Best Cross Stitch Pattern Maker: 6 Tools Compared

There are dozens of tools that call themselves a cross stitch pattern maker. Some are free websites. Some are desktop programs you buy once. Some keep your charts for years, and some forget them when you clear your browser.

Picking the wrong one costs you evenings, not just money. So we compared six popular options on the things stitchers actually ask about: price, free limits, photo import, thread brands and where your charts are saved.

One honest note before we start. We make Threadhood, one of the six. We've stuck to facts each maker publishes, checked on 22 October 2026, and we say where we couldn't confirm something.

The six cross stitch pattern makers at a glance

Table 1. Facts from each tool's own pages, checked 22 October 2026. Stitch Fiddle prices as recorded on 21 October 2026; its pricing page also shows the yearly plan as $2.75 a month.

Now the details, tool by tool.

1. Threadhood: phone-first, with your stash and progress

Threadhood is ours, so here are the facts and one real test rather than adjectives.

It runs in any browser and was designed for phones first. You choose a photo, and the chart is made on your own device. The photo isn't uploaded. Every chart has a symbol per thread, a bold grid line every 10 stitches, numbered edges, center marks and skein counts for your fabric.

It matches colors to 489 DMC or 445 Anchor threads. For every thread it also shows the nearest match in the other brand, with how close it is.

Our test. We ran a CC0 photo of a tabby cat through it at the default settings, once in each brand:

Table 2. One tabby photo, both brands. Average color error is the mean CIEDE2000 difference between each stitch and its patch of photo. Lower is closer.

Anchor came out slightly closer on this cat. Its busiest threads were rose-grays (Anchor 232 and 233), which suited the warm gray fur. That's not a rule. It shows why it helps to chart in the brand you'll stitch with, instead of converting later. Seven of the cat's 20 DMC threads have no Anchor within a ΔE of 5, including the busiest, 451 Shell Gray Dark (801 stitches).

Free: unlimited chart making, image download, share links and 3 saved charts. Studio ($4.99 a month or $29 a year) adds unlimited saved charts, stitch-by-stitch progress marking, a thread stash with shopping lists and a printable PDF kit. See pricing.

Not yet: backstitch, half stitches and fractional stitches. Charts are full crosses only.

Best for: stitchers who want to make a chart on their phone and keep track of it for the weeks it takes to stitch.

2. Stitch Fiddle: a big free plan with a cap

Stitch Fiddle is a browser-based chart editor for cross stitch and knitting. Its help pages include an Import picture feature for grid charts.

Its pricing page sets out the free limits clearly: 15 charts, 50 unique colors or symbols per chart, and a grid of up to 300 x 300. Premium lifts that to unlimited charts, 250 colors and a 1,000 x 1,000 grid.

We couldn't confirm from its public pages which thread brands it supports.

Best for: people who also chart knitting and want one editor for both.

3. FlossCross: free, no sign-up, browser-only storage

FlossCross calls itself a "free online cross stitch pattern maker". You can import a pattern from a photo or start from an empty canvas, and you don't need to register. It lists 498 DMC floss colors.

Its storage model is the thing to understand. In its own words:

"All patterns are stored only in your browser locally and are not transferred anywhere else."

FlossCross home page, checked 22 October 2026

That's good for privacy. It also means a chart made on your laptop isn't on your phone, and clearing browser data can lose it. Export anything you care about.

Best for: quick, private charts on one computer.

4. Pic2Pat: photo in, PDF out

Pic2Pat does one job. You choose a photo, adjust size, fabric and number of colors, and download the chart as a PDF, free. The PDF lists every floss color and how many skeins you need. You can also order the floss and fabric as a kit.

Its home page doesn't state a maximum size, a color limit or which thread brands it uses.

Best for: a one-off chart you plan to print.

5. WinStitch and MacStitch: full desktop design software

Ursa Software makes WinStitch for Windows and MacStitch for Mac. This is proper cross stitch design software: charts can be converted from photos or clip art, or drawn by hand. The price is £46, which varies by country because of tax, and there's a free demo.

Best for: designers who sell patterns, or anyone who wants fine control over every stitch.

6. KXStitch: free and open source, for Linux

KXStitch is a free, open-source program for KDE on Linux. It can import images, reduce the colors and use a picture as a tracing background. The latest release listed is 2.2.0, from June 2019.

Threadhood's own thread colors come from KXStitch's DMC and Anchor tables, which are published under the GPL. Good open data helps everyone.

Best for: Linux users happy with desktop software.

Is there a free cross stitch pattern maker?

Yes. FlossCross, Pic2Pat and Threadhood all make charts from photos for free, and KXStitch is free if you run Linux. Stitch Fiddle's free plan works until you have 15 charts.

The real question is what "free" includes. Ask three things:

1. Can I save my charts? And where: in an account, or only in this browser?
2. Which threads? If you stitch Anchor, a DMC-only tool means converting by hand.
3. What happens after the chart? A project takes weeks. Some tools stop at the PDF.

What is the best cross stitch software for Mac or Windows?

If you design patterns to sell, desktop software like MacStitch or WinStitch gives the most control. If you mostly turn photos into charts, you don't need to install anything. A browser tool works the same on a Mac, a Windows laptop or a phone.

Which cross stitch app works on a phone?

Any browser-based tool will load on a phone. Whether it's pleasant to use is another matter. Editors built for a mouse can be fiddly on a small screen.

Threadhood was built for phones first. Making charts is free, and on the Studio plan you tap a stitch to mark it done and your progress follows you between devices. Our launch post explains what the cross stitch app does and doesn't do yet.

How we compared these tools

We read each tool's own site on 22 October 2026 and recorded what it states about price, limits, photo import, thread brands and storage. Where a site didn't say, we wrote "not stated" rather than guess.

We ran our own test photo only through Threadhood. If you want to compare quality yourself, run the same photo through two or three tools at the same width and color count. Our generator settings test explains which settings to hold steady.

Common mistakes when choosing a cross stitch pattern maker

• Judging by the demo image. Every tool looks good on its own sample. Try your photo.
• Ignoring storage. Browser-only tools can lose charts when you clear site data.
• Forgetting your thread brand. Converting later loses accuracy. See how big the gaps get in our DMC to Anchor chart.
• Paying for features you won't use. If you only want the occasional chart, a free tool is plenty.

Ready to try one? The Threadhood cross stitch pattern maker is free and needs no account to make your first chart.