Pixel Art Maker vs Stitchly
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pixel Art Maker
Create and animate pixel art with a user-friendly drawing tool. Convert photos into pixel art, customize color palettes, and export your creations as GIFs. Offers both free and premium features for enhanced capabilities.
- Pixel art drawing up to 256x256
- Photo to pixel art conversion
- Animated pixel art creation
- Customizable color palettes
- Export as animated GIF
- Scalable artwork export
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"Pixel Art Maker" is a drawing tool for pixel art like retro games. ◇ Easy to use You can start drawing pixel art immediately after launching the app. The canvas can also be resized while drawing. ◇ Import a photo Convert photos into pixel art. ◇ Create animated pixel art Draw one pixel art image, duplicate it, and create animations. Features: - Draw pixel art on canvases from 1×1 up to 256×256 pixels. - Change the color palette (up to 256 colors). The basic palette includes 32 colors. The free version supports up to 65 colors. *Each palette color can be set to transparent or opaque. - Save your color palettes and reuse them in other artworks or when importing photos. - Watch an ad to temporarily unlock: • 256-color palette • Canvas size up to 1024×1024 - Premium Removes ads and permanently unlocks the full 256-color palette and canvas sizes up to 1024×1024. - Zoom in and out with two-finger pinch. - Save, load, and delete your drawings. - Import photos and animated GIFs. APNG animation is not supported; only the first frame is imported. - Import photos with built-in retro-style palettes and adjustable dithering. Indexed PNG files keep their original palette. - Import images from other apps via the Share sheet. - Export with transparency. - Scale your artwork on export from 1× to 64×, depending on canvas size, up to 4096×4096. - Save to Photos. - Share with other apps. - Create and export animated GIFs. *GIFs may not animate in Photos. - Finger Mode Draw directly with your finger. - Cursor Mode Move a cursor and place pixels with the "PIXEL" button. (Menu → Settings → Change Drawing Mode) * On Apple Silicon Macs (iPad version), animated image import may be limited, and photos may be imported at reduced resolution.
Stitchly
Easily create custom cross-stitch patterns from photos or by drawing your own designs. Supports various stitch types and thread colors, with options to export as printable PDFs and track your progress. Perfect for both beginners and experienced crafters.
- Create patterns from photos
- Draw custom designs
- Supports DMC and Anchor threads
- Includes advanced stitches
- Export as printable PDF
- Track stitching progress
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Stitchly is the best cross stitch pattern maker app on iPhone and iPad. Easily create your own cross stitch patterns with this simple yet powerful app. • Perfect for beginners and professionals • Convert your photos or draw your own designs • Use DMC and Anchor thread, plus lots more • Use 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, backstitches, and French knots • Export your work as a printable PDF • Track your progress in the app • No subscriptions (pay once, enjoy forever) IT WORKS LIKE MAGIC When converting a photo, use our custom-built wizard tool to effortlessly choose the best settings for your image and see the results instantly. TRACE OVER IMAGES When drawing your own designs, you can show an image in the background. This can be super helpful as a reference to trace over. You can also show the original image after converting a photo, which makes tidying up your patterns even easier. MAKE YOUR MASTERPIECE Once your pattern is finished and you’re ready to get stitching, simply press play. You can view your pattern in the app, highlight symbols, and mark stitches as completed using the progress tracker. JOIN THOUSANDS OF HAPPY CUSTOMERS... "I can’t overstate my love for Stitchly. Every time I don’t see it on a top 10 softwares for cross stitch I’m shook. I‘ve been making and selling patterns for 5 years and have tried 3 other programs but Stitchly’s aesthetics, simplicity, and constant feature updates make it my number one favorite of all time." - By Nic806 on the App Store "This app is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I had been eyeing a few desktop apps but this app provides all the features I need in a cheaper, convenient, portable app- even better! I love how easy it is to make patterns and export them, even including the number of skeins needed in the export is so helpful." - By reydiant on the App Store "The best app for anyone that likes cross stitch. I’ve saved so much money on buying patterns and it’s also so much fun to be able to design my own. Love it. I