Comparison

Purl vs Needlepoint Studio

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

Head to head
About

Purl

Mark your PDF cross-stitch patterns directly on your device. Track your progress with stitch counts, a calendar, and photos. Plan your projects with fabric and skein calculators, and manage your thread stash.

Highlights
  • PDF pattern import and marking
  • Thread key reading (DMC, Anchor)
  • Stitch progress tracking
  • Project planning tools
  • Fabric and skein calculators
  • Thread stash management
  • Row/round counter for knitting/crochet
Features
Read full description

Mark your cross-stitch chart right on your iPhone and never lose your place again. Purl opens your PDF pattern, reads its thread key and lets you mark stitches as you go: tap one stitch, swipe across a row or box-select a whole area. Your marks are saved to your account, so they are still there on your iPad or after you reinstall. MADE FOR PDF CHARTS • Import a PDF from Files or a link, or scan a paper pattern • Purl reads the thread key for you: DMC, Anchor and more • Find a symbol: every stitch of one colour lights up • Full stitches, backstitch, French knots and fractionals • Apple Pencil support, and the screen stays awake while you stitch SEE HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME • Stitches left for every thread, sorted the way you like • A stitch calendar, an optional timer and an estimated finish date • Projects in progress, paused, finished or planned, with start and finish dates • Progress photos with the date and percentage PLAN BEFORE YOU START • Fabric calculator: design size and cut size for any count • Skein estimate for every thread • Your DMC and Anchor stash with a barcode scanner, and a shopping list for what is missing KNITTING AND CROCHET TOO • Row counter for knitting, round counter for crochet • Pieces and parts, imported from your PDF pattern YOUR WORK IS BACKED UP Sign in with Apple or Google and your projects, marks and PDFs are backed up to your Purl account. ONE PRICE Try everything free for 14 days. Then one purchase unlocks Purl for good. No subscription. Works in English, Turkish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Polish, Russian and Japanese. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://qubillc.com/purl/privacy

About

Needlepoint Studio

Organize your needlepoint projects, track your progress with photos, and manage your thread stash. Features a stitch library and a timer for your stitching sessions. Your data is private and stored locally.

Highlights
  • Project tracking with progress photos
  • Stitching session timer
  • Thread stash cataloging
  • Built-in stitch library with diagrams
  • Collection value and export
  • Private iCloud backup
  • Customizable themes
Features
Read full description

Learn to needlepoint, one stitch at a time. Needlepoint Studio teaches you the whole stitch library with animated, step-by-step lessons. Every stitch draws itself on the canvas, stroke by stroke, with a needle that shows exactly where the yarn goes. Play it, pause it, step through a single stitch, or slow it to half speed until it clicks. No other needlepoint app teaches this way. FOLLOW A GUIDED PATH Start with First Stitches, free for everyone. Then work through curated lessons in Beautiful Backgrounds, Texture Sampler, and Decorative Accents. Each path builds real skills in the order a teacher would give them. KEEP YOUR WHOLE CRAFT IN ONE STUDIO • Track every canvas from "kitted up" to finished, with progress photos and a before/after compare. • Time your stitching sessions and watch your streak and weekly minutes add up. A running timer stays on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. • Give a canvas a finish-by date and see, in plain language, whether you're on pace to make it. • Organize your fiber stash and stretcher bars: brand, color, count, and how much you have left. • Flag what you're low on, then take the whole To Buy list to the shop as a shopping list, so you never buy the same thread twice. KNOW WHAT IT'S ALL WORTH See the value of your collection at a glance, and export an insurance-ready CSV or PDF report: proof of everything you own, ready when you need it. CELEBRATE EVERY FINISH Finished canvases join a gallery grouped by year. Share a single project's before-and-after, or a whole year of stitching, as a card made for the feed. YOURS, EVERYWHERE, FOREVER Everything backs up privately through your own iCloud account. Get a new iPhone and your studio is already there. Add Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, including a new stitch to learn every day. Log a session with one tap or by asking Siri, and jump to any project or stitch from Spotlight search. GO PRO YOUR WAY: SUBSCRIBE, OR PAY ONCE AND OWN IT FOREVER Studio Pro unlocks the full stitch library, all learning paths, unlimited projects, finish-by pacing, collection and shopping-list export, the Year-in-Review card, and nine extra studio themes. Choose a monthly or yearly subscription (yearly starts with a 3-day free trial), or make a single lifetime purchase that's yours forever. Every plan works on all your devices and shares with your household through Family Sharing. Your data is never locked behind Pro: everything you've made stays visible, editable, and synced even if a subscription ends. Terms of Use: https://pandataps.com/terms/needlepoint Privacy Policy: https://pandataps.com/privacy/needlepoint Made for needlepointers.

Screenshots

Purl4 screens
Needlepoint Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Needlepoint Studio at 100% against Purl's 0%. Purl's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Purl sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Needlepoint Studio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Purl ships an update every 5 days, Needlepoint Studio weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Purl versus Needlepoint Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPurlNeedlepoint Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size121 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKADIR KARAKASPanda Taps LLC

Customer experience

Purl

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Needlepoint Studio

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Purl

One-time1
  • Purl Lifetime$9.99
3 purchases

Needlepoint Studio

Subscriptions2
  • Studio Pro Monthly3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Studio Pro Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Studio Pro$39.99

Questions

Is Purl free?
Purl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Needlepoint Studio free?
Needlepoint Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Purl or Needlepoint Studio have ads?
Neither Purl nor Needlepoint Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Purl or Needlepoint Studio?
Purl ships an update every 5 days, and Needlepoint Studio weekly. Most recently, Purl was updated on November 5, 2026 and Needlepoint Studio on November 1, 2026.

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