Toonbead vs StarSeed
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Toonbead
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Turn a favorite photo into fuse bead art you can actually build. Toonbead converts your photo into a clear bead pattern directly on your device. Use the complete Basic flow privately and offline, or sign in and optionally simplify the photo into clean AI artwork first. Choose a practical project size and color count, review the boards and materials you will need, then follow the pattern bead by bead. CREATE FROM A PHOTO Start with a portrait, pet, gift idea, or another favorite image. Basic pattern creation runs locally with no account or upload required. OPTIONAL AI ARTWORK Sign in for 3 free AI generations and turn a busy photo into simpler, bead-friendly artwork before conversion. Choose Pet Icon, Cute Portrait, Clean Cartoon, Retro Pixel, Pop Poster, or describe a custom direction. A compressed copy is uploaded only after you tap the AI action; pattern building and material counts still run on your device. ADD GENERATIONS WHEN YOU NEED THEM Buy a one-time Apple In-App Purchase for 10, 30, or 100 AI generations. There is no subscription or automatic renewal. The signed-in account balance works on Toonbead for iPhone and on the web. PLAN BEFORE YOU BUILD See the grid size, board layout, total bead count, color breakdown, and material quantities before placing the first bead. BROWSE 649 OFFLINE PATTERNS Search and filter 649 exact templates, including 500 single-board patterns and 149 detailed nine-board designs. Open a full numbered map, review build tips, save the exact grid as a local project, and start Crafting Mode without regenerating the pattern. EXPLORE THE STUDIO GALLERY Switch to 20 original Toonbead Studio artworks and their finished 58 × 58 bead grids. Compare the artwork and pattern, filter by style, share a gallery link, or use any artwork as the starting point for a new local draft—even offline. CRAFT THE FULL PATTERN Open the complete pattern at once. Pinch to zoom, drag to pan, focus by color, and mark beads as you place them. Progress remains saved on your device for offline use. KEEP PROJECTS ON YOUR DEVICE Save drafts and in-progress crafts locally. Your source photo and project do not need to leave your device. EXPORT WHEN YOU ARE READY Share a printable multi-page PDF, pattern PNG, and counted materials CSV. PDFs include an overview, complete numbered map, board-by-board pages, and a material key. Toonbead is made for personal fuse bead crafts, pet portraits, keepsakes, and handmade gifts. It is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any bead manufacturer.
StarSeed
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StarSeed is a bead pattern maker and pixel art editor designed for fuse bead, Perler bead, Hama bead, Artkal bead, and pixel bead creators. Turn photos into printable bead patterns, draw original pixel art, create text-based pixel designs, count required bead colors, and export clean PDF patterns for real-world crafting. Main features: - Photo to bead pattern: convert pictures from your photo library into pixel bead grids. - Background removal: isolate the main subject before creating a cleaner bead pattern. - Real bead palette matching: supports common bead palettes including Perler, Hama, Artkal, MARD, and COCO. - Pixel art editor: draw with brush, eraser, fill, eyedropper, shapes, text, mirror, and move tools. - Text to pixel pattern: turn names, words, and short phrases into pixel-style bead designs. - Pattern library: save, rename, view, and continue editing your own bead patterns. - Material count: automatically calculate how many beads are needed for each color. - Printable PDF export: create bead pattern sheets with coordinates, color IDs, grid lines, material list, total bead count, and physical size. - Built-in gallery: browse curated bead pattern ideas and save them to your library. - Crafting timer: record your bead-making time and mood, with Live Activity support on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. - iCloud sync: keep your personal pattern library available across your devices. Great for: - Making Perler bead patterns from photos - Creating Hama bead, Artkal bead, MARD bead, and fuse bead designs - Designing pixel avatars, pixel gifts, keychains, coasters, charms, and handmade crafts - Preparing craft patterns for kids, family activities, DIY projects, and fan art - Printing clear bead grids, color charts, and material lists StarSeed is built around real bead-making workflows, from photo conversion and palette matching to printable patterns and focused crafting sessions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StarSeed at none against Toonbead's 3. Toonbead's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Toonbead sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. StarSeed asks for nothing beyond the download.
Toonbead ships an update every 5 days, StarSeed every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Toonbead | StarSeed |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 54 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 恒 丛 | 凇源 张 |
In-app purchases
Toonbead
- 10 AI Generations$1.99
- 30 AI Generations$4.99
- 100 AI Generations$12.99
StarSeed
No in-app purchases









