FuseBeadMaker vs Bead Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
FuseBeadMaker
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FuseBeadMaker turns photos and images into clear, buildable fuse bead patterns. Import a pet, portrait, illustration, or craft idea, choose the detected person or animal you want to keep, and preview the result before creating the grid. Start with your own photo or browse 236 ready-to-use templates. Seven pattern styles help preserve outlines, simplify colors, or highlight important details. With 3D Beads (Beta), a flat pattern can also become an editable layered bead form. Plan and finish each project: - Generate bead patterns from photos and images - Select detected people or pets before conversion - Choose from 7 pattern styles and 236 templates - Review color codes, color counts, and total beads - Check missing beads and suggested replacements - Edit the grid and individual cells manually - Import PDF patterns, recognize grids, legends, and color codes, and review uncertain cells - Save multiple PDF pages as separate projects - Check materials before starting, build by color or row, and keep timed session history - Manage material and inventory references - Preview and export high-resolution images - Export A4 PDFs and split-board references - Create and edit layered 3D bead projects (Beta) - Save projects locally and continue later Photo processing, projects, inventory, and pattern data stay on your device. No account is required. Great for pet portraits, handmade gifts, pixel art references, and larger projects that benefit from color-by-color guidance. Privacy Policy: https://fusebeadmaker.tardislabs.app/en/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Bead Lab
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The output isn't a picture. It's something you build. Bead Lab reads your photo against a real manufacturer's bead palette, then gives you the three things a picture can't: the colours to buy and how many of each, the design split across pegboards the size you already own, and a build mode that remembers every bead you've placed. ONE COLOUR AT A TIME Working from a flat pattern means hunting for where the next bead goes. Build mode lights up the colour you're holding and dims everything else, so you place all 720 of the charcoal black, mark that colour done, and move to the next one. Put the phone down halfway through and it's still there tomorrow. KNOW WHAT TO BUY BEFORE YOU BUY IT Every colour comes out of a real brand's catalogue and carries its product code. The materials list gives you the code, the name and the exact count ā 720 of H6, 530 of H16 ā so you order once instead of running out three evenings in. BOARD BY BOARD A 96Ć64 design doesn't fit on one pegboard. Bead Lab splits it across as many as it takes, numbers them, and shows each board on its own with the beads that board needs. Print them or work from the screen. FIX WHAT THE CONVERSION GOT WRONG No automatic conversion gets thin shapes right ā bamboo leaves, whiskers, lettering. Brush, flood fill, replace colour, eyedropper, line and rectangle let you repair them by hand, and an automatic cleanup folds away stray single beads and colours too close to tell apart. You see how many cells will change before anything changes, and every step undoes. THREE WAYS TO MAKE IT Crisp outline, detail first, or fewer beads. One photo, three trade-offs, each labelled with its colour count, bead count and board count. Choose by the numbers instead of guessing at sliders. NOTHING LEAVES YOUR PHONE No account, no server. Photos, patterns and progress stay on this iPhone. No third-party analytics, no ads. FREE ⢠Unlimited patterns ⢠Grids up to 48Ć48 ⢠The complete MARD palette and Kawada's 78 colours ⢠The editor and its automatic cleanup ⢠Build mode, in full ⢠PNG export and the materials list ⢠Board-by-board view on screen ⢠Export and import your own projects BEAD LAB PRO ā a one-time purchase, not a subscription ⢠Bigger grids: 64Ć64 and 96Ć96 ⢠Perler palettes alongside MARD ⢠Board-by-board printing with safe margins ⢠Multi-page PDF at true physical size ⢠Mirrored sheets Made for iPhone. iOS 17 or later.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Bead Lab at every 4 days against FuseBeadMaker's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. FuseBeadMaker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Bead Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
FuseBeadMaker ships an update fortnightly, Bead Lab every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FuseBeadMaker | Bead Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 4 days ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 97 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | åé č | Lintao Li |
In-app purchases
FuseBeadMaker
- FuseBeadMaker Pro Weekly$2.997 Days
- FuseBeadMaker Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
- FuseBeadMaker Pro Annual$3.991 Year
- FuseBeadMaker Pro Lifetime$4.99
Bead Lab
- ę¼č±äøäøē$5.99









