Comparison

Needleply vs Threadster

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

Head to head
About

Needleply

Browse, search, and organize embroidery materials like threads, beads, and fabrics. Find color matches across different brands and export your selections for inventory tracking or printable tables.

Highlights
  • Thread, bead, and fabric palettes
  • Search materials reference
  • Find close color matches
  • Export to Needlentory
  • Create printable PDF tables
  • Organize embroidery materials
Read full description

Embroidery material palettes reference. The app contains material palettes — threads, beads, and fabrics — from many well-known manufacturers. It is designed for convenient browsing, searching, selecting, and organizing materials for embroidery projects. You can search materials across the entire reference, as well as find close color matches, even when they belong to different palettes or manufacturers. This helps you choose harmonious combinations and find alternatives to specific colors. Selected palettes can be exported directly to Needlentory, a separate app created specifically for material tracking, including inventory management, shopping lists, and project planning. For those who prefer manual tracking, the app allows you to create and export clear PDF tables that are convenient for printing and storing on paper. If you are missing a specific palette or manufacturer, you can contact us by email. We regularly expand the available palettes. Key features: • Thread, bead, and fabric palettes from popular manufacturers • Search across the entire materials reference • Find close color matches across different palettes • Export palettes to Needlentory for material tracking • Export palettes to StitchHub for pattern creation and progress tracking • Create and export printable PDF tables • Simple browsing and selection of materials for projects Disclaimer. This app is not affiliated with or endorsed by any manufacturers. Color accuracy notice. Colors shown in the app are approximate and may differ from actual shades. Always refer to official physical color charts from manufacturers.

About

Threadster

Manage your thread inventory, projects, and color palettes with this comprehensive tracking app. It offers features for color matching, cost logging, pattern management, and creating custom palettes. Basic features are free, with advanced options available through a subscription.

Highlights
  • Inventory management for 3000+ threads
  • Color matching with real photos
  • Project cost and status tracking
  • Create reusable color palettes
  • Upload and manage PDF patterns
  • Custom thread and craft creation
Read full description

PLEASE NOTE: We now offer Basic and Pro subscription options to help manage your inventory, projects, and color palettes. Our Basic version is completely FREE, while our Threadster Pro subscription unlocks additional areas and features. Threadster also offers a 7-day free trial for new users. The free trial automatically converts to a 1-month Pro subscription, but this can be easily changed before the trial runs out if you decide that you’d prefer the 6 month or 12 month plan. You can find a full list of all the features below! **THREADSTER BASIC FREE FEATURES: • View & manage inventory for 3000+ DMC threads • Track inventory in whole & partial quantities • Customizable thread tracking • View similar threads for color matching • Auto add threads to Shopping List • Add custom notes for threads • Customizable inventory search & sorting • Export & print shopping lists • Light, Dark, & Monochromatic display • Data backup/restore options • Thread CSV Import (DMC only) **THREADSTER PRO SUBSCRIPTION FEATURES: • Create custom threads, crafts, & fabric • Create projects & reusable color palettes • Manage project status, priority, costs, & dimensions • Customizable project & palette search • Project start/stop timer & hourly rate calculator • Allocate inventory items to projects • View which projects items are assigned to • Create palettes from images with color picker • Find closest matching threads using hex codes • Assign matching threads to color palettes • Label threads & crafts for areas used in palettes • Create searchable tag library • Upload, view, mark, & print PDF patterns • Mass maintenance for inventory & shopping list • Thread CSV Import (Other brands, custom, & discontinued) After collaborating with the community, we're proud to offer a simple interface with the solutions you need to help manage thread inventories and projects of all kinds. Tired of not being able to easily track inventory, or need to color match with real photos of thread? Want to log costs for a project, save patterns, or create reusable color palettes? ..Threadster has you covered! Don't see a feature you need? We're always open to suggestions to help make Threadster the best it can be. If you have an idea you'd like to see implemented, simply contact us and we'll see if we can make it happen! Terms of Use: https://www.zeebam.com/threadstertermsofuse

Screenshots

Needleply4 screens
Threadster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Threadster at none against Needleply's shown. Threadster also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). Needleply's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Needleply sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Threadster sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Threadster holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Needleply's written reviews are positive against 89% of Threadster's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Needleply ships an update every 9 days, Threadster every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Needleply versus Threadster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNeedleplyThreadster
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (41 ratings)4.6 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.4% of reviews88.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings41 — better18
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size282 MB96 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDiana BiałogrzywaArden Csolkovits

Customer experience

Needleply

All ratings41 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral7.3%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive82.4%
Neutral5.9%
Negative11.8%

Threadster

All ratings18 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Needleply

One-time7
  • Threads$0.99
  • Premium for 1 month$0.99
  • Premium for 6 months$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Premium for 1 year$9.99
  • Canvas$12.99
  • Premium Lifetime$19.99
  • Kit$49.99
3 purchases

Threadster

Subscriptions3
  • Threadster Pro7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Threadster Pro$14.996 Months
  • Threadster Pro$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Needleply free?
Needleply is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Threadster free?
Threadster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Needleply or Threadster?
Threadster is rated higher. Needleply averages 4.4 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while Threadster averages 4.6 from 18 ratings.
Do Needleply or Threadster have ads?
Needleply shows ads; Threadster does not.
Which is updated more often, Needleply or Threadster?
Needleply ships an update every 9 days, and Threadster every 4 weeks. Most recently, Needleply was updated on September 10, 2026 and Threadster on September 16, 2026.

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