Dearly. vs Purl.
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Dearly.
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A simple and cozy way to note down birthdays of your dearly beloved and friends. Utilises the widgets system so that you can easily track birthdays without opening the app.
Purl.
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Purl is the ultimate companion for knitters and crocheters. Everything lives locally on your device, with no account, no sign-up, and no ads. All features are completely free, always. PROJECTS โข Track what you're making, from planned to finished. โข Add yarn, needle or hook size, and the gauge you actually got. โข View a timeline of all your projects. โข Add progress photos with personal notes. PATTERNS โข Keep your own written patterns and imported PDFs in one library. โข Open PDF patterns, even very large ones, and pinch to zoom, fully offline. โข Draw, highlight, add sticky notes, and drop bookmarks. โข Row counters and a chart stitch tracker built for following along. YARN STASH โข Log your yarn with color, dye lot, weight, fiber, and gauge. โข See your stash totals in meters and grams. โข Sort and filter to find the right yarn, and match it to a pattern in your library. HANDY TOOLS โข Quick standalone counters for anything you need to count. โข Craft calculators for gauge, resizing, shaping, and calculation total skeins needed. โข A built-in chart maker: design your own chart from scratch, or let Purl generate them directly from a photo. โข A comprehensive knit and crochet glossary in both English and Norwegian. MADE TO FEEL RIGHT โข Available in both English and Norwegian. โข Switch between light and dark mode. โข A two-pane layout on iPad and larger screens. โข Easily backup and restore everything to a single file. Purl is completely free, with no locked features. If the app helps you, there is an option to leave a tip on the Support Purl page, but nothing is ever put behind a paywall. And lastly, your data stays yours: it lives exclusively on your device unless you actively choose to export it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dearly. at none against Purl.'s 3. Purl.'s advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 21 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Purl. sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Dearly. asks for nothing beyond the download.
Dearly. ships an update every 21 months, Purl. monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dearly. | Purl. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | Monthly โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 โ better | 15.1 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jing Liao | Pierre Boniface |
In-app purchases
Dearly.
No in-app purchases
Purl.
- Buy me a coffee$1.99
- Buy me a skein$5.99
- Big thank-you$11.99








