Comparison

Knots 3D vs Net Knots

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

Head to head
About

Knots 3D

Master over 220 essential knots with detailed 3D animations and offline access. This app is perfect for learning rope work for activities like fishing, climbing, and boating, offering interactive tutorials and customizable organization features.

Highlights
  • 225+ knots in 12+ categories
  • Offline access, no internet required
  • Interactive 3D knot animations
  • Rotate and scrub through knot tying
  • Customizable knot categories
  • Add personal notes and keywords
  • ABOK number cross-reference
Features
Read full description

Learn to tie over 240 knots for fishing, climbing, boating, sailing, camping, scouting and other ropework. Knots 3D is the original 3D knot-tying app, first released in 2011 and rated 4.9 by tens of thousands of users worldwide. Choose a knot app with care, as your safety may depend on it. Watch each knot tie itself in 3D, slow it down, and turn it around until it makes sense. Browse by category or type, search by name, common synonym or Ashley Book of Knots (ABoK) number, or describe what you need the knot to do. Save your favorite knots for quick review. Features: - 241 knots in over a dozen categories, with new knots added regularly - No ads, no subscriptions and no in-app purchases. Ever! - Completely OFFLINE and self-contained. No additional downloads or internet access required! - Watch knots tie themselves and pause or adjust the speed of the animation at any time - Rotate knots in 360-degree, 3D views to study them from any angle with a swipe of a finger - "Scrub" over the knot with a finger to advance or rewind the animation - Mirror (left-hand) mode, zoom, and rotate the view to match how you hold the rope - Describe a task in your own words, like "tie a boat to a dock", to find the right knots for the job - High-res graphics with photorealistic rope textures - Dark mode and light mode - List, Card and Icon view options - Create your own custom categories to group knots, such as "Mastered", "Practice" or "Top Ten" - Add personal notes, links and your own search keywords to any knot - Share a knot link by text message, email, social media and more - ABoK numbers for cross-reference to The Ashley Book of Knots Includes the knots people look for most: Bowline, Clove Hitch, Figure Eight, Trucker's Hitch, Square Knot, Sheet Bend, Prusik, Taut Line Hitch, Cleat Hitch, Palomar Knot, Uni Knot, Double Fisherman's Knot, Alpine Butterfly, Monkey's Fist, Munter Hitch and many more. Every knot comes with a description of what it is for and a list of common uses. Most also include the other names the knot goes by, strength and reliability notes, structure, related knots, ABoK numbers and history. Available in 25 languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese Categories: - Essential Knots - Arborist - Boating - Camping - Caving - Climbing - Decorative - Diving - Fire & Rescue - Fishing - Military - Neckties - Pioneering - Rope Care - Scouting - Theatre & Film Types: - Bends - Binding - Coils - Friction Hitches - Hitches - Lashings - Loops - Mats - Multi-Loop - Quick Release - Stoppers - Whippings The complete list of knots: https://knots3d.com/en/complete-list Missing a knot? Suggest one from inside the app. Knots 3D is a learning reference. Learn from a skilled instructor if you plan to use ropes or knots in a situation where failure could cause property damage, injury, or death.

About

Net Knots

This app provides a comprehensive digital library of rope and fishing knots with detailed animations and instructions. It's a self-contained reference tool, requiring no internet connection and free of ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • 114 Rope Knots
  • 72 Fishing Knots
  • 213 total unique knots
  • Animated knot tying
  • Detailed static illustrations
  • Browse by category or use
  • Save favorite knots
  • Search functionality
Features
Read full description

