Pic2Pat Alternative: When a Free Chart Isn't Enough

Pic2Pat has been turning photos into cross stitch charts for free for years, and for plenty of projects it's all anyone needs. People start looking for an alternative at a particular moment: the chart is bigger than a page or two, it's a portrait that needs dozens of colors, or it's a gift where getting it right matters more than saving a few dollars.

This guide is fair to Pic2Pat on purpose. We make a paid generator, so the comparison below uses only what Pic2Pat's own site states, as of September 2026, and says plainly where its site is silent. Where Pic2Pat does something well, including something we'd otherwise list as our advantage, it says so.

Pic2Pat and our generator side by side

Everything in the Pic2Pat column comes from its home page and its floss order tool. A dash means the site doesn't say, which is not the same as "no".

Two things stand out. First, skeins are not a difference: Pic2Pat says it calculates how many skeins you need of each color, so any page telling you a free tool "can't do skeins" isn't talking about this one. Second, most of the questions that matter on a large chart are ones Pic2Pat's site simply doesn't answer, which means the fair test is to look at its actual download.

What Pic2Pat does well

It costs nothing. For a quick test, a child's drawing or a small motif, that's hard to argue with.

It's simple. The home page describes three steps: select a picture, choose the size and the number of stitches per inch, then download. There's no editor to learn and no settings screen full of options you don't understand.

It works out the floss. Pic2Pat says it calculates which floss colors you need and how many skeins of each. Its webshop sells DMC floss, and the order tool takes a pattern code, a fabric color (white or ecru) and a fabric count (6, 11, 14, 16 or 18) to retrieve the color list and add every color to a cart at once. You don't have to use it, but it's convenient if you want the floss delivered.

Your chart is yours. The home page points out that the chart is downloaded to your computer, so you can print it again later without going back to the website.

It's available in many languages, which matters to a lot of stitchers outside the English-speaking world.

What Pic2Pat's site doesn't tell you

None of these are criticisms of the chart, which we haven't assessed. They're questions its public pages leave open, and they're the ones that decide whether a chart is comfortable to stitch from for months.

• How the chart is drawn. Whether you get symbols, colored squares or both, and how legible the symbols are when printed.
• How big charts are split. A chart 150 stitches wide won't print readably on one page. How it's divided, and whether the pages repeat rows at the joins, isn't described.
• How many colors you can choose. The home page mentions size and stitches per inch as the settings, not a color count.
• How skeins are estimated. Skein counts depend on fabric count and strands; the order tool asks for a fabric count, but the basis for the estimate isn't set out.
• Pattern Keeper. Nothing either way.

Because the tool is free, answering all of these costs you only a few minutes: make a chart from your photo and open the download. The checklist further down tells you what to look at.

Where a paid chart can differ

Overlap at page joins

This is the one that bites on large portraits. Pattern Keeper's help center describes overlap as a repetition of some rows and columns from the previous page, so it's easier to stitch over the page break and find your place. Without it, every page join is a place to miscount by one, and on a photo chart, a column shifted by one stitch shows as a visible seam through a face.

Our PDFs split big patterns across pages with overlap. When you open any free download, look at the edges of the pages and check whether the last rows of one page reappear on the next. Cross stitch pattern page overlap explains how to use it.

A symbol chart and a color chart

A symbol chart is what you count from. A color chart is what you check against when two dark shades have similar symbols and you want to see where each area sits. We include both, of the same pattern. On a portrait with many close browns, having both side by side saves a lot of squinting. Symbol chart vs color chart covers when each one helps.

Trying another size without starting over

The first chart from a photo is rarely the one you stitch. You see the preview, decide the eyes need more stitches, or that 40 colors is more floss than you want to buy, and try again. With Pic2Pat, that means generating a new chart, which is free. With us, the preview is free, and once you've paid for a photo, re-exporting it at another size or color count is free too.

Color count as a setting

On a portrait, the number of colors is the setting with the biggest effect on floss cost. Every color needs at least one skein, so a chart with 40 colors means buying at least 40 skeins however few stitches some of them use. Being able to set the color count and compare, say, 25 and 40 in the preview is the easiest way to control that. How many colors a photo pattern should use shows how to judge the trade-off.

