Choosing an embroidery app in 2026.
Makerly is an embroidery app for the web, iPhone, and Android that combines a design library with one-click USB transfer, a 19-brand thread converter, photo-to-palette color tools, a stabilizer helper, and hoop placement, all in one subscription. Here is how it stacks up against the other embroidery apps people actually use.
The embroidery app landscape, honestly
Embroidery apps split into two camps: inventory trackers that catalog your floss and materials, and digitizing software that creates stitch files. Very little in between helps with the day-to-day of running your hobby: organizing design files, matching threads across brands, picking stabilizer, getting designs onto the machine. That in-between is where Makerly lives.
| What you need | Makerly | Inventory apps (Threadalog, XStitcher) | Digitizing software (Embrilliance, Hatch) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design file library | ✓ Cloud, tagged, previews | Partial | ✓ On one computer |
| Send designs to USB | ✓ One click from browser | — | ✓ Manual export |
| Thread conversion across brands | ✓ 19 brands, Delta E matched | Inventory only | Limited charts |
| Stabilizer & hoop guidance | ✓ Guided helpers | — | — |
| Color palette from a photo | ✓ With thread matches | — | — |
| Creating new stitch files | — Not a digitizer | — | ✓ |
| Web + iPhone + Android | ✓ All three, synced | Usually iOS only | Desktop only |
The apps embroiderers ask about, one by one
Threadalog
An iOS tracker for embroidery floss, custom threads, and needlework materials, built around DMC and Anchor floss numbers. It is inventory software: it will not convert machine thread brands, organize stitch files, or help at the hoop, and Android users are out. Full Makerly vs Threadalog comparison.
XStitcher & Thread Organizer
Both focus on floss inventory and shopping lists for cross stitch and hand embroidery. Like Threadalog, they stop at inventory.
Digitizing software (Embrilliance, Hatch, and friends)
If you want to create or edit stitch files, you need real digitizing software, and Makerly does not pretend to replace it. Those programs are desktop-bound and priced in the hundreds. Most embroiderers who buy ready-made designs never need one; they need the library, thread, and machine-prep layer, which is exactly what Makerly covers.
The honest verdict: creating stitch files takes digitizing software, and floss-only inventory takes a floss tracker. If your embroidery life involves collecting designs, matching threads across brands, picking stabilizer, and getting files to the machine without a computer science degree, that is the job Makerly was built for.
What Makerly gives embroiderers
- Design Library: upload and organize your embroidery files with previews and tags, synced across devices.
- Send-to-USB: move a design from your library to a USB stick for the machine in one click from the web app.
- Thread Converter: any number, any direction, across 19 brands with Delta E 2000 match scores.
- Color from Image: extract a palette from any photo and get thread matches for it.
- Stabilizer Helper: answer a few questions about fabric and design, get a specific recommendation.
- Hoop Placement & Lightbox Tracer: your phone camera checks placement and turns into a lightbox for tracing.
- Helper Hub: expert-curated answers for thread breaks, tension, puckering, and every mid-project mystery.
It all runs in your browser and on iPhone and Android for $9.99/month after a 14-day free trial.
Embroidery app questions, answered
What is the best app for machine embroidery?
For organizing and running a machine embroidery hobby, Makerly covers the most ground in one app: a design library with USB transfer, a thread converter across 19 brands, color extraction from photos, a stabilizer helper, and hoop placement tools. Apps like Threadalog and XStitcher cover only the narrower floss-inventory job.
Is there an app that converts thread colors between brands?
Yes. Makerly's Thread Converter matches any thread number across 19 brands, including DMC, Isacord, Madeira, Sulky, Floriani, and Gutermann, using Delta E 2000 color science with a match percentage on every result.
How do I get embroidery designs onto my machine?
Most home embroidery machines read designs from a USB stick. Makerly stores your design files in a cloud library and its Send-to-USB feature moves a design from the library to your USB stick in one click from the web app, so the files are ready for the machine.
What stabilizer should I use for embroidery?
It depends on your fabric stretch, design density, and whether the back will be visible. Cutaway suits stretchy knits, tearaway suits stable wovens, and washaway suits freestanding lace and sheer fabrics. Makerly's Stabilizer Helper asks a few questions about your project and recommends a specific type.
The fastest way to decide is 14 free days.
Every feature unlocked, in your browser or on your phone, no charge during the trial. Load your design library, convert a few threads, and see if it fits the way you stitch.