Thread-Bare vs Pic2Pat vs Stitchmate
Don't skimp on conversion quality
Contents
Introduction
People searching “photo to cross stitch pattern” usually land on one of three browser tools. They are not the same product. This is what each is actually for — including where we would tell you to use someone else.
We did not run a lab bake-off of every default setting. We used each site’s own claims plus how the tools behave.
The one-line version
| Pic2Pat | Stitchmate | Thread-Bare | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job | Free photo → chart | Full editor (photo + draw) | Photo conversion + licensed store |
| Cost | Free | Free to try; pay to export PDF (packs / subscription on their pricing page) | $9.99 per converted pattern; store charts $9.99 / $19.99 pack |
| Preview | Chart output | Live editor + FLOW Score | True-to-stitch mockup of the chart |
| Image stays on your machine until purchase | No (upload) | In-browser editor | Conversion runs in the browser; you pay when you add to cart |
| Pattern Keeper | Not their pitch | Yes, they say so | We do not claim PK compatibility |
| Design from scratch | No | Yes | No |
| Licensed art store | No | No | Yes, with artist royalties |
Pic2Pat
Pic2Pat is the tool a lot of stitchers tried first, for good reason: it is free, it is old enough to trust as “still there tomorrow,” and it is three steps.
You upload a picture to their server (18 MB cap), pick size and fabric count, and download a chart with floss list and skein estimates. If you need a throwaway conversion to see whether a photo even works as a chart, start here. You will not hurt our feelings.
What it is not: a modern colour-managed converter, a stitch tracker, or a store of licensed designs. Free tools also have no reason to show you an unflattering mockup.
Stitchmate
Stitchmate is the current “browser replacement for WinStitch” pitch: convert a photo or draw, FLOW Score, confetti cleanup, many floss brands, Pattern Keeper PDFs, text/fonts, fractional stitches. They publish a confetti comparison against StitchFiddle; we have not reproduced it.
Pricing (as of August 2026, from their site): editor and PNG are free; PDF is paid — single export, unlock packs, or a pass. That is a better model than ours if you export a lot of original designs.
Use Stitchmate if you want to design, not just convert. That is a different job.
Thread-Bare
We built Thread-Bare because Mrs Thread-Bare bought a desktop converter, hated it, and the preview on too many “photo patterns” was the original artwork.
What you get from /convert:
- Colour matching against a calibrated DMC palette
- A mockup of the stitches (TrueView) — no extra detail painted back in
- Size and colour-count controls, dithering options, instant feedback
- PDF in ten print combinations (sizes, colour / B&W, diamond-painting size)
- Free viewer and progress tracker after purchase
Price is $9.99 for a conversion. Ready-made licensed charts in the store are $9.99, or $19.99 for every size/colour/palette variation. Up to 50% of licensed-art sales goes to the artist.
What we are not:
- A drawing program
- A backstitch / fractional-stitch designer
- The cheapest “unlimited exports” subscription
Lord Libidan has listed Thread-Bare as a strong online converter. Other roundups have called $9.99/pattern steep next to subscriptions, and noted we are photo-conversion rather than a full editor. Both can be true.
Which should you open first?
- “Is this photo even a chart?” — Pic2Pat, then stop or continue.
- “I want to draw, add text, clean confetti, export PK.” — Stitchmate.
- “I want an honest stitch mockup and a PDF I can actually stitch, once.” — Thread-Bare convert.
- “I want someone else’s art, licensed, not my holiday snap.” — Thread-Bare store.
If a site shows you the photograph as the preview, you have not seen the pattern yet. Zoom the stitches. Then pay.
Further reading: conversion options, the problem with pattern previews.
