# Dot Lab vs Bead It

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bead It at none against Dot Lab's 5. Dot Lab's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 10 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Dot Lab sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Bead It asks for nothing beyond the download.

Dot Lab ships an update fortnightly, Bead It every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dot Lab | Bead It |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dot-lab-perler-beads-pattern/id6504469120/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **10** | — |
| Positive reviews | 96.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 80 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [桂华 冉](https://appshunter.io/developer/1751093769) | [为 王](https://appshunter.io/developer/1795360742) |

## What reviewers say

### Dot Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dot-lab-perler-beads-pattern/id6504469120)

Create pixel art for NFTs, avatars, or fuse bead patterns with intuitive drawing tools and customizable palettes. Generate detailed patterns for crafts like perler beads and crochet, with options for efficient creation and sharing.

**Highlights:** Efficient drawing tools, Multiple canvas sizes, Rich color options and palette management, Automatic pattern generation for crafts, Workstation for secondary creations, Share and save artwork, Data backup and canvas lock

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Annual member | $19.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $22.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


### Bead It

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bead-it/id6741751182)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dot Lab free?

Dot Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Bead It free?

Bead It is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Dot Lab or Bead It have ads?

Neither Dot Lab nor Bead It shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dot Lab or Bead It?

Dot Lab ships an update fortnightly, and Bead It every 10 months. Most recently, Dot Lab was updated on October 13, 2026 and Bead It on October 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*