Stitchmate vs Pic2Pat
Pic2Pat is one of the oldest free photo converters: upload a photo, pick a brand, count and size, and download a PDF, with no account and no cost. Stitchmate treats conversion as the first step: a live preview, confetti cleanup and a full editor with 50+ thread brands and backstitch, then a Pattern Keeper-compatible PDF for a one-time price. If Pic2Pat's chart is the one you want, free is hard to beat.
The short version
Don't have time for a deep dive? Here's the quick take.
Choose Pic2Pat if you...
- Want a PDF chart from a photo in about a minute, for free, with no account
- Are happy with the chart as generated and don't plan to edit it
- Want to see floss, skein counts and an estimated cost per version, and order the threads in one go
- Stitch with DMC, Anchor, Madeira, Venus, Cosmo or Sullivans
- Prefer the site in your own language (20 are available)
Choose Stitchmate if you...
- Want to fix the chart: remove confetti, repaint an area, change a color everywhere
- Need backstitch, French knots or half and quarter stitches, which a photo converter can't add
- Want a live preview while you adjust colors and size, and a FLOW score before you commit
- Use hand-dyed or specialty threads, or want to remap a pattern between 50+ brands
- Also work in needlepoint, diamond painting, C2C crochet or fuse beads
Platform & access
Both run in the browser with nothing to install and no account needed to convert. The big differences are price and what you keep: Pic2Pat is free and gives you a PDF; Stitchmate gives you a pattern you can reopen and change.
| Feature | Stitchmate | Pic2Pat |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Any browser (Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, iPad) | Any browser |
| Account needed | — No | — No |
| Cost of a printable chart | $5.99 per pattern (less in packs or with a Pass) | Free (funded by ads and its floss shop) |
| Crafts | Cross stitch, needlepoint, diamond painting, C2C crochet, fuse beads | Cross stitch (plus a diamond painting palette mode and Ministeck) |
| Max pattern size | 2000 × 2000 stitches | 26 preset sizes, 2 to 52 inches on the long side |
| Site languages | English | 20 languages |
| Save and reopen patterns | ✓ (pattern library; syncs when signed in) | — (you keep the PDF) |
| Open existing pattern files | ✓ (.PAT, .OXS, .XSD) | — |
| Progress tracker | ✓ (free on every pattern) | — (use Pattern Keeper with the PDF) |
Photo conversion
Pic2Pat generates a set of versions with different color counts and lets you pick one. Stitchmate lets you steer the conversion directly and shows the result live, then cleans it up.
| Feature | Stitchmate | Pic2Pat |
|---|---|---|
| Where the photo is processed | On your device; the photo is not uploaded | Uploaded to Pic2Pat's server (up to 18 MB) |
| Choosing colors | Set the count yourself (up to 256), with a live preview | Pick from generated versions (about 2 to 150 colors) |
| Crop and background removal | ✓ | — |
| Color styles | ✓ (B&W, sepia, duotone, tritone, custom palettes) | Grayscale, sepia, diamond painting palette |
| Confetti cleanup | ✓ (automatic, adjustable strength, global or brush-targeted) | — |
| FLOW score | ✓ (0–100 stitchability score) | — |
| Pixel art mode | ✓ (1:1 pixel-to-stitch) | Not documented |
| Skein counts and cost | ✓ (skein estimates in the PDF) | ✓ (skeins and an estimated cost for each version) |
Thread support
Pic2Pat covers the mainstream floss brands and asks you to choose one before converting. Stitchmate covers 50+ and can switch a finished pattern to another brand.
| Feature | Stitchmate | Pic2Pat |
|---|---|---|
| Thread brands | 50+ (DMC, Anchor, Cosmo, Madeira, Sullivans, and more) | 6 (DMC, Anchor, Madeira, Venus, Cosmo, Sullivans) plus Ministeck |
| Hand-dyed threads | ✓ (Weeks Dye Works, Classic Colorworks, The Gentle Art, and more) | — |
| Change brand after converting | ✓ (1-click remap across all 50+ brands) | — (convert again with another brand) |
| Blended threads | ✓ (multi-strand blends, in the legend too) | — |
| Buy the threads for your pattern | — | ✓ (order DMC floss from its shop) |
Editing tools
This is the real divide. Pic2Pat's PDF is its final output, so any fix has to happen with a pen on paper. Stitchmate opens the converted chart in a full editor.