never spend money on apps but this one was definitely worth it." - By TJ_172940 on the App Store BECOME AN AMAZING DESIGNER Our mission is to make it easier and more fun to create your own cross stitch designs. Why? Because being creative makes you happier and healthier. AS FEATURED BY APPLE Stitchly has been featured as App of the Day on the App Store. We are incredibly proud of this milestone and wish to thank all our wonderful customers for their continued support. FAQ Is the full version a one-time purchase? Yes. There are no subscriptions. You can create and export as many patterns as you like with the one-time purchase. Can I unlock my other devices using the same purchase? Yes. You can unlock the full version on your iPhone, iPad and Mac (M1 chip or later) with just one purchase. Can I share the purchase with my family? Yes. Family Sharing is enabled. Can I sell my patterns? Yes. You can also add your store details to your PDF exports. Do I have to buy the materials separately? Yes. The app is only for creating patterns. Can I use Stitchly for needlepoint? Yes. Many of our customers use the Stitchly app to create both cross stitch and needlepoint patterns. When using the app for needlepoint, just treat each square as one canvas intersection. Is Stitchly an alternative to Stitch Fiddle? Yes. Stitchly is an app, whereas Stitch Fiddle is an online platform. Stitchly is not affiliated with Stitch Fiddle. Where is my data stored? Your data is stored on your device. All processing is done locally on your device. Your data is never transmitted to third parties. TRY IT NOW Try Stitchly now on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. The full version is a one-time purchase. Find out more at stitchly.com Stitchly® is a registered trademark of Subtlabs Ltd
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Stitchly at none against Pixel Art Maker's shown. Stitchly also leads on chart position (#197 vs unranked). Pixel Art Maker's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid) and review sentiment (91% vs 80%). On price, rating, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Pixel Art Maker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Stitchly sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Pixel Art Maker against 4.8 for Stitchly. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11K and 2.3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Pixel Art Maker's written reviews are positive against 80% of Stitchly's.
Pixel Art Maker ships an update every 9 days, Stitchly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pixel Art Maker | Stitchly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (11K ratings) — better | 4.8 (2.3K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.7% of reviews — better | 79.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11K — better | 2.3K |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #197 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +12 |
| Developer | Nekomimimi | Subtlabs |
Customer experience
Pixel Art Maker
Stitchly
User reviews
Pixel Art Maker
From 11K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful for making mods
- 🚀 Great for pixel art and animations
- 🚀 Intuitive and practical
- 🚀 Lots of customization options
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or save issues
- 🐛 Difficulty moving or selecting specific pixels
- 🐛 Limited color palette options
Stitchly
From 2.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💻 Great for designing patterns
- 🎨 Easy to use and intuitive
- 👍 Versatile tools and features
- 💰 One-time purchase, no subscription
- 🤝 Responsive and helpful customer support
Room to improve
- 🔍 Limited free trial features
- 🔢 Restricted canvas size
- 🎨 Color accuracy issues
- 🔀 Difficulty rearranging/moving pattern elements
- 🔖 Lack of advanced stitch types (half, diagonal, etc.)
Bugs and requests
Pixel Art Maker
Reported bugs
2 issues- Exported images not retaining transparency
- Color picker not working as expected
Requested features
5 requests- Add a redo button
- Implement layers and better color management
- Increase maximum canvas size
- Add a paint bucket tool
- Allow importing/exporting of animations
Stitchly
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when importing certain patterns
- Issues with grid and stitch alignment
- Inconsistent behavior when using undo/redo
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for more thread brands and colors
- Implement layering and grouping functionality
- Allow resizing and repositioning of the entire pattern
- Improve PDF export options and customization
- Add progress tracking and marking completed stitches
In-app purchases
Pixel Art Maker
- Remove Ads$1.99
Stitchly
- Special Offer$39.99
- Full Version$75.00









