Comparison

BeadsDesign vs amu

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

Head to head
About

BeadsDesign

Create pixel art designs for iron beads and bead weaving. Import photos, scan them into a canvas, and use various tools to edit and export your creations. Supports multiple panel shapes and color manipulation.

Highlights
  • Photo import and editing
  • Photo scanning onto canvas
  • Multiple panel shapes
  • Zoom, pan, and color selection tools
  • Flood fill and undo/redo functionality
  • Color replacement and grayscale conversion
  • Export designs to photo library
Features
Read full description

BeadsDesign is an application to create pixel art for iron-on beads, beads stitching. You can load photo and scan it into the pixel art canvas which size is from 8x8 to 128x128. You can use circle, hexagon, brick shape panel for iron-on beads or beads stithing. [main facilities] - import and edit photos with 128x128 and less - scan photos on the canvas of the favorite size - stick a photo to the rough sketch view as a model. - output the photo image into the photo library. - zoom in, zoom out - move the canvas with 2 fingers swipe - long press to pick color - flood fill - undo,redo - color selection by RGB slider - selected color history - replace all pixels of specified color to other color - decrease color - convert canvas to grayscale - Display the canvas with numbers expressing colors

About

amu

Design and share professional crochet charts with a comprehensive set of tools. Easily create, edit, and export your stitch patterns as PDFs, complete with symbol legends and images.

Highlights
  • Intuitive canvas with zoom and pan
  • Powerful editing tools (move, rotate, resize, duplicate)
  • Snap to grid and edge for precise placement
  • PDF pattern creation with legends and images
  • Template and symbol set organization
  • Image export and inline text editing
Features
Read full description

amu is the ultimate crochet chart maker for your smartphone. Design beautiful stitch patterns with 77 crochet symbols and bring your creative ideas to life. Whether you're a beginner or experienced crocheter, amu makes it easy to create, edit, and share professional crochet charts right from your phone. ◆ Intuitive Canvas Pinch to zoom and pan freely. Organize symbols into groups to keep complex charts neat. Use grid lines and circular guides for precise placement. ◆ Powerful Editing Tools • Move: Joystick control for fluid positioning • Rotate: -180° to 180° with customizable anchors • Resize: Change width and height independently • Duplicate: Linear, rotational, and grid duplication • Color: Apply colors to groups and symbols • Highlight: Selected object outlined in blue for clarity ◆ Snap to Grid & Edge Grid snap for even spacing, edge & vertex snap to align objects perfectly. Auto grid interval matches symbol size for precise tiling. ◆ Pattern Design (PDF Creation) Place charts, text, images, and auto-generated symbol legends on A4 or US Letter paper. Export as professional PDF with multiple pages, background patterns, and optional watermarks. ◆ Pattern Design Templates (NEW) Choose from Blank, Simple, Standard, or Multi-part templates with title, chart, and legend areas pre-arranged. Skip the layout work and start producing sale-ready PDFs right away. ◆ Image Placement (NEW) Add finished-product photos or reference images directly to your pattern design. Bundle them in your PDF so buyers see exactly what they're making. ◆ Inline Text Editing (Improved) Edit text on the pattern canvas directly — no dialogs. See positioning while you type for a friction-free workflow. ◆ Auto Symbol Legend Detects all symbols in your charts and generates a categorized legend table with one tap. Include it in your PDF so buyers can easily read your patterns. ◆ Folder Organization Sort canvases into folders by project, technique, or any category. Keep your chart library tidy and easy to navigate. ◆ Symbol Sets Save frequently used symbol combinations as reusable sets. Place them with a single tap — perfect for repeating stitch patterns. **Unlimited for all users.** ◆ Layer Management View all groups and symbols in the layer panel. Reorder with drag & drop, rename, duplicate, or merge groups. ◆ Templates Save canvases as reusable templates. **Unlimited for all users** — keep your favorite patterns ready to deploy. ◆ Image Export Export your chart as a PNG to your device. Share on social media or print. Watermark-free export available with Premium. ◆ More Features • Undo/Redo: Up to 30 history steps • Color Palettes: Save up to 30 favorite colors for quick access (all users) • Multi-language: English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese • Video Tutorials: In-app tutorial videos • Step-by-step Guide: Interactive tutorial that teaches as you go • Lock Mode: Protect unselected objects from accidental edits • Haptic Feedback: Toggle on/off to your preference • Cloud Backup: Keep data safe across devices (Premium) ◆ Premium Features (amu Premium) • Unlimited Canvases (free: up to 10) • Unlimited Pattern Design Saves (free: up to 5) • Export without Watermark (Image & PDF) • Cloud Backup amu Premium is a monthly auto-renewable subscription. Try all features free for 14 days. After the trial, your subscription renews at the regular price. Cancel anytime from Apple ID settings. Terms of Use: https://teruapp.jp/amu/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy: https://teruapp.jp/amu/privacy-policy/ ◆ Perfect For • Crocheters designing original stitch patterns • Crafters digitizing handwritten charts • Knitting and crochet communities sharing patterns • Teachers and students in crochet workshops • Handmade sellers creating pattern diagrams • Anyone who loves creating with yarn and hook Start designing your crochet charts today with amu.

Screenshots

BeadsDesign4 screens
amu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BeadsDesign at none against amu's 1. BeadsDesign also leads on ratings volume (61 vs 1) and review sentiment (55% vs 40%). amu's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. amu sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. BeadsDesign asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

amu holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BeadsDesign has 61 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of BeadsDesign's written reviews are positive against 40% of amu's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BeadsDesign ships an update every 3 weeks, amu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
BeadsDesign versus amu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeadsDesignamu
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (61 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.1% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings61 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHIDEHIKO NAGANOyoshiteru oyanagi

Customer experience

BeadsDesign

All ratings61 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral4.9%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive55.1%
Neutral20.4%
Negative24.5%

amu

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral30.0%
Negative30.0%

In-app purchases

None

BeadsDesign

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

amu

Subscriptions1
  • プレミアムプラン - 月額14 Days trial$2.991 Month

Questions

Is BeadsDesign free?
BeadsDesign is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is amu free?
amu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BeadsDesign or amu?
amu is rated higher. BeadsDesign averages 4.7 out of 5 from 61 ratings, while amu averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do BeadsDesign or amu have ads?
BeadsDesign shows ads; amu does not.
Which is updated more often, BeadsDesign or amu?
BeadsDesign ships an update every 3 weeks, and amu every 2 weeks. Most recently, BeadsDesign was updated on October 21, 2026 and amu on October 9, 2026.

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