Comparison

Pixel vs Fuse Beads

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

Head to head
About

Pixel

Features
Read full description

Your photo, turned into a pattern you can actually make. Pixela turns any picture into a crisp pixel grid with a tidy color palette and a printable chart β€” so you can recreate it however you like: β€’ Perler / Hama beads β€” get the bead-by-bead layout for your next fuse-bead art. β€’ Cross-stitch & embroidery β€” symbols per color and a printable chart to stitch from. β€’ Knitting & crochet β€” color-work charts (intarsia, tapestry, C2C, jacquard): one square per stitch/block. β€’ Quilting & patchwork β€” each pixel becomes a fabric square. β€’ Pixel art, sprites & icons β€” turn a photo or your own drawing/sketch into true pixels with a controlled palette; export a clean PNG. β€’ Event & stadium mosaics β€” plan "pixel performances" and card stunts, seat by seat, sized in meters. β€’ Wall decor & murals β€” set the centimeters per tile and get the real wall size to paint or tile. β€’ LEGO & brick mosaics β€” each pixel is one brick on the baseplate. β€’ LED matrices & low-res screens β€” a pixel map to wire or program each LED. β€’ Gifts & keepsakes β€” turn a pet, a portrait, or a logo into a handmade piece. β€’ Drawings, coloring pages & templates β€” a ready-made grid to trace, color, or hand off. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT β€’ Pick a photo β€” Pixela builds the pattern in seconds. β€’ Control the look β€” set the number of columns and palette colors with live sliders. β€’ Color symbols β€” every color gets a letter so it's easy to follow (great for color-vision needs). β€’ Printable PDF β€” a clean legend plus the full symbol chart, ready to print or share. β€’ Export a clean PNG β€” the pure pixel art with no grid or symbols, ready to use as a sprite, sticker, or poster. β€’ Real thread colors β€” see the nearest DMC floss for every color, and swap any color for the one you prefer. β€’ Real finished size at any scale β€” stitches (Aida), beads, or big tiles; shown in cm or meters, so you can size a wall mural or a whole stadium mosaic. β€’ Track your progress β€” mark finished cells and watch your % climb. β€’ Pinch to zoom, tap "1:1" to see the whole thing β€” built for big, detailed pieces. β€’ Works offline β€” everything is processed on your device. Your photos never leave it. FAIR PRICING Unlock everything with a single one-time purchase β€” no subscription, ever. Private by design: your photos are processed on-device and are never uploaded.

About

Fuse Beads

Read full description

Fuse Beads helps you turn a photo into a fuse-bead pattern you can actually iron. Pick a picture from Photos, the camera, or Files, generate a pattern on this iPhone, then edit beads, count materials, and follow along color by color. What you can do: - Start from a photo or one of 24 original built-in designs - Board sizes 15Γ—15, 21Γ—21, 29Γ—29, 40Γ—40, 58Γ—58, plus 20Γ—30, 29Γ—40, and custom sizes - Crop with a live preview before you generate - Three detail modes and careful on-device color matching - Optional background cleanup that keeps the subject - Perler common names, Hama Midi numbers, and Artkal S-5mm numbers as on-screen references - Edit bead by bead, undo, zoom, and jump by row or column - See material totals, tick colors you already have, estimate packs, and copy a shopping list - Highlight one color, mark progress, and see what to place next - Search, sort, rename, duplicate, and delete projects - Export high-resolution PNG or PDF with coordinates; large boards split into section pages - Keep a local backup you can export and merge later - 13 interface languages, including Arabic (right to left). Follow the system or lock a language in Settings Privacy first: No account, ads, analytics SDKs, or tracking. Photos, patterns, and progress stay on your device. The camera is used only if you choose to take a photo. Files leave the app only when you save a PNG to Photos or pick a destination in the system share sheet. Screen colors may differ from physical beads. Check the brand’s latest physical color card before buying in quantity. Perler, Hama, and Artkal are trademarks of their respective owners. This app is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or officially authorized by those brands.

Screenshots

Pixel4 screens
Fuse Beads4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Fuse Beads at none against Pixel's 1. Pixel's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel ships an update every 4 days, Fuse Beads every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Pixel versus Fuse Beads: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixelFuse Beads
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days β€” betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.4 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size65 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAbraham MunguiaShanghai Qishan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pixel

One-time1
  • Pixel-A Pro$4.99
None

Fuse Beads

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixel free?
Pixel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fuse Beads free?
Fuse Beads is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pixel or Fuse Beads have ads?
Neither Pixel nor Fuse Beads shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel or Fuse Beads?
Pixel ships an update every 4 days, and Fuse Beads every 2 weeks. Most recently, Pixel was updated on September 8, 2026 and Fuse Beads on September 26, 2026.

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