# Beads Creator vs The3Words

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The3Words at none against Beads Creator's 1. The3Words also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Beads Creator's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.5). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Beads Creator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The3Words asks for nothing beyond the download.

Beads Creator ships an update every 2 months, The3Words fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beads Creator | The3Words |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beads-creator-bead-patterns/id1235585928/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 74.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 49 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 18.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Takayuki Miyagawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/894301276) | [久人 小林](https://appshunter.io/developer/1829215397) |

## What reviewers say

### Beads Creator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beads-creator-bead-patterns/id1235585928)

Design custom fuse bead and Perler bead patterns with an intuitive pixel art editor. Import images to create patterns or use the bead list to track colors and quantities. Supports multiple bead brands and sizes.

**Highlights:** Pixel art style editing, Create patterns from images, Supports multiple bead brands, Bead list for color and quantity tracking, Cross-stitch pattern design, Supports 6 bead types

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Helpful for creating bead designs
- 🎨 Variety of colors and bead types
- 🔍 Useful for visualizing patterns

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and loses progress
- 🔍 Limited grid sizes and shapes
- 🎨 Lacking some common bead colors
- 📱 Orientation constraints on iPad

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to delete saved patterns
- Inconsistent behavior when adding beads

**Requested features**

- Copy/paste design elements
- Larger and custom grid sizes
- Import image to convert to pattern
- Fused bead view for final look
- Ability to edit bead colors


### The3Words

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the3words/id6749193104)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beads Creator free?

Beads Creator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is The3Words free?

The3Words is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Beads Creator or The3Words have ads?

Both Beads Creator and The3Words show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Beads Creator or The3Words?

Beads Creator ships an update every 2 months, and The3Words fortnightly. Most recently, Beads Creator was updated on November 6, 2026 and The3Words on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*