# Silk vs Markup R

The clearest difference is update cadence: Silk at every 5 days against Markup R's monthly. Silk also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 16.0). Markup R's advantage is review sentiment (66% vs 54%) and ratings volume (3.1K vs 501). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Silk sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Markup R sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Silk against 4.7 for Markup R. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Markup R has 3.1K ratings behind it against 501, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of Silk's written reviews are positive against 66% of Markup R's.

Silk ships an update every 5 days, Markup R monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Silk | Markup R |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (501 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/silk-cross-stitch-patterns/id1505362289/reviews)** | [4.7 (3.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markup-r-xp/id1559524491/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 501 | **3.1K** |
| Positive reviews | 54.2% of reviews | **66.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 12 MB | 318 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.4** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CSP Embroidery Digital UG haftungsbeschrankt](https://appshunter.io/developer/1522427767) | [Kewin Lawson Smith Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1503192202) |

## What reviewers say

### Silk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/silk-cross-stitch-patterns/id1505362289)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alphabets | Free | one-time |
| Numbers | Free | one-time |
| Ancient Land HCH 1811 | Free | one-time |
| Black Swan | Free | one-time |
| A Secret Sky: Bonus Alphabet | Free | one-time |
| Frohe Ostern | Free | one-time |
| A Christmas Carol in Rose 1 | Free | one-time |
| A Christmas Carol in Rose 2 | $3.99 | one-time |
| A Christmas Carol in Rose 4 | $3.99 | one-time |
| My Flower Garden | $7.99 | one-time |
| Christmas SAL 2020 Shooting St | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💳 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Markup R

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markup-r-xp/id1559524491)

This app allows users to mark up any stitch chart from any designer. It can automatically detect grids, symbols, and colors from PDFs or photos, and even stitch together multi-page charts. Users can track progress, identify stitch counts, and utilize built-in shade cards for thread colors.

**Highlights:** Load any chart from any designer, Automatic grid, symbol, and color detection, Stitch multi-page charts together, Automatic symbol and thread color detection, Built-in shade cards (DMC, Anchor, Madeira), Track progress and statistics, Customizable markup tools

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly Access | $19.99 | per year |
| Markup R-XP Full | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
- 🚀 Speeds up stitching process
- 💡 Helpful features like highlighting symbols and tracking progress
- 🤝 Excellent customer support and responsiveness
- 🎨 Customizable to user preferences

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with grid alignment and symbol recognition
- 💰 Yearly subscription cost may be high for some users
- 🔍 Steep learning curve for some features
- 🔌 Battery drain concerns with extended use

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes when marking up certain patterns
- Inconsistent symbol highlighting and placement
- Difficulty loading and aligning some scanned patterns

**Requested features**

- Ability to track floss stash and needed supplies
- Syncing across multiple devices
- Improved support for password-protected PDFs
- Font size controls for rulers and labels
- Rotation/flipping options for patterns


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Silk free?

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

### Is Markup R free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Silk or Markup R?

Silk is rated higher. Silk averages 4.8 out of 5 from 501 ratings, while Markup R averages 4.7 from 3.1K ratings.

### Do Silk or Markup R have ads?

Neither Silk nor Markup R shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Silk or Markup R?

Silk ships an update every 5 days, and Markup R monthly. Most recently, Silk was updated on October 24, 2026 and Markup R on October 27, 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.*