| Feature | Stitchmate | Pic2Pat |
|---|---|---|
| Edit individual stitches | ✓ | — |
| Drawing tools | ✓ (brush, fill, line, shape, gradient) | — |
| Selection tools | Rect, lasso, magic wand, transform | — |
| Layers | ✓ | — |
| Text tool | ✓ (cross stitch fonts, editable on the grid) | — |
| Undo / redo, auto-save | ✓ | — |
Stitch types
A photo converter can only produce full cross stitches. The details that make a pattern look finished, like outlines, fine features and French knot eyes, come from editing.
| Feature | Stitchmate | Pic2Pat |
|---|---|---|
| Full cross stitch | ✓ | ✓ |
| Half stitch | ✓ | — |
| Quarter and three-quarter stitch | ✓ | — |
| Petite stitch | ✓ | — |
| Backstitching | ✓ (any angle) | — |
| French knots | ✓ | — |
Export options
Both produce PDFs that Pattern Keeper reads; Pic2Pat is on Pattern Keeper's own list of well-supported designers. Stitchmate adds editable and image formats.
| Feature | Stitchmate | Pic2Pat |
|---|---|---|
| PDF chart | ✓ (paid options) | ✓ (free, color or black and white) |
| Pattern Keeper compatible | ✓ (all paid options) | ✓ |
| PNG / image export | ✓ (free) | — |
| SVG export | ✓ (paid options) | — |
| Editable pattern file (.OXS) | ✓ | — |
| Custom branding on PDF | ✓ (logo, QR code, socials; brandless on Seller Pass) | — (Pic2Pat header on the pages) |
| Commercial license | ✓ (Seller Pass) | Not documented |
Pricing
Pic2Pat is free: conversion and the PDF download cost nothing, and the site is funded by ads and its floss shop. Stitchmate is free for converting and editing and charges only for the printable PDF, with one-time payments that do not renew. Pic2Pat details are from pic2pat.com on 2026-09-18.
| Option | Stitchmate | Pic2Pat |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | ✓ (full editor, every stitch type, PNG export, progress tracker) | ✓ (everything, including the PDF) |
| 1 pattern | $5.99 (PDF unlock forever, with edits) | Free |
| Packs | $12 for 5, $20 for 10 ($2 per pattern, never expire) | — |
| 30-day pass | $14.99 Personal / $24.99 Seller (one-time, does not renew) | — |
| Lifetime | $99 Personal / $149 Seller | — |
| Commercial license | Seller Pass (any duration) | Not documented |
How they compare in practice
These two tools answer different questions. Pic2Pat answers "what would this photo look like as a chart?" in about a minute, for free. Stitchmate answers "how do I turn this photo into a chart I'll enjoy stitching?"
Pic2Pat has been doing its job since around 2010, and it does it well for what it is. You pick a brand, fabric count and size, and it lays out a set of versions side by side with their color counts, skein counts and an estimated thread cost, so you can see the tradeoff between detail and price before you choose. The PDF has symbols Pattern Keeper can read, and there's a button to order the floss. For a simple image, or a first look at a photo, that is often enough.
Stitchmate picks up where a one-shot converter stops. The photo converter runs on your device and updates the preview as you change colors, size and detail. Then confetti cleanup removes the scattered single stitches that make photo conversions tedious, and the FLOW score tells you how the pattern will feel to stitch before you buy a skein.
Editing is the real difference. Photos rarely convert perfectly: an eye turns into a patch of five browns, a background picks up stray specks, a face needs an outline to read at 14 count. With Pic2Pat the PDF is final, so those fixes happen with a pen on the printout. In Stitchmate you fix them in the editor, add backstitch and fractional stitches, and export a clean chart.
On price, Pic2Pat wins outright: its chart is free. Stitchmate is free until you want the printable PDF, then $5.99 for a pattern or $2 each in a 10-pack. The question is whether the cleanup and editing are worth that to you for a given photo. For a quick experiment they may not be; for a portrait you'll spend 80 hours stitching, they usually are.
A good way to use both: run your photo through Pic2Pat to get a feel for sizes and color counts, then open the same photo in Stitchmate and compare the confetti. Keep whichever chart you would rather stitch.
Looking for a Pic2Pat alternative? If you like the speed of a photo converter but keep wishing you could fix the result, Stitchmate covers the same first step and everything after it.
The best way to compare? Try both.
Pic2Pat is free, and Stitchmate is free to convert and edit. Run the same photo through each and see which chart you'd rather stitch.
Works on any device — phone, tablet, or computer. No desktop software required.
All comparisons · All features · 12-program review · Photo converter · Best photos for cross stitch · vs Xstitchify · vs FlossCross · vs Stitch Fiddle
Published by Stitchmate, one of the tools compared. Last updated Sep 18, 2026; competitor details are checked against each vendor's own