Pic2Pat vs Stitchmate (2026)

Pic2Pat and Stitchmate both turn a photo into a cross stitch pattern in your browser. Below is where they differ, fact by fact. The facts about Stitchmate come from its own website.

Pic2Pat turns your own photo into a cross stitch pattern, free of charge, PDF included. Your photo stays on your own device. You adjust colour flow, contrast, brightness, white balance and saturation while you watch the pattern, and you can order the floss and fabric as a kit, now or later via the QR code on the pattern.

Stitchmate is a full pattern editor with a photo converter, in the browser and as a Mac and Windows app. Designing and editing are free; the printable PDF is paid, per pattern or with a pass. It covers cross stitch, needlepoint, diamond painting, crochet and fuse beads, with 50+ floss brands and half, quarter and petite stitches.

Pic2Pat Stitchmate
What it is Photo to pattern, with editor Pattern editor with photo converter, also needlepoint, diamond painting, crochet and fuse beads
Price Free, PDF included Free to design and edit; the PDF download costs $5.99 per pattern, $20 for 10, or a pass of $99 or $149
Photo stays on your device Yes Yes
Adjusting the pattern Colour flow, contrast, brightness, white balance and saturation Full editor: draw, text, layers, backstitch, confetti cleanup
Floss brands DMC, Anchor, Madeira, Venus, Cosmo, Sullivans, Ministeck 50+ brands
Stitches Full cross Full, half, quarter, three-quarter and petite
Largest pattern 1000 x 1000 2000 x 2000
Pattern Keeper Certified Tested, according to Stitchmate
Transparent photos Yes, no stitches in empty parts Not stated
Order the floss as a kit Yes, also later via the QR code on the pattern No
Languages 20 7

Cost is the first difference. Pic2Pat is free from photo to PDF. Stitchmate is free to design and edit, but the printable PDF costs $5.99 per pattern, $20 for 10, or a pass of $99 or $149. In both tools your photo stays on your own device. Stitchmate is a full editor with drawing, text, layers and backstitch, and it offers half, quarter, three-quarter and petite stitches; Pic2Pat adjusts the whole pattern (colour flow, contrast, brightness, white balance, saturation) and uses full cross stitches only.

Stitchmate lists 50+ floss brands and patterns up to 2000 x 2000 stitches; Pic2Pat has DMC, Anchor, Madeira, Venus, Cosmo, Sullivans and Ministeck, up to 1000 x 1000. Both say their PDF works in Pattern Keeper: Pic2Pat is certified, Stitchmate reports it as tested. Pic2Pat leaves transparent parts of a photo without stitches and lets you order the floss, fabric and accessories as a kit, also later via the QR code on the pattern. Stitchmate sells no materials. Pic2Pat works in 20 languages, Stitchmate in 7.

Questions about Pic2Pat and Stitchmate

Is Pic2Pat a free alternative to Stitchmate?

Yes. Pic2Pat makes the pattern and the PDF free of charge. Pic2Pat earns from the floss and fabric kits you can order with the pattern, not from the pattern itself.

Can I use both Pic2Pat and Stitchmate?

Yes. Make the pattern in Pic2Pat first to see the size and the number of colours, then try the same photo in Stitchmate and compare. Stitch the chart you like best.

What does Pic2Pat have that Stitchmate does not?

A free PDF, a kit with the floss and fabric for exactly this pattern, no stitches in the transparent parts of a photo, and 20 languages.

All comparisons

Facts checked on 2026-10-13