Magic Needle vs Silk
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Magic Needle
Transform your photos into unique cross-stitch patterns with this mobile converter. It offers tools for pattern creation, embroidery tracking, and project management, making it ideal for both beginners and experienced crafters. Create personalized gifts or enjoy your hobby with ease.
- Create cross-stitch patterns from photos
- Adjust scheme size and color count
- Select fabric and floss brands
- Track embroidery progress
- Export patterns to PDF
- Organize and track floss inventory
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Create unique cross-stitch patterns from your favorite photos using the best mobile converter on the App Store. Perfect for both novice and expert cross-stitchers. Magic Needle is a great opportunity to make a memorable gift for your family, friends or yourself! UPLOAD PHOTO, ADJUST SETTINGS, START EMBROIDERING. That’s it, nothing to add. TOP FEATURES CREATE - Adjust scheme size and number of colors - Choose from global fabric and floss brands - Control advanced settings, like stitch type and number of strands to stitch with EMBROIDER - Select floss to focus on embroidering a particular color - Quick access to color palette with floss IDs - Mark stitched area and track your progress - Use color picker to find floss in the palette - Double-tap on color in the palette to find unmarked stitches - Tap and hold on color to see how many stitches left to embroider - Get summary with a list of flosses and number of skeins to buy EXTRA - Export pattern to PDF - Dark and light mode to help you embroidering with comfort for your eyes - Organize and track your floss in the catalog - Create patterns with your custom floss list - Stitches automatically deducted from the catalog when your mark them - Choose manually crafted cross-stitch patterns in our shop Magic Needle is designed for you to enjoy your favorite hobby. Terms of Use: https://magic-needle.io/terms Privacy Policy: https://magic-needle.io/privacy Search powered by Algolia
Silk
Discover a vast collection of cross stitch patterns and designs to fuel your creativity. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, this app offers inspiration, resources, and tools to enhance your embroidery art. Explore new charts, view color palettes, and access material lists to bring your stitching projects to life.
- Huge collection of cross stitch charts
- Multiple chart formats
- View color palette while stitching
- Zoom functionality for designs
- Vertical and horizontal rulers
- Material lists for stitching
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Are you looking for new cross stitch designs to express your creativity? Silk – Cross Stitch Patterns app is here for you. Step foot into a world of endless creativity, breathtaking cross stitching art, useful resources and more with this exciting app dedicated to cross stitching enthusiasts. Whether you are beginner seeking inspiration and help on what to stitch next or you are a pro at cross stitching who needs to explore new designs, the Silk app is here to help you in countless ways. Try Silk – Cross Stitch Patterns now! Explore New Cross Stitch Patterns Are you getting bored of the pattern monotony in your cross stitching routine? Make things simpler, easier and more exciting with this app. Seek new creative inspiration, counter your art block and be your best creative self with the help of this amazing cross stitching app. Delicate, Traditional Cross Stitching Skill No need to waste your time watching long tutorials to find new patterns for cross stitching. We know just how much embroidery art means to you and we are here to help you by providing an amazing reserve of traditional, delicate cross stitching patterns. Features of Silk – Cross Stitch Patterns • Huge collection of beautiful, delicate cross stitch charts • Three formats of the cross stitching charts are available • Easily view the color palette while stitching the artwork • Zoom in to enlarge the blocks and zoom out to bring the whole design in appropriate perspective • Vertical and horizontal ruler is available to underline your stitching pattern • Complete material list by the mains of cross stitching such as Soied´Alger and DMC Are you ready to cross stitch and express your creativity? Download and use Silk – Cross Stitch Patterns today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Silk at 4.8 against Magic Needle's 4.4. Silk also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Magic Needle sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Silk sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Silk holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 501 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 55% and 54% positive.
Magic Needle ships an update monthly, Silk every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Magic Needle | Silk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (1.1K ratings) | 4.8 (501 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.9% of reviews — better | 54.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 501 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Artem Shal | CSP Embroidery Digital UG haftungsbeschrankt |
Customer experience
Magic Needle
Silk
User reviews
Magic Needle
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Excellent for creating cross-stitch patterns
- 📐 Accurate grid and color matching
- 🎨 Customizable color palette
- 💻 Convenient digital tracking of stitches
Room to improve
- 🔒 Limited free features, requires subscription
- 🎨 Restricted color selection
- 🔧 Lack of editing tools for patterns
- 💾 Issues with data/project loss after updates
Silk
From 501 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- ✨ Beautiful pattern designs from European designers
- 📊 Helpful stitch tracking and progress monitoring
- 🎨 Ability to mark stitches and highlight progress
- 💰 Reasonably priced patterns
Room to improve
- 💳 Misleading free pattern pricing (charged unexpectedly)
- 🔗 No cross-device synchronization of purchases or progress
- 📱 iOS only (not available on Android or PC)
- 🌐 Requires internet connection to function
- 🔍 No search bar for browsing patterns
Bugs and requests
Magic Needle
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes when trying to upload photos
- Stitching progress markers disappear unexpectedly
- Difficulty setting desired number of colors
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to edit/modify generated patterns
- Implement a PDF export option
- Improve syncing across devices
- Introduce more advanced color management tools
Silk
Reported bugs
6 issues- Free patterns charged $19.99 without clear notification
- Purchased patterns disappearing from library
- No synchronization between iPad and iPhone
- App requires internet connection to open
- Stitch timer continues even after erasing highlighted stitches
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- Printing limitations without AirPrinter support
Requested features
11 requests- Search bar for pattern browsing
- Cross-device synchronization of purchases and progress
- Ability to import personal PDF patterns
- Create custom pattern layouts
- Expand to Android and PC platforms
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- Offline functionality
- Highlight stitching path planning tool
- Custom thread color selection
- Extended fabric count calculations (28ct linen support)
- More diverse and modern pattern designs
- Ability to add patterns from other sources
In-app purchases
Magic Needle
- Premium3 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Premium3 Days trial$29.496 Months
- Premium3 Days trial$41.991 Year
- Simple pattern$0.99
- Export to PDF$1.99
- Medium pattern$1.99
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- 1 pattern$2.99
- Advanced pattern$2.99
- 3 patterns$5.99
- 7 patterns$9.99
Silk
- AlphabetsFree
- NumbersFree
- Ancient Land HCH 1811Free
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- Black SwanFree
- A Secret Sky: Bonus AlphabetFree
- Frohe OsternFree
- A Christmas Carol in Rose 1Free
- A Christmas Carol in Rose 2$3.99
- My Flower Garden$7.99
- Christmas SAL 2020 Shooting St$8.99






