Comparison

Bead Magazine vs Needleply

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

Head to head
About

Bead Magazine

Discover beautiful beadwork, wirework, and lampwork projects. This app offers stylish designs and tutorials for jewelry making enthusiasts. Explore new techniques and inspiration for your creative endeavors.

Highlights
  • Beadwork projects
  • Wirework tutorials
  • Lampwork designs
  • Stringing projects
  • Metal clay designs
  • Polymer clay designs
Features
Read full description

We love beading! If you love beading too then Bead is the magazine for you! Created by bead lovers, for bead lovers each issue of Bead is packed full of beautiful beadwork, wirework and stringing projects. Plus stylish and quality lampwork, metal clay, and polymer clay designs, and much more! ---------------------------------------------- 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

Needleply

Browse, search, and organize embroidery materials like threads, beads, and fabrics. Find color matches across different brands and export your selections for inventory tracking or printable tables.

Highlights
  • Thread, bead, and fabric palettes
  • Search materials reference
  • Find close color matches
  • Export to Needlentory
  • Create printable PDF tables
  • Organize embroidery materials
Features
Read full description

Embroidery material palettes reference. The app contains material palettes — threads, beads, and fabrics — from many well-known manufacturers. It is designed for convenient browsing, searching, selecting, and organizing materials for embroidery projects. You can search materials across the entire reference, as well as find close color matches, even when they belong to different palettes or manufacturers. This helps you choose harmonious combinations and find alternatives to specific colors. Selected palettes can be exported directly to Needlentory, a separate app created specifically for material tracking, including inventory management, shopping lists, and project planning. For those who prefer manual tracking, the app allows you to create and export clear PDF tables that are convenient for printing and storing on paper. If you are missing a specific palette or manufacturer, you can contact us by email. We regularly expand the available palettes. Key features: • Thread, bead, and fabric palettes from popular manufacturers • Search across the entire materials reference • Find close color matches across different palettes • Export palettes to Needlentory for material tracking • Export palettes to StitchHub for pattern creation and progress tracking • Create and export printable PDF tables • Simple browsing and selection of materials for projects Disclaimer. This app is not affiliated with or endorsed by any manufacturers. Color accuracy notice. Colors shown in the app are approximate and may differ from actual shades. Always refer to official physical color charts from manufacturers.

Screenshots

Bead Magazine1 screens
Needleply4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Needleply at 4.4 against Bead Magazine's 3.4. Needleply also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 43%) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 14 months). Bead Magazine's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.2). On price, ratings volume, 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. Bead Magazine sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Needleply sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Needleply holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 41 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Bead Magazine's written reviews are positive against 82% of Needleply's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bead Magazine ships an update every 14 months, Needleply every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bead Magazine versus Needleply: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBead MagazineNeedleply
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (16 ratings)4.4 (41 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews82.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1641 — better
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB232 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAshdown BroadcastingDiana Białogrzywa

Customer experience

Bead Magazine

All ratings16 ratings
Positive56.3%
Neutral6.3%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%

Needleply

All ratings41 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral7.3%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive82.4%
Neutral5.9%
Negative11.8%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Bead Magazine

One-time10
  • Bead Issue 51$2.99
  • Bead Issue 53 (id:737062)$4.99
  • Bead Issue 50 (id:741773)$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Bead Issue 48 (id:739411)$4.99
  • Bead Issue 46 (id:741772)$4.99
  • Bead Issue 45 (id:738863)$4.99
  • Bead Issue 40 (id:740379)$4.99
  • Bead Issue 36 (id:740301)$4.99
  • Issue 71 (id:798877)$6.99
  • Bead Magazine 3 Back Issue Bundle$14.99
7 purchases

Needleply

One-time7
  • Threads$0.99
  • Premium for 1 month$0.99
  • Premium for 6 months$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Premium for 1 year$9.99
  • Canvas$12.99
  • Premium Lifetime$29.99
  • Kit$49.99

Questions

Is Bead Magazine free?
Bead Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Needleply free?
Needleply is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bead Magazine or Needleply?
Needleply is rated higher. Bead Magazine averages 3.4 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Needleply averages 4.4 from 41 ratings.
Do Bead Magazine or Needleply have ads?
Needleply shows ads; Bead Magazine does not.
Which is updated more often, Bead Magazine or Needleply?
Bead Magazine ships an update every 14 months, and Needleply every 9 days. Most recently, Bead Magazine was updated on November 1, 2026 and Needleply on November 3, 2026.

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