Comparison

Spool vs Potty Steps

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

Head to head
About

Spool

This app helps knitters manage their projects with interactive patterns, row counters, and stash organization. It supports custom charts, size recommendations, and time tracking to streamline the creative process from start to finish.

Highlights
  • Interactive step-by-step patterns
  • Built-in row counters
  • Colorwork and cable chart support
  • Knitworthy size recommendations
  • Yarn and materials stash organizer
  • Time tracking for projects
  • Widgets and Live Activities
Read full description

Made to support the creative process from cast on to cast off. Spool was built by a knitter who was tired of scribbling row counts on PDFs, circling sizes in every step, and constantly losing track of progress within patterns. Upload your knitting pattern, create a project, and work through it step-by-step, section-by-section — just hit 'Next Row' and keep knitting. Anywhere there's a repeat, there's a built-in row counter integrated with the full project. Size-specific instructions, stitch counts, and repeat tracking are all handled. See all your WIPs in one place, track your knitting hours, and finally put that yarn stash to work. FEATURES Step-by-step interactive patterns — work through your project row by row, with built-in row counters & repeat tracking and your size pulled through to every step Colorwork & cable charts — your pattern charts directly in the app. Customize colorwork with your actual yarn colors, and track your place with automatic highlighting on your current row Knitworthy: add your measurements (and those of the people you knit for), all that data in one place — plus we'll recommend a size based on the project's recommended ease Standalone row counter — for quick projects and one-off needs Materials: Needles and Yarn Stash — catalog your yarn and materials so you can finally utilize that stash Yarn substitutions: want to use a different yarn than the recommended? We'll give you a starting point for your needle size, based on Ravelry data Time tracking — find out exactly how long your sweater actually took Ruler — measure your ribbing without hunting for a tape measure Widgets and Live Activities: work your project from your home screen or lock screen Glossary — definitions and tutorials linked directly to terms in your pattern SUBSCRIPTION: Free: one pattern upload per month, full interactive project experience, Knitworthy fit profiles, yarn stash tracker, knitting stats Maker: 3 pattern imports per month, Ravelry integration, Widgets & lock screen counter, yarn substitutions, plus everything in Free Founding Member (limited time, $8.99): 10 pattern imports that never expire, 60 days of full Maker access, founding member badge, then free tier — or subscribe to keep Maker at $3.99/month. Spool was created by a serial knitter and a software developer with 8 years of experience. We hope you love it! Download the app today and spool around with us. Terms of Use: https://spoolhq.co/terms

About

Potty Steps

Features
Read full description

Potty Steps keeps potty training calm. It lives on one phone, needs no account, and answers the two questions every training day runs on: when was the last potty, and when is the next try due. Log every moment with one tap — pee, poop, both at once, a sit that came to nothing, a dry check, a drink, or an accident. Accidents are logged as data, never as failures: no red screens, no guilt, and your star chart never loses a star. Backdate an entry to any time and the day recalculates itself. The reminder timer is built for real family days. Pick a rhythm (every 30, 45, 60 minutes), and Potty Steps reschedules itself after every logged potty. Quiet hours cover nap time and the night — including windows that span midnight — and instead of buzzing at 2 AM, the app waits and sends one gentle nudge when quiet hours end. The star chart keeps your child going. Every success adds stars toward a reward you pick together, a sit timer with a friendly countdown makes staying seated easy, and a full-screen celebration marks every win. Stars are earned and never taken away. The day report card turns your log into a clean handover sheet — every entry with times, totals for successes, accidents, sits and dry checks, and the longest dry stretch of the day. Share it as an image with daycare, a grandparent, or a co-parent (Plus). Patterns turn your own log into insight (Plus): the typical gap between successes, how soon after a drink the next pee usually comes, and a seven-day view of successes and accidents. With more than one child in training, each kid gets separate timers, streaks and charts (Plus). A readiness checklist with commonly cited signs (per AAP/AAFP guidance) helps you decide when to start — informational only, with no scores and no verdicts. Training can be paused any time; reminders stop and your streak is safe. Your log is stored on this iPhone. No account and no ads. Privacy Policy: https://cooperative-catmint-496.notion.site/3cbd692d254d803c9ce7f3e667866556 Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: https://cooperative-catmint-496.notion.site/3cbd692d254d800b91f4f45d8d3802e8

Screenshots

Spool3 screens
Potty Steps4 screens

Verdict

The call

Spool and Potty Steps are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Spool sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Potty Steps sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spool ships an update every 2 days, Potty Steps every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Spool versus Potty Steps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpoolPotty Steps
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.217.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpool App LLCPetr Nezval

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Spool

Subscriptions2
  • Spool Maker14 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Spool Maker14 Days trial$35.991 Year
One-time1
  • Founding Member$8.99
3 purchases

Potty Steps

Subscriptions2
  • Plus Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Plus Annual7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Plus Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is Spool free?
Spool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Potty Steps free?
Potty Steps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Spool or Potty Steps have ads?
Neither Spool nor Potty Steps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spool or Potty Steps?
Spool ships an update every 2 days, and Potty Steps every 4 days. Most recently, Spool was updated on October 4, 2026 and Potty Steps on October 14, 2026.

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