Comparison

NailBuff vs Stitchly

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

Head to head
About

NailBuff

Discover new nail polish colors using your camera or saved images. Keep track of your collection and create wish lists to avoid duplicate purchases. Instantly find perfect matches from various brands.

Highlights
  • Color discovery via camera or images
  • Nail polish collection management
  • Wish list creation
  • Instant shade matching
  • Brand search
  • Social media sharing
Features
Read full description

NailBuff allows you to find new colours by using their unique touch screen technology, your phone's camera or any saved pictures. ..... and it gets better! You can also create an online record of your current nail polish collection ensuring that you'll never buy the same polish twice - as well as a Wish List for colours you can’t wait to buy. How does it work? Once you've selected the colour you're obsessed with, NailBuff will instantly find you the perfect nail polish match by searching all your favourite brands as well as some newly discovered upcoming producers that may not be on your radar yet. When you've decided on the perfect polish you can then add it to your wish list or collection and share it with your friends via social media.

About

Stitchly

Easily create custom cross-stitch patterns from photos or by drawing your own designs. Supports various stitch types and thread colors, with options to export as printable PDFs and track your progress. Perfect for both beginners and experienced crafters.

Highlights
  • Create patterns from photos
  • Draw custom designs
  • Supports DMC and Anchor threads
  • Includes advanced stitches
  • Export as printable PDF
  • Track stitching progress
Features
Read full description

Stitchly is the best cross stitch pattern maker app on iPhone and iPad. Easily create your own cross stitch patterns with this simple yet powerful app. • Perfect for beginners and professionals • Convert your photos or draw your own designs • Use DMC and Anchor thread, plus lots more • Use 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, backstitches, and French knots • Export your work as a printable PDF • Track your progress in the app • No subscriptions (pay once, enjoy forever) IT WORKS LIKE MAGIC When converting a photo, use our custom-built wizard tool to effortlessly choose the best settings for your image and see the results instantly. TRACE OVER IMAGES When drawing your own designs, you can show an image in the background. This can be super helpful as a reference to trace over. You can also show the original image after converting a photo, which makes tidying up your patterns even easier. MAKE YOUR MASTERPIECE Once your pattern is finished and you’re ready to get stitching, simply press play. You can view your pattern in the app, highlight symbols, and mark stitches as completed using the progress tracker. JOIN THOUSANDS OF HAPPY CUSTOMERS... "I can’t overstate my love for Stitchly. Every time I don’t see it on a top 10 softwares for cross stitch I’m shook. I‘ve been making and selling patterns for 5 years and have tried 3 other programs but Stitchly’s aesthetics, simplicity, and constant feature updates make it my number one favorite of all time." - By Nic806 on the App Store "This app is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I had been eyeing a few desktop apps but this app provides all the features I need in a cheaper, convenient, portable app- even better! I love how easy it is to make patterns and export them, even including the number of skeins needed in the export is so helpful." - By reydiant on the App Store "The best app for anyone that likes cross stitch. I’ve saved so much money on buying patterns and it’s also so much fun to be able to design my own. Love it. I never spend money on apps but this one was definitely worth it." - By TJ_172940 on the App Store BECOME AN AMAZING DESIGNER Our mission is to make it easier and more fun to create your own cross stitch designs. Why? Because being creative makes you happier and healthier. AS FEATURED BY APPLE Stitchly has been featured as App of the Day on the App Store. We are incredibly proud of this milestone and wish to thank all our wonderful customers for their continued support. FAQ Is the full version a one-time purchase? Yes. There are no subscriptions. You can create and export as many patterns as you like with the one-time purchase. Can I unlock my other devices using the same purchase? Yes. You can unlock the full version on your iPhone, iPad and Mac (M1 chip or later) with just one purchase. Can I share the purchase with my family? Yes. Family Sharing is enabled. Can I sell my patterns? Yes. You can also add your store details to your PDF exports. Do I have to buy the materials separately? Yes. The app is only for creating patterns. Can I use Stitchly for needlepoint? Yes. Many of our customers use the Stitchly app to create both cross stitch and needlepoint patterns. When using the app for needlepoint, just treat each square as one canvas intersection. Is Stitchly an alternative to Stitch Fiddle? Yes. Stitchly is an app, whereas Stitch Fiddle is an online platform. Stitchly is not affiliated with Stitch Fiddle. Where is my data stored? Your data is stored on your device. All processing is done locally on your device. Your data is never transmitted to third parties. TRY IT NOW Try Stitchly now on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. The full version is a one-time purchase. Find out more at stitchly.com Stitchly® is a registered trademark of Subtlabs Ltd

Screenshots

NailBuff4 screens
Stitchly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NailBuff at none against Stitchly's 2. Stitchly's advantage is ratings volume (2.3K vs 72) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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

Both are free to download. Stitchly sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. NailBuff asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stitchly holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stitchly has 2.3K ratings behind it against 72, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 79% and 79% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NailBuff ships an update every 2 months, Stitchly fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NailBuff versus Stitchly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNailBuffStitchly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (72 ratings)4.8 (2.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.2% of reviews79.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings722.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB40 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperNail Buff LimitedSubtlabs

Customer experience

NailBuff

All ratings70 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral4.2%
Negative16.7%

Stitchly

All ratings2,289 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews331 reviews
Positive79.5%
Neutral9.4%
Negative11.2%

Bugs and requests

NailBuff

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Stitchly

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when importing certain patterns
  • Issues with grid and stitch alignment
  • Inconsistent behavior when using undo/redo

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for more thread brands and colors
  • Implement layering and grouping functionality
  • Allow resizing and repositioning of the entire pattern
  • Improve PDF export options and customization
  • Add progress tracking and marking completed stitches

In-app purchases

None

NailBuff

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Stitchly

One-time2
  • Special Offer$39.99
  • Full Version$75.00

Questions

Is NailBuff free?
NailBuff is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stitchly free?
Stitchly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NailBuff or Stitchly?
Stitchly is rated higher. NailBuff averages 4.6 out of 5 from 72 ratings, while Stitchly averages 4.8 from 2.3K ratings.
Do NailBuff or Stitchly have ads?
Neither NailBuff nor Stitchly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NailBuff or Stitchly?
NailBuff ships an update every 2 months, and Stitchly fortnightly. Most recently, NailBuff was updated on November 3, 2026 and Stitchly on November 3, 2026.

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