Comparison

Magic Needle vs Pixie Stitch

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

Pixie Stitch

Features
Read full description

Pixie Stitch: Your Personal Cross-Stitch Pattern Maker Bring your favorite memories to life with needle and thread. Pixie Stitch is a dedicated crafting companion designed to help you transform any photograph or image into a custom, ready-to-use cross-stitch pattern. Whether you are looking to stitch a portrait of a beloved pet, a beautiful landscape, or a fun piece of pixel art, Pixie Stitch does the heavy lifting of calculating colors and grids so you can focus on the crafting. Built for both beginners and experienced stitchers, the app combines an intuitive pattern generator with a built-in thread inventory tracker, keeping everything you need for your hobby organized in one place. Key Features and Functionality: Photo to Pattern Conversion: Easily import any image from your Photo Library and turn it into a cross-stitch grid. The app natively processes your image and pixelates it into a stitchable design. Before converting, you can use the built-in cropping tool to frame the exact portion of the image you want to stitch. Total Creative Control: Every project is different, which is why Pixie Stitch lets you customize the complexity of your patterns. Use the simple slider controls to adjust: 1. Pattern Size: Define the exact width of your project (in stitches). The app will automatically calculate the proportional height and the total number of stitches required. 2. Color Count: Limit the maximum number of colors used in your pattern. Keep it simple with a 15-color palette, or push it up for a highly detailed, photorealistic project. Automatic DMC Color Matching: No more guessing which thread to buy. Pixie Stitch uses advanced color-matching algorithms to automatically map the colors in your photograph to the official DMC thread palette. Detailed Project Breakdowns: Once your pattern is generated, you get a comprehensive breakdown of the project. The app provides a detailed list of every specific DMC thread color you need, along with the exact number of stitches required for each color, helping you plan your thread purchases perfectly. Thread Inventory Tracker: Never accidentally buy the same skein of thread twice. Pixie Stitch features a built-in Inventory tab where you can track exactly which DMC threads you currently have in your stash. Easily scroll through the DMC catalog and check off the threads you own. Personal Pattern Gallery: All of your created patterns are automatically saved to your personal Gallery. You can safely store your ongoing and future projects directly on your device. The app uses Apple's native frameworks to ensure your data is saved quickly and efficiently. Clean, Ad-Free Design: Crafting is supposed to be relaxing, and your tools should be too. Pixie Stitch features a premium, beautifully crafted user interface that gets out of your way. No intrusive ads, no cluttered screens—just a clean, colorful workspace for your next big idea. Start Stitching Today: Whether you are making a personalized gift for a loved one or just looking for a new way to express your creativity, Pixie Stitch gives you the tools to design beautiful, custom cross-stitch patterns right from your pocket. Download today and start your next

Screenshots

Magic Needle4 screens
Pixie Stitch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pixie Stitch at none against Magic Needle's 10. Magic Needle's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Pixie Stitch asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Magic Needle versus Pixie Stitch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic NeedlePixie Stitch
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (1.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews54.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1K — better—
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArtem ShalRameri Salama

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

Pixie Stitch

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

Pixie Stitch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Magic Needle free?
Magic Needle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixie Stitch free?
Pixie Stitch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Magic Needle or Pixie Stitch have ads?
Neither Magic Needle nor Pixie Stitch shows ads.

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