Pattern Keeper

If you stitch from a tablet with Pattern Keeper, compatibility can matter more than anything else on this page. Pattern Keeper's developer says it's impossible to set any strict guidelines for compatible PDFs, because PDFs vary so much. The app's FAQ says it currently supports only full cross stitches, and that an iOS version isn't available yet, so it runs on Android only.

Pic2Pat doesn't claim compatibility, and we don't claim it for our PDFs either. The honest route is the same for both: import the actual file during Pattern Keeper's one-month trial, which its home page describes as full access. Pattern Keeper compatible patterns explains what the app needs and how to check a file quickly.

How to test Pic2Pat against an alternative

Both tools let you see a result without paying, so compare them with your own photo rather than relying on anyone's description, including this one.

1. Crop the photo once and use the same file in each tool, so the comparison is fair.
2. Match the size. Choose the same finished width on the same fabric count in both.
3. Look at the most important detail, usually the eyes, and count how many stitches wide each one is.
4. Check flat areas, like a wall or sky, for scattered single stitches of odd colors. Confetti stitches explains which ones matter.
5. Print one page of the Pic2Pat download at home and see whether the symbols are readable at the distance you stitch.
6. Check the page joins for overlap.
7. Add up the skeins in each key. If one chart needs noticeably more colors for a similar result, that's floss money.
8. Test in Pattern Keeper if you use it.

If the free chart passes all of that for your photo, use it. If it falls short on the things that matter for this project, that's the moment a paid chart earns its price.

Which to choose

• A small, bold design, a test, or a child's drawing: Pic2Pat. Free, simple, skeins included.
• You want floss delivered with minimal fuss: Pic2Pat's order tool is convenient if its shipping suits you.
• A large portrait that spans many pages: a chart with page overlap and a symbol chart you've checked in print.
• A gift where you'll try several sizes and color counts: a tool that lets you re-export the same photo, such as ours.
• You want to edit individual stitches, add backstitch or clean up confetti by hand: an editor rather than either of us. Our Stitchmate alternative guide compares us with the best-known one.

For the wider field, including StitchFromPhoto, Cross Stitched and desktop software, see cross stitch pattern generators compared. For what a whole project costs once floss and fabric are counted, see what a custom cross stitch pattern costs. And when you're ready to put the two side by side, try your photo in our free preview.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pic2Pat really free?

Yes. As of September 2026, Pic2Pat's home page describes it as free, and the site carries advertising. The company also runs a webshop that sells DMC floss, with an order tool that turns a Pic2Pat pattern code into a color list you can add to a cart. Using the generator doesn't require buying anything.

Does Pic2Pat calculate how many skeins I need?

Yes. Pic2Pat's home page says it calculates which floss colors are needed and how many skeins of each. So skein counts alone aren't a reason to switch. The questions worth checking are how its chart is laid out, how large charts are split across pages, and whether that suits the project you have in mind.

Is a Pic2Pat chart Pattern Keeper compatible?

Pic2Pat's site doesn't say, and neither do we for our own PDFs. Pattern Keeper says strict guidelines for compatible PDFs are impossible, so the only reliable answer is to import the actual file during the app's free one-month trial. The app runs on Android only as of September 2026.

When is Pic2Pat good enough?

For a small, simple design, often. If the chart fits on a page or two, the colors are few and bold, and you're happy with the first result, a free tool that already works out skeins does the job. The case for a paid chart grows with size, color count and how much the finished piece matters.

What do I get for $5.99 that I don't get free?

With us, a PDF with a symbol chart and a color chart of the same pattern, a DMC color key with skein counts, a floss shopping list, and large charts split across pages with overlap. You can re-export that photo at other sizes or color counts for free. Compare that with the free download for your own photo before deciding.

Sources

• Pic2Pat — Free cross stitch pattern maker (three steps, 18 MB limit, stitches per inch, skeins per color, chart stored on your computer)
• Pic2Pat — Order tool (pattern code, white or ecru fabric, 6 to 18 count)
• Pic2Pat — Webshop (DMC floss, fabric, tools)
• Pattern Keeper — How to spot overlap
• Pattern Keeper — For designers (no strict guidelines possible)
• Pattern Keeper — FAQ (full cross stitches only; no iOS version yet)
• Pattern Keeper — Home page (one-month trial with full access)