Free Cross Stitch Pattern Makers, Compared
Six free tools that turn a photo or an idea into a cross stitch chart, set side by side: what each costs, what it can draw, which threads it knows, and when another one is the better choice.
This page is published by one of the tools in it. Facts about the others come from their own pages or from two independent reviews, all linked below and checked on 13 October 2026. Where a site does not say something, the table says so rather than guessing.
Which one to choose
- You want Anchor or Madeira thread numbers
- Stitch Fiddle or StitchboardBoth list brands beyond DMC. This site and FlossCross are DMC only.
- Your design needs half, quarter or petite stitches
- FlossCrossIt is the only free tool here that lists part stitches. This site has full crosses and backstitch.
- You want a chart larger than 500 stitches on a side
- Stitch FiddleIt allows much larger charts. For a plain photo conversion, Pixel-Stitch states no limit.
- You want a photo turned into a PDF in the fewest steps, in your own language
- Pic2PatThree settings and a download, in 20 languages. There is no editor to learn.
- You would like to buy the threads with the chart
- Pic2PatIt can sell the floss and fabric for your pattern as a kit.
- You also work from knitting or crochet charts
- Stitch Fiddle or StitchboardBoth cover several crafts in one place.
- You want a free symbol PDF, an editor and a stitch tracker with no account
- Cross Stitch MakersEverything is free, runs on your device, and the PDF includes symbols, a key and skein estimates.
Side by side
| Tool | Cost and account | Makes charts from | Editing and stitch types | Thread brands | Largest chart | Files you get | Your photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Stitch Makers this site | Free, with no paid tier. No account. | Photos, pixel art, names and text, a blank grid, and 75 library patterns. | Full editor. Full crosses and backstitch. | DMC (489 colours). | 500 × 500 stitches. | PDF with symbols, PNG, OXS, project file. | The photo is converted on your device and never uploaded. |
| Stitch Fiddle | A free tier and a paid plan. Has sign-up and login. | Photos and blank charts. Also charts for crochet, knitting, diamond painting and fuse beads. | Full editor. One reviewer notes that editing is limited on the free tier. | DMC and Anchor; one reviewer also lists Madeira. | 2000 × 2000 stitches, according to Lord Libidan. | PDF. A reviewer found the free tier’s PDF had solid colours without symbols. | Not stated on the pages we read. |
| FlossCross | Free. No registration. | Photos, a blank canvas, and OXS files from other software. | Editor with backstitch (line and pen), half and petite stitches. | DMC. | 300 × 300 stitches, according to Lord Libidan. | PDF and OXS. | Patterns stay in your browser and are not transferred. |
| Pic2Pat | Free chart. Sells optional thread and fabric kits. | Photos. | No editor: you choose the size, the fabric and the number of colours. | Not stated on its page. | Not stated on its page. | PDF with a floss list and skeins per colour. | The photo stays on your device; the finished pattern is sent to make the PDF. |
| Pixel‑Stitch | Free. | Photos and pixel art. | No editor: you set the number of stitches and colours. | DMC and Anchor, according to Lord Libidan. | No limit is stated. | PDF with colour numbers and a legend. | Processed in the browser; no images are stored. |
| Stitchboard Free Pattern Wizard | Free. A free membership is needed for PDFs with symbols. | Photos. Also patterns for beading, crochet and knitting. | No pattern editor is described. | DMC, Anchor and Madeira. | 100 stitches across without membership; more with it. | PDF with colours, symbols or both (members). | Not stated on the page we read. |
Scroll sideways on a small screen. Checked on 13 October 2026; free tiers and limits change, so confirm on each site before you rely on one.
What actually differs
Converters and editors
Pic2Pat, Pixel-Stitch and the Stitchboard wizard are converters: you choose a few settings and receive a PDF. They are fast and hard to get wrong, but what you download is final. Stitch Fiddle, FlossCross and this site are editors as well, so you can remove stray stitches, redraw a face or change a colour after the conversion. For photographs that matters, because no automatic conversion is finished when it comes out.
Thread brands
Every tool here matches colours to DMC. If you stitch with Anchor or Madeira, pick a tool that lists them, or convert the DMC numbers afterwards with a conversion chart from the thread maker. Conversions between brands are approximations: the same number in two brands is never exactly the same dye.
Stitch types
Full crosses are universal. Backstitch, used for outlines and fine detail, is offered by FlossCross and by this site. Part stitches (half, quarter and petite) are listed only by FlossCross among the free tools here. If your design depends on smooth diagonal edges at small sizes, that is the tool to use.
Symbols in the PDF
A chart you can stitch from needs a symbol in every square, because similar colours are impossible to tell apart on paper. Check this before investing time: one reviewer found that Stitch Fiddle’s free tier exported solid colours without symbols, and Stitchboard asks for a free membership before it adds them. Pixel-Stitch and Pic2Pat describe a legend or floss list in their free PDF, and this site’s PDF always has a symbol in every square and a full key.
Privacy
FlossCross, Pixel-Stitch and this site state that pictures are processed in your browser. Pic2Pat keeps the photo on your device and sends only the finished pattern to its server to build the PDF. The others do not say on the pages we read; if the photo is private, ask or assume it is uploaded.
How this was checked
On 13 October 2026 we read each tool’s own landing, help or FAQ page and two independent reviews: Lord Libidan’s roundup of cross stitch pattern software, which records thread brands and size limits for dozens of programs, and Crewel Ghoul’s hands-on test of photo converters, which scored colour accuracy, design accuracy, ease of use and customisation. We did not run our own scored test of the other tools, so this page reports what they state and what those reviewers found; it does not rank conversion quality.
If you maintain one of these tools and something here is out of date, tell us and it will be corrected.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free cross stitch pattern maker?
It depends on the job. For Anchor or Madeira thread numbers or very large charts, Stitch Fiddle is the usual recommendation. For part stitches, FlossCross. For the quickest photo-to-PDF, Pic2Pat. For a free PDF with symbols, an editor, backstitch and a built-in stitch tracker without an account, this site.
Which free pattern makers support Anchor thread?
Stitch Fiddle, Pixel-Stitch and Stitchboard list Anchor alongside DMC, and Stitchboard also lists Madeira. This site and FlossCross match colours to DMC only.
Are free pattern makers good enough for photo patterns?
They are good enough to produce a chart you can stitch, but every automatic conversion needs a human eye. Expect to reduce the number of colours, remove scattered single stitches and tidy faces by hand. A tool with an editor makes that much easier than a converter that only outputs a PDF.
Can I move a pattern between these tools?
Between some of them. FlossCross and this site both read and write OXS, an open chart format also used by MacStitch and WinStitch, so full stitches, colours and backstitch can move between them. The other tools here produce PDFs only.
Is this comparison biased?
It is published by one of the tools compared, so read it with that in mind. To keep it honest, facts about other tools come from their own pages or from named independent reviews, cells we could not verify say so, and the recommendations name other tools wherever they are the better choice.