Every single knot from the NetKnots.com website! All the knots, all the animations, all the instructions from the top knot reference in the world! Have it all at the tap of a button. No internet required, no advertisements, no in-app purchases; Completely self contained. This App features everything from the website and are the same knot illustrations provided in print form to the US Department of Defense, US Customs and Border Patrol, Navy Seal Museum, Australian Navy Cadets, Girls Scouts and Boy Scout troops. Features and Functions: • 114 Rope Knots • 72 Fishing Knots (most of any app or website) • 27 Other Knots for fashion • 213 total unique knots with more always coming! • Watch the knots tie themselves and pause and restart the animation anytime. • Detailed static illustrations from the best selling knot illustrator in the world • Browse by category of knot, typical use of a knot or by knot name. • Save Favorite Knots • Search Box Fishing Knots included: 100% Arbor Knot, Alberto Knot, Albright Special, Arbor Knot, Australian Plait, Aussie Quickie, Baja Knot, Berkley Braid Knot, Bimini Twist, Blood Knot, Bobber Stopper Knot, Bristol Knot, Centauri Knot, Clinch Knot. Davy Knot, Double Uni Knot, Double-Double Uni, Drop Shot Rig, Dropper Loop, Egg Loop Knot, Eye Crosser Knot, FG Knot, Fish N Fool Knot, Harvey Dry Fly Knot, Haywire Twist, Homer Rhode Loop Knot, Hook Removal - Advance & Cut, Hook Removal - String Yank, Improved Clinch Knot, J Knot, Jack's Knot, Jansik Special, King Sling, Knot Tyer Nail Knot, Knotless Knot, Kreh Loop, Kryston Loop Knot, Loop To Loop Knot, Nail Knot, NanoFil Knot, Needle Knot, Non Slip Loop Knot, Offshore Swivel Knot, Orvis Knot, Orvis Tippet Knot, Palomar Knot, Perfection Loop, Pitzen Knot, Rapala Knot, Riffle Hitch, Right Angle Rig, San Diego Jam Knot, Seaguar Knot, Slim Beauty Knot, Snell Knot - Uni Version, Snell Knot -Traditional, Snell Knot - Easy Version, Spider Hitch, Strike Indicator Loop Knot, Strike Indicator - Double Uni, Surgeon's Knot, Surgeon's End Loop, Tenkara Level Line, Tenkara Traditional Line, Trilene Knot, Turle Knot, Uni Knot, Willis Knot, World Fair Knot, Yucatan Knot (72) Rope Knots included: Adjustable Grip Hitch, Alpine Butterfly Bend, Alpine Coil, Anchor Bend, Artilleryman's Loop Knot, Ashley's Bend, Autoblock Knot, Bachmann Knot, Backup Knot, Barrel Hitch, Barrel Sling, Better Bow Knot, Blake’s Hitch, Boom Hitch, Bowline, Bowline On A Bight, Buntline Hitch, Butcher's Knot, Butterfly Knot, Carrick Bend, Cat's Paw, Cleat Hitch, Clove Hitch, Clove Hitch on a Bight, Common Whipping, Constrictor Knot, Cow Hitch, Distel Hitch, Double Bowline, Double Fisherman, Double Overhand Stopper, Farmer's Loop, Figure Eight, Figure Nine, Fireman's Coil, Fisherman's Knot, Flemish Bend, French Whipping, Girth Hitch, Half Hitch, Halter Hitch, Halyard Hitch, Handcuff Knot, Hanson Knot, Harness Bend, Heaving Line Knot, Highwayman's Hitch, Honda Knot, Icicle Hitch, Japanese Square Knot, Klemheist Knot, Knute Hitch, Lanyard Knot, Marl, Marlinespike Hitch, Midshipman's Hitch, Monkey Fist, Mooring Hitch, Munter Hitch, One Way Knot, Ossel Hitch, Overhand Bend, Overhand Knot, Overhand Loop Knot, Pile Hitch, Portuguese Bowline, Prusik Hitch, Racking Bend, Rolling Bend, Rolling Hitch, Running Bowline, Quickie Coil, Sailor's Coil, Scaffold Knot, Schwabisch Hitch, Sheep Shank, Sheet Bend, Sledge Knot, Slip Knot, Slipped Buntline, Slipped Clove Hitch, Slipped Constrictor, Slipped Overhand Knot, Slipped Sheet Bend, Slippery Eight Loop, Spanish Bowline, Square Knot, Square Lashing, Stevedore Stopper, Stopper Knot, Strangle Knot, Tautline Hitch, Tautline Hitch to Rope, Thief Knot, Timber Hitch, Transom Knot, True Lover's Knot, Trucker’s Hitch, Tucked Sheet Bend, Tumble Hitch, Valdotain Tresse, Water Knot, West Country Whipping, Yosemite Bowline, Zeppelin Bend, Z Drag System. Plus 27 other knots for fashion like necktie knots etc.

Screenshots

Knots 3D4 screens
Net Knots4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Knots 3D at every 2 weeks against Net Knots's every 12 months. Knots 3D also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 10) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Net Knots's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $5.99) and iOS requirement (11.4 vs 16.0). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Knots 3D costs $5.99 and Net Knots $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Knots 3D holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Knots 3D has 13K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 98% of Knots 3D's written reviews are positive against 100% of Net Knots's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Knots 3D ships an update every 2 weeks, Net Knots every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Knots 3D versus Net Knots: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKnots 3DNet Knots
Price$5.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.9 (13K ratings) — better4.6 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews97.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13K — better10
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#3 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.011.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size520 MB152 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNynixPRO-KNOT

Customer experience

Knots 3D

All ratings12,839 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.9%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews634 reviews
Positive97.8%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.3%

Net Knots

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Knots 3D

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Favorites list disappearing after updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more splices and advanced knots
  • Implement step-by-step instructions and ability to pause/rewind animations
  • Add a continuous loop option for the knot animations
  • Introduce a game mode or practice feature

Net Knots

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Knots 3D

No in-app purchases

None

Net Knots

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Knots 3D free?
Knots 3D costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Net Knots free?
Net Knots costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Knots 3D or Net Knots?
Knots 3D is rated higher. Knots 3D averages 4.9 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Net Knots averages 4.6 from 10 ratings.
Do Knots 3D or Net Knots have ads?
Neither Knots 3D nor Net Knots shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Knots 3D or Net Knots?
Knots 3D ships an update every 2 weeks, and Net Knots every 12 months. Most recently, Knots 3D was updated on October 23, 2026 and Net Knots on October 24, 2026.

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