Comparison

Dearly. vs Purl.

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

Head to head
About

Dearly.

Features
Read full description

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.

About

Purl.

Features
Read full description

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 โ€ข Track what you're making, from planned to finished. โ€ข Add yarn, needle or hook size, and the gauge you actually got. โ€ข View a timeline of all your projects. โ€ข Add progress photos with personal notes. PATTERNS โ€ข Keep your own written patterns and imported PDFs in one library. โ€ข Open PDF patterns, even very large ones, and pinch to zoom, fully offline. โ€ข Draw, highlight, add sticky notes, and drop bookmarks. โ€ข Row counters and a chart stitch tracker built for following along. YARN STASH โ€ข Log your yarn with color, dye lot, weight, fiber, and gauge. โ€ข See your stash totals in meters and grams. โ€ข Sort and filter to find the right yarn, and match it to a pattern in your library. HANDY TOOLS โ€ข Quick standalone counters for anything you need to count. โ€ข Craft calculators for gauge, resizing, shaping, and calculation total skeins needed. โ€ข A built-in chart maker: design your own chart from scratch, or let Purl generate them directly from a photo. โ€ข A comprehensive knit and crochet glossary in both English and Norwegian. MADE TO FEEL RIGHT โ€ข Available in both English and Norwegian. โ€ข Switch between light and dark mode. โ€ข A two-pane layout on iPad and larger screens. โ€ข 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

Dearly.4 screens
Purl.4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Purl. sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Dearly. asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dearly. ships an update every 21 months, Purl. monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Dearly. versus Purl.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDearly.Purl.
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsMonthly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better15.1
Further details โ€” not scored
Size44 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJing LiaoPierre Boniface

In-app purchases

None

Dearly.

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Purl.

One-time3
  • Buy me a coffee$1.99
  • Buy me a skein$5.99
  • Big thank-you$11.99

Questions

Is Dearly. free?
Dearly. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Purl. free?
Purl. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Dearly. or Purl. have ads?
Neither Dearly. nor Purl. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dearly. or Purl.?
Dearly. ships an update every 21 months, and Purl. monthly. Most recently, Dearly. was updated on September 9, 2026 and Purl. on September 17, 2026.

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