open PCStitch, WinStitch, or Pattern Maker files, or track a PDF chart you bought.
- You want a free stitch-by-stitch progress tracker.
- You want automatic confetti cleanup and a stitchability score before you print.
- You want an offline desktop app, hand-dyed thread palettes, or charts up to 2,000 × 2,000.
Frequently asked
- Is Craft Studio free like Stitchmate?
- Both are free to design with. Stitchmate charges when you download the printable PDF: $5.99 per pattern, packs from $12, or a pass. Craft Studio includes the PDF at no cost, along with PNG, SVG, and EPS export (and Excel for charts up to 300 × 300). Craft Studio needs a free account to use the editor; Stitchmate lets you start without one.
- Can I move my Stitchmate patterns to Craft Studio?
- Export your chart from Stitchmate as a PNG (that part is free). In Craft Studio, set your pattern to the chart's stitch count, turn on Crisp edges, then drop the PNG into image import. Each cell is matched to your palette, and you can clean up from there. Craft Studio doesn't open OXS or PDF pattern files directly.
- Does Craft Studio have a stitch tracker like Stitchmate?
- Not stitch by stitch. Craft Studio's project journal tracks each WIP with progress photos and notes, and published patterns open in a phone viewer with a row tracker. If marking off every stitch matters most to you, Stitchmate's tracker is free on every pattern and a good choice.
- Does Craft Studio work offline?
- No. Craft Studio runs in the browser and needs a connection. If you want to design offline, Stitchmate has a desktop app for Mac and Windows, currently in early access. It's free to download, and PDF export in the app needs a lifetime pass.
Ready to try it?
Create a free account, import your existing patterns as images, and keep designing where you left off.
Start for free