# Silk vs Cross Stitch Journal

Silk and Cross Stitch Journal both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of Cross Stitch Journal's written reviews are positive against 54% of Silk's. Silk's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (501 vs 27). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Silk 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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Silk against 4.8 for Cross Stitch Journal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Silk has 501 ratings behind it against 27, 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 83% of Cross Stitch Journal's.

Silk ships an update every 5 days, Cross Stitch Journal every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Silk | Cross Stitch Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (501 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/silk-cross-stitch-patterns/id1505362289/reviews) | **[4.8 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cross-stitch-journal/id6443886471/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **501** | 27 |
| Positive reviews | 54.2% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.4** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CSP Embroidery Digital UG haftungsbeschrankt](https://appshunter.io/developer/1522427767) | [Blitstitch Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1650319200) |

## 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 (10)**

| 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 |
| 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


### 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 Silk free?

Silk 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, Silk or Cross Stitch Journal?

Cross Stitch Journal is rated higher. Silk averages 4.8 out of 5 from 501 ratings, while Cross Stitch Journal averages 4.8 from 27 ratings.

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

Neither Silk nor Cross Stitch Journal shows ads.

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

Silk ships an update every 5 days, and Cross Stitch Journal every 3 weeks. Most recently, Silk 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.*