Stitchmate Alternative for Photo Cross Stitch Patterns

Stitchmate and our generator charge the same for a single pattern: $5.99. That's where the similarity ends. Stitchmate is a full pattern editor with more settings than most stitchers will ever touch. We turn a photo into a DMC chart and hand you the PDF.

So this isn't a price comparison. It's a question of which tool fits the job you have. We make one of the two, so everything about Stitchmate below comes from its own pricing, features and handbook pages as of September 2026, and where Stitchmate does more, the page says so.

Stitchmate and our generator side by side

The Stitchmate column comes from its pricing page, home page, features page and PDF export handbook. Ours comes from our pricing section.

That table leans heavily toward Stitchmate on features, and it should. The question is whether you need them.

What Stitchmate does well

It's a real editor. Stitchmate's features page lists a pencil, a brush from 1 to 20 cells, fill, gradient, eraser, color picker, text in 48 fonts, image overlay and layers. If you want to redraw an eye, add a name in lettering or remove a lamp from the background stitch by stitch, you can.

It handles confetti directly. It offers a global confetti reduction with adjustable thresholds and a brush for local cleanup, with a before-and-after preview. Its home page also makes a comparative claim about producing less confetti than competing tools; that's Stitchmate's own claim, and we haven't tested it.

It supports more than full crosses. Half, petite and three-quarter stitches, backstitch and French knots are all listed. For lettering under a portrait, or whiskers, that matters.

The PDF is highly configurable. The export handbook lists page sizes from phone to A3, margins, tile sizes of 60 × 80, 40 × 50 or 25 × 35 stitches or custom, overlap of 0, 3 or 5 cells, three render modes, legend sorting, a cover page, grid intervals and print resolution.

The free tier is generous. You can create, edit and export PNGs without paying, and preview the full PDF before you buy. No sign-up is required.

Packs are cheap per pattern. Ten unlocks for $20 is $2 each, and unlocks don't expire.

It keeps the photo on your device. Its home page says conversion happens on-device and "Nothing is uploaded."

Where a simpler generator fits

The case for us isn't that we do more. It's that some people don't want a design tool at all.

Two settings instead of ninety. You choose how many stitches wide the pattern is and how many colors it uses. That's the whole decision. For a pet portrait gift, most of the result is decided by the photo, the size and the color count anyway. How many colors a photo pattern should use explains that trade-off.

Both charts, every time. Our PDF includes a symbol chart and a color chart of the same pattern, so you don't have to decide in advance whether you'll stitch from symbols, colors or both. Stitchmate lets you pick a render mode per export; since its unlocked patterns can be re-exported forever, you can get each version, but you have to set it up.

Skein counts and a shopping list by default. The key lists every DMC number with its skein count, and there's a floss shopping list to take to the shop. Stitchmate's legend can show thread usage when you turn it on, and its features page mentions a thread shopping list.

Re-exports of a photo are free. If the size or colors turn out wrong after you pay, you re-export that photo at no charge.

A cheaper month for heavy use. At $7.99 a month, our plan costs less than Stitchmate's $14.99 Personal Pass for a month of patterns, though Stitchmate's lifetime options and packs change that sum over time.

The limits, plainly: our charts are full cross stitches only, with no backstitch or fractional stitches. You can't edit individual stitches. Colors are matched to DMC only. We don't offer a commercial license. And we don't claim Pattern Keeper compatibility.

Price, worked through

Both tools charge $5.99 for one pattern, so the cost depends on how many you make. Here's the arithmetic from each site's listed prices as of September 2026:

Stitchmate's packs win whenever patterns are spread over time. Our monthly plan wins when many patterns land in the same month. For one gift, it's the same price, and the choice comes down to the tool. What a custom cross stitch pattern costs puts both against other options, including paying a designer.

Pattern Keeper

Stitchmate says its PDFs are Pattern Keeper compatible, and its pricing page describes paid exports as "Pattern Keeper tested". We don't make that claim.

Two facts from Pattern Keeper itself are worth knowing before either claim matters. Its designer page says "it is impossible to set any strict guidelines" for compatible PDFs, and its FAQ says it "currently only supports full cross stitches", so backstitch and fractional stitches from any editor won't appear in the app. It also runs on Android; the FAQ answers the iOS question with "No not yet." If you stitch in the app, import the actual file and check it. Pattern Keeper compatible patterns has a two-minute test.

Page splitting and overlap

On a big portrait, how the PDF is split across pages matters more than any color setting. Both tools overlap pages so you can find your place at a join.

Stitchmate lets you choose the overlap, with 3 cells as the default, and the tile size. Our PDF splits large charts across pages with overlap and doesn't ask you to set it. If you've never stitched from a split chart, page overlap on large charts explains how to cross a join without stitching rows twice, whichever tool made the file.

How to compare them with your own photo

Both tools let you look before you pay, so test with the photo you actually want to stitch.

1. Use the same photo, cropped the same way, in both.
2. Match the size. Set the same stitch width in each so detail is comparable.
3. Match the color count as closely as you can.
4. Look at the eyes, the face, and the largest smooth area. Those show detail and confetti most clearly. Confetti stitches explains which scattered stitches matter.
5. Check the key. Count the colors, and look for skein counts and shade names you'd buy.
6. Look at the full PDF preview in Stitchmate and our preview, and think about how you'll stitch: from paper, symbols or colors, or in an app.
7. Decide whether you'll edit. If you already know you'll want to fix stitches by hand, that decides it for Stitchmate.

Which to choose

• You want to edit, add lettering or backstitch, or clean confetti by hand: Stitchmate.
• You use Anchor, Cosmo or another non-DMC brand: Stitchmate.
• You want conversion to happen on your device: Stitchmate, by its own description; check our privacy page for how we handle photos.
• You sell patterns: Stitchmate's Seller Pass, which includes a commercial license.
• You make many patterns spread over a year: Stitchmate's packs.
• You want a DMC chart from a photo with skein counts and both chart types, without learning an editor: us, at $5.99.
• You make lots of patterns in a burst: our $7.99 month.

If neither fits, other tools make different trade-offs. Cross stitch pattern generators compared covers the wider field. Our Pic2Pat alternative guide is for people starting from a free tool, and our Stitch Fiddle alternative guide compares us with the other well-known editor. If you'd rather not edit, upload your photo and see the preview.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Stitchmate cost?

As of September 2026, Stitchmate's pricing page lists $5.99 for one pattern unlock, $12 for five and $20 for ten. The Personal Pass is $14.99 per 30 days or $99 lifetime, and the Seller Pass, with a commercial license, is $24.99 per 30 days or $149 lifetime. Creating, editing and PNG exports are free.

Is Stitchmate or this generator cheaper?

For one pattern, neither: both charge $5.99. For several, Stitchmate's packs are cheaper per pattern, at $2.40 each in a five-pack and $2 each in a ten-pack. For many patterns in one month, our $7.99 monthly plan costs less than Stitchmate's $14.99 Personal Pass, but it doesn't include an editor.

Can I edit stitches with this generator like in Stitchmate?

No. Stitchmate is a full editor, with brushes, fill, text, layers, confetti cleanup, backstitch and fractional stitches. Our generator's settings are the stitch count and the number of colors, and you regenerate the chart to change it. Our charts are full cross stitches only. If you want to edit stitch by stitch, Stitchmate is the better tool.

Are Stitchmate PDFs Pattern Keeper compatible?

Stitchmate says its PDFs are Pattern Keeper compatible and describes its paid exports as Pattern Keeper tested. We don't claim compatibility for our PDFs. Pattern Keeper itself says strict guidelines are impossible and supports only full cross stitches, so test any file in the app, which runs on Android only as of September 2026.

Does Stitchmate upload my photo?

Stitchmate's home page says photo conversion happens on your device and that nothing is uploaded. For any generator, including ours, read its own privacy page before you upload a photo of someone you love, and prefer the one whose description of photo handling you are comfortable with.

Who should choose Stitchmate over a simpler generator?

Anyone who wants to change individual stitches, add backstitch or lettering, clean up confetti by hand, use a floss brand other than DMC, or control the PDF layout in detail. People who want a photo turned into a DMC chart with skein counts, without learning an editor, are the ones a simpler generator suits.

Sources

• Stitchmate — Pricing (unlock packs, Personal Pass, Seller Pass, 14-day guarantee, Pattern Keeper tested)
• Stitchmate — Home page (on-device conversion, floss brands, export settings, Pattern Keeper claim)
• Stitchmate — Features (editing tools, confetti cleanup, stitch types, PDF export)
• Stitchmate — Handbook: PDF export (page sizes, tiles, overlap, render modes, legend)
• Pattern Keeper — FAQ (full cross stitches only, Android, iOS not yet)
• Pattern Keeper — For designers (no strict guidelines possible)