Comparison

Twinkly vs Kumihimo Braid

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Twinkly

Control and personalize smart light decorations for an enhanced festive experience. Easily connect via Wi-Fi to create custom lighting effects for your tree and home.

Highlights
  • Personalize lighting effects
  • Smart design
  • Intuitive use
  • Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Customizable Christmas lights
Features
Read full description

The companion app for Twinkly, the smart light decoration system to make your Christmas unforgettable. It is the evolution of the classic Christmas lights and a true innovation in how you light up your tree. It features a smart design that gives you the ability to personalize your lighting effects for an even greater experience. Designed for intuitive use, just connect over Wi-Fi and you will be playing with your lights in a matter of seconds.

About

Kumihimo Braid

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Keep your colors, your cut lengths, and your current move together while you make the common eight-strand round Kumihimo disk braid. The disk on screen follows your braid. It tracks where every cord actually is, so the diagram always matches the disk in front of you — including the halfway position with three cords at the top, the one braiders use to hold their place by hand. FOLLOW THE MOVES • Each move names the cord by color: "move the Teal cord", not "the lower-left cord" • See where the mark on your own disk should be pointing right now • Lower-left up, upper-right down, then a quarter turn • A checkpoint saves after every move; undo one, or reset • The screen stays awake while your hands are busy PLAN YOUR COLORS • Choose from twelve named cord colors, or start from the Sunset, Tide or Checker presets • See what your arrangement makes, and the order the cords lay into the braid • Save separate projects and duplicate one to try another setup CUT ONCE • Work in inches or centimeters and switch without changing the stored plan • Adjust the cord multiplier and the finishing allowance • Get the cut length for each cord, and totals grouped by color The same eight-strand disk braid is used for satin cord bracelets, paracord keychains and lanyards. MADE FOR THE WORKBENCH • Notes for cord, findings and tension • iPhone and iPad • No account, ads, analytics, tracking, or internet connection. Your projects never leave the device. This app covers the common round eight-strand disk workflow. It is not a bead-pattern designer, a photo-realistic finished-braid preview, a marudai guide, or a universal Kumihimo pattern generator. It names the resulting pattern only for the color layouts with a documented result, and tells you to braid a sample for anything else. Material use varies with cord, beads, tension, and structure. The estimate is a starting point, not a guarantee. Make a short sample and adjust the multiplier before cutting valuable material.

Screenshots

Twinkly4 screens
Kumihimo Braid4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Twinkly at Free against Kumihimo Braid's $3.99. Twinkly also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Twinkly is free to download; Kumihimo Braid costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Twinkly ships an update fortnightly, Kumihimo Braid every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Twinkly versus Kumihimo Braid: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTwinklyKumihimo Braid
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.6 (48K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews38.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings48K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size194 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTwinkly srl文琪 王

Bugs and requests

Twinkly

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes and freezes frequently
  • Lights disconnecting from WiFi
  • Mapping and setup process unreliable
  • Preset effects not working as expected
  • Playlist and custom effects not saving
Show 1 more
  • Firmware update process failing

Requested features

6 requests
  • Multiple timers for on/off schedules
  • Ability to edit and save custom effects
  • Sync effects across multiple light sets
  • Homekit and Alexa integration
  • More preset effects and animations
Show 1 more
  • Improved app layout and usability

Kumihimo Braid

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Twinkly

No in-app purchases

None

Kumihimo Braid

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Twinkly free?
Twinkly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kumihimo Braid free?
Kumihimo Braid costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Twinkly or Kumihimo Braid have ads?
Neither Twinkly nor Kumihimo Braid shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Twinkly or Kumihimo Braid?
Twinkly ships an update fortnightly, and Kumihimo Braid every 2 months. Most recently, Twinkly was updated on November 1, 2026 and Kumihimo Braid on October 31, 2026.

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