Comparison

Magic Needle vs TheForager

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

TheForager

Read full description

The Forager is the essential companion for anyone who loves foraging wild edibles. Whether you're a seasoned forager or just getting started, The Forager helps you record, revisit, and share your discoveries — all pinned to a map so you never lose a great spot. Record your finds Log each discovery with a name, food group, food type, notes, and an optional photo. Everything is saved locally on your device — no account needed. Map-first experience Your discoveries appear as pins on an interactive map. Tap any pin to view full details in a handy bottom sheet. When you revisit a discovery from your history, the map zooms straight to it. Browse your history View all past discoveries in a scrollable list. Select any entry to jump back to its exact location on the map. Edit and share Update or delete any discovery at any time, or share it with friends directly from the app. Private by design All data lives on your device. No sign-up, no cloud sync, no sharing your secret spots (unless you want to). Perfect for: - Wild mushroom hunters - Berry and fruit pickers - Herb and plant foragers - Nature walkers who love to document what they find Download The Forager and start building your personal map of edible discoveries today.

Screenshots

Magic Needle4 screens
TheForager4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TheForager at none against Magic Needle's 10. Magic Needle's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. Magic Needle sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. TheForager asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magic Needle ships an update monthly, TheForager every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Magic Needle versus TheForager: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic NeedleTheForager
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (1.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews54.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1K — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArtem Shalautumn.dev ltd

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

TheForager

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Magic Needle

Subscriptions3
  • Premium3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Premium3 Days trial$29.496 Months
  • Premium3 Days trial$41.991 Year
One-time7
  • Simple pattern$0.99
  • Export to PDF$1.99
  • Medium pattern$1.99
Show 4 more
  • 1 pattern$2.99
  • Advanced pattern$2.99
  • 3 patterns$5.99
  • 7 patterns$9.99
None

TheForager

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Magic Needle free?
Magic Needle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TheForager free?
TheForager is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Magic Needle or TheForager have ads?
TheForager shows ads; Magic Needle does not.
Which is updated more often, Magic Needle or TheForager?
Magic Needle ships an update monthly, and TheForager every 2 months. Most recently, Magic Needle was updated on November 8, 2026 and TheForager on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons