Comparison

Knots 3D vs Knot IQ

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
Currently charting
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

Knot IQ

Learn to tie over 230 knots with interactive 3D animations and detailed instructions. This offline resource is perfect for beginners and experts, offering real-world applications for camping, climbing, fishing, and more. Explore knot comparisons and video tutorials to master essential skills.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D knot animations
  • Offline access
  • Comprehensive knot library (230+ knots)
  • Real-world use case examples
  • Knot comparison charts
  • Video tutorials
Currently charting
Read full description

Not sure which knot you need? Knot IQ helps you choose the right one, then shows you how to tie it in true interactive 3D. Built by The Bear Essentials, Knot IQ is a practical knot-tying guide with 300+ knots for fishing, camping, climbing, boating, bushcraft, rescue, arborist work, scouting, and everyday rope work. Download the enhanced 3D knots you need and keep learning offline. CHOOSE WITH KNOTFINDER Start with the job, not the knot’s name. Answer a few quick questions about what you are doing. KnotFINDER narrows the choices, explains why each recommendation fits, and helps you compare your options. CONTROL EVERY STEP IN TRUE 3D Rotate the knot freely, zoom in, scrub through every step, reverse the sequence, pause, and change the playback speed. Adjust the rope colours for better visibility or switch to left-handed mode. LEARN WHERE AND WHY A KNOT WORKS Go beyond memorizing an animation. Review practical uses, strengths, trade-offs, and related knots. Interactive scenes show where knots belong in real situations: tap a task to see what to tie and where. 300+ KNOTS, ORGANIZED YOUR WAY Search by name, browse by activity or knot type, filter your library, save favourites, and build custom lists. Use the Downloaded filter to find the 3D knots you have saved for offline learning. Explore fishing and fly-fishing knots; camping and bushcraft knots; climbing, rescue, and firefighting knots; boating, sailing, and marine knots; arborist, hoisting, and rigging knots; scouting knots and lashings; plus necktie knots, shoelaces, household, utility, decorative, and specialty ropework. Learn essentials such as the Bowline, Clove Hitch, Figure Eight, Sheet Bend, Taut-Line Hitch, Trucker’s Hitch, Prusik, and Munter Hitch—plus hundreds of specialized bends, bindings, friction hitches, lashings, loops, splices, stopper knots, and quick-release knots. KEY FEATURES • 300+ knots and growing • True interactive 3D knot models • Rotate, zoom, scrub, reverse, pause, and change speed • Guided KnotFINDER recommendations with explanations • Offline access to downloaded 3D knot resources • Interactive scenes and practical use guidance • Rope-colour controls and left-handed mode • Favourites, custom lists, search, filters, and related knots • Expert guides and video tutorials from The Bear Essentials • One-time purchase with no ads or subscriptions • No data collected • Apple Family Sharing Made for beginners and experienced knot tyers alike. Learn. Craft. Explore. Safety note: Knot IQ is an educational reference. For climbing, rescue, arborist, marine, and other safety-critical uses, follow qualified instruction, inspect your equipment, and use the procedures required for your activity.

Screenshots

Knots 3D4 screens
Knot IQ4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Knots 3D at 13K against Knot IQ's 249. Knot IQ's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $5.99). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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 Knot IQ $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Knots 3D against 4.8 for Knot IQ. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Knots 3D has 13K ratings behind it against 249, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 98% of Knots 3D's written reviews are positive against 92% of Knot IQ's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Knots 3D ships an update fortnightly, Knot IQ every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Knots 3D versus Knot IQ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKnots 3DKnot IQ
Price$5.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.9 (13K ratings) — better4.8 (249 ratings)
Positive reviews97.9% of reviews — better91.8% of reviews
Number of ratings13K — better249
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#2 — better#5
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size511 MB693 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNynixThe Bear Essentials Co. LTD

Customer experience

Knots 3D

All ratings12,715 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.9%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews625 reviews
Positive97.9%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.3%

Knot IQ

All ratings249 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral0.8%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews244 reviews
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.3%
Negative4.9%

User reviews

Knots 3D

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent instructions and animations
  • 🚀 Adjustable speed control for learning
  • 🔍 Ability to view knots from different angles
  • 📚 Comprehensive knot library
  • 💡 Detailed information on knot uses and history

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Favorites list disappearing after updates
  • 💡 Desire for more splices and advanced knots
  • 💡 Request for step-by-step instructions and ability to pause/rewind animations

Knot IQ

From 249 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful 3D animations and visualizations
  • 🎨 Detailed and interactive knot rendering
  • 🧠 Useful for learning and mastering knots
  • 💻 Offline availability for outdoor use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches with UI and animations
  • 📦 Large app size (2.7GB) with slow downloads
  • 🤖 Unity-based UI feels outdated and unresponsive

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

Knot IQ

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Animations not playing properly
  • Knots not loading or showing as unavailable
  • Inconsistent UI behavior and crashes

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to download knots individually
  • Native UI for better user experience
  • Offline mode as an opt-in feature

In-app purchases

None

Knots 3D

No in-app purchases

None

Knot IQ

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Knots 3D free?
Knots 3D costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Knot IQ free?
Knot IQ costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Knots 3D or Knot IQ?
Knots 3D is rated higher. Knots 3D averages 4.9 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Knot IQ averages 4.8 from 249 ratings.
Do Knots 3D or Knot IQ have ads?
Neither Knots 3D nor Knot IQ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Knots 3D or Knot IQ?
Knots 3D ships an update fortnightly, and Knot IQ every 2 weeks. Most recently, Knots 3D was updated on September 24, 2026 and Knot IQ on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Knots 3D or Knot IQ?
Knots 3D currently peaks at #2 in the App Store charts, and Knot IQ at #5. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons