Comparison

Sew Magazine vs Upscale Patterns

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

Head to head
About

Sew Magazine

Discover exclusive sewing patterns, expert advice, and inspiring projects for dressmaking, patchwork, and quilting. Each issue includes two Simplicity patterns and chances to win sewing goodies. Learn new techniques and stay updated on the latest stitching news.

Highlights
  • Exclusive dressmaking patterns
  • Patchwork, embroidery, and quilting projects
  • Expert advice and how-tos
  • Includes Simplicity patterns
  • Stitching news and product updates
  • Contests and giveaways
Features
Read full description

Do you love to stitch or are eager to learn? Then Sew is the magazine for you! Each issue is jam-packed with exclusive dressmaking patterns for every style, size and ability, and with exciting patchwork, embroidery and quilting projects. Plus, Sew has a whole host of experts to hand, such as The Great British Sewing Bee's Tilly Walnes and Stuart Hillard to offer exceptional advice and easy how-tos. And another thing, there are two Simplicity patterns in every issue! In every issue: Exclusive dressmaking, homeware, gift, children's and accessory projects Expert advice, essential guides and jargon-busting how-tos Inspiring features plus the latest stitching news and products The chance to win £1,000+ of sewing goodies in every issue ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest regular issue at the time of purchase. -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. -If a subscription offers a free trial, at the end of the trial period, you will be charged the full price of the subscription. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription settings on your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions can be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

About

Upscale Patterns

This app helps home sewists and DIY designers create half-scale sewing patterns, saving time and money. It facilitates the conversion from half scale to full scale, streamlining the pattern-making process for modern enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Draft half-scale sewing patterns
  • Convert half-scale to full-scale
  • Reduce pattern drafting time
  • Minimize pattern drafting costs
  • Optimized ink usage for output
Features
Read full description

The mobile app designed for home sewists and DIY designers. Self-drafting full-size patterns by hand can be expensive and time-consuming, and that's where Upscale Patterns steps in. Our app allows you to draft half-scale patterns, significantly reducing the time and cost involved. The real magic happens during the conversion process from half scale to full scale, where upscale Patterns becomes an indispensable tool for the modern sewing enthusiast. The app takes into consideration the usage of ink and has minimal quality output setting. Therefore it is advised to use a fine width marker for interior notations.

Screenshots

Sew Magazine1 screens
Upscale Patterns4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sew Magazine at 4.1 against Upscale Patterns's 2.3. Sew Magazine also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (22 vs 6). Upscale Patterns's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Sew Magazine sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Upscale Patterns sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sew Magazine holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 6 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 35% of Sew Magazine's written reviews are positive against 40% of Upscale Patterns's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sew Magazine ships an update every 5 months, Upscale Patterns every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and July 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Sew Magazine versus Upscale Patterns: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSew MagazineUpscale Patterns
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (22 ratings) — better2.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews35.3% of reviews40.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.2 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB42 MB
Age rating+417+
DeveloperArtichoke Media LtdHouse of Bernard

Customer experience

Sew Magazine

All ratings22 ratings
Positive77.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.7%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive35.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative64.7%

Upscale Patterns

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

In-app purchases

14 purchases

Sew Magazine

Subscriptions1
  • Sew$3.991 Month
One-time13
  • Home Makeovers$1.99
  • October 2012 (id:737373)$4.99
  • August 2012 (id:740231)$4.99
Show 10 more
  • You Can Sew (id:743225)$4.99
  • Make Clothes Fo... (id:740760)$4.99
  • Creative Home (id:740681)$4.99
  • March 2013 (id:740875)$4.99
  • January 2013 (id:740502)$4.99
  • Feb-14 (id:740229)$4.99
  • Apr-23 (id:819807)$4.99
  • No Pattern Sewing (id:740423)$4.99
  • Mar-22 (id:776090)$4.99
  • May-23 (id:828887)$4.99
3 purchases

Upscale Patterns

One-time3
  • Nu-Credits$1.49
  • Nu-Credits$4.99
  • Nu-Credits$9.99

Questions

Is Sew Magazine free?
Sew Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Upscale Patterns free?
Upscale Patterns is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sew Magazine or Upscale Patterns?
Sew Magazine is rated higher. Sew Magazine averages 4.1 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while Upscale Patterns averages 2.3 from 6 ratings.
Do Sew Magazine or Upscale Patterns have ads?
Upscale Patterns shows ads; Sew Magazine does not.
Which is updated more often, Sew Magazine or Upscale Patterns?
Sew Magazine ships an update every 5 months, and Upscale Patterns every 3 weeks. Most recently, Sew Magazine was updated on September 19, 2026 and Upscale Patterns on July 20, 2026.

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