Comparison

Bead Loom vs Happy Beads

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

Head to head
About

Bead Loom

Design intricate bead loom patterns with a comprehensive editor. Utilize a vast library of colors, stamps, inserts, and borders. Convert your own photos into bead patterns or trace existing images.

Highlights
  • Bead loom pattern editor
  • Extensive color palette
  • Over 400 stamps, inserts, and borders
  • Photo to pattern conversion
  • Image tracing functionality
  • Save, email, and print patterns
Features
Read full description

Bead Loom Pattern Creator for your mobile device. Comes with 4 free bead loom patterns. Download is free. To activate creation is $2.99 To create Bead Loom patterns, select Create a Bead Loom pattern button. The Bead Loom pattern editor will appear. Fill in the squares with beads of any color. To get started - Use the pencil to add beads to your bead loom pattern. Use the Eraser to remove beads from your pattern. You also can select from over 400 stamps, inserts and borders to apply to your bead loom pattern. Icons from left to right in the icon bar are: Color icon - use to add new beads with different colors to your bead list. Save icon - use to save your bead loom pattern. Pencil icon - use to add beads to your bead loom pattern. Eraser icon - use to remove beads from your bead loom pattern. Stamps icon - selectable little stamps (little bead designs) to add to your bead loom pattern. Patterns icon - selectable patterns to insert into your bead loom pattern. Inserts icon - selectable list of bead patterns to add to your pattern (like roses). Dropper icon - lets you extract a bead color from your pattern and add more of that bead to your bead loom pattern. Bucket icon - use to fill selected area with beads of the current color. Trim icon - remove squares from your bead loom pattern. Undo icon - undo each last change you made to the bead loom pattern. Redo icon - redo each change you undid. Cut icon - remove some beads from the pattern. Copy icon - copy some beads from the pattern. Paste icon - paste copied beads to the pattern. Zoom in icon - magnify the bead loom pattern. Zoom out icon - minify the bead loom pattern. Symbols icon - display a unique symbol on the bead to indicate it's color value. Picture icon - select a picture from your device and convert to a bead loom pattern. Social media icon - email etc. your pattern. Print icon - print your pattern. Trace icon - select a picture from your device and it displays over your bead loom pattern. Now you can trace it. Resize bars - resize bars are display at the bottom right corner of your bead loom pattern. Drag them to resize your bead loom pattern.

About

Happy Beads

Features
Read full description

Happy Beads is a mobile creative studio for water-activated craft beads. Choose a base board, draw motifs directly on the grid, and turn your own photos into clear bead templates. For quick projects, the app includes a broad template library: animals, comic-inspired motifs, buildings, vehicles, food, symbols, objects, and tools. Mix colors and bead shapes, switch between board sizes, and build each idea step by step. Features: - More than 20 board sizes for small charms, classic squares, large posters, and wide designs - Many bead colors including bold, bright, metallic, and translucent looks - Multiple bead styles such as round, jewel, polygon, star, metallic, and marble - Motif library with cat, dog, panda, fox, bunny, owl, turtle, dolphin, dino, castle, rocket, camera, controller, and more - Photo import as a drawing guide or as a bead-grid conversion - German and English with quick language switching - Mobile-first design with a central board and floating tool menu Happy Beads is made for creative craft ideas, family projects, template planning, and small pixel-art designs. It helps you test ideas digitally before recreating them with real beads. Note: Happy Beads is an independent creative app and is not affiliated with any craft bead manufacturer.

Screenshots

Bead Loom4 screens
Happy Beads4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Happy Beads at none against Bead Loom's 1. Happy Beads also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Bead Loom sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Happy Beads asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bead Loom ships an update every 4 months, Happy Beads weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 5 level
Bead Loom versus Happy Beads: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBead LoomHappy Beads
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews33.3% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size12 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSand Castle Designs, IncMarkus Stadi

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Bead Loom

One-time1
  • Bead Loom Activation$2.99
None

Happy Beads

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bead Loom free?
Bead Loom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Happy Beads free?
Happy Beads is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Bead Loom or Happy Beads have ads?
Neither Bead Loom nor Happy Beads shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bead Loom or Happy Beads?
Bead Loom ships an update every 4 months, and Happy Beads weekly. Most recently, Bead Loom was updated on October 9, 2026 and Happy Beads on October 8, 2026.

Other comparisons