# Needlentory vs Cross Stitch Journal

The clearest difference is rating: Cross Stitch Journal at 4.8 against Needlentory's 3.9. Cross Stitch Journal also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (83% vs 57%). Needlentory's advantage is ratings volume (123 vs 27). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Needlentory sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Cross Stitch Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Cross Stitch Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 123 and 27 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Needlentory's written reviews are positive against 83% of Cross Stitch Journal's.

Needlentory ships an update every 9 days, Cross Stitch Journal every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Needlentory | Cross Stitch Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (123 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/needlentory/id1474983302/reviews) | **[4.8 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cross-stitch-journal/id6443886471/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **123** | 27 |
| Positive reviews | 56.6% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 59 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Diana Białogrzywa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1101210882) | [Blitstitch Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1650319200) |

## What reviewers say

### Needlentory

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/needlentory/id1474983302)

Organize your embroidery supplies, including threads, beads, and fabrics. Track your inventory, manage projects, and create shopping lists. Back up your data to cloud services.

**Highlights:** Organize threads, beads, and fabrics, Create custom material palettes, Track inventory quantities, Manage embroidery projects, Generate shopping lists, Cloud backups

**Features:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Threads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Premium for 1 month | $1.99 | one-time |
| Dropbox | $2.99 | one-time |
| Box | $2.99 | one-time |
| Google Drive | $2.99 | one-time |
| Premium for 6 months | $9.99 | one-time |
| Canvas | $12.99 | one-time |
| Premium for 1 year | $17.99 | one-time |
| Premium Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |
| Kit | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Useful for floss inventory
- 👍 Helps plan purchases
- 👍 Tracks needed colors
- 👍 Integrates with sister app (Needleply)
- 👍 Developer listens to feedback

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Too hard to figure out
- 👎 Crappy/non-intuitive interface
- 👎 Ads are obnoxious/spammy
- 👎 Paid ad-free, still get ads
- 👎 Expensive ad removal

**Reported bugs**

- Floss numbers get deleted
- Paid for no add features, yet adds still play
- Update removed feature to see which project threads are used in
- Can't look at a specific color to see which patterns need it
- Can't just mark pattern has color, wants skein allotment

**Requested features**

- Quick way to check off threads (Purchase to Stock)
- Option to collapse sections when searching 'Add Thread'
- Reduce clicks to edit skein counts
- Bulk edit/delete skein counts
- Option for 'metres/yards' thread count


### Cross Stitch Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cross-stitch-journal/id6443886471)

This app helps you manage your cross stitch projects from initial idea to finished piece. Track progress, record stitching details, and visualize your accomplishments with various charts and summaries. It also includes a fabric calculator and data import functionality.

**Highlights:** Track projects from start to finish, Record date, time, and stitches, Built-in stitching timer, Project progress and status charts, Fabric size calculator, Data import from spreadsheet

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Full Application | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Needlentory free?

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

### Is Cross Stitch Journal free?

Cross Stitch Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Needlentory or Cross Stitch Journal?

Cross Stitch Journal is rated higher. Needlentory averages 3.9 out of 5 from 123 ratings, while Cross Stitch Journal averages 4.8 from 27 ratings.

### Do Needlentory or Cross Stitch Journal have ads?

Needlentory shows ads; Cross Stitch Journal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Needlentory or Cross Stitch Journal?

Needlentory ships an update every 9 days, and Cross Stitch Journal every 3 weeks. Most recently, Needlentory was updated on November 3, 2026 and Cross Stitch Journal on November 3, 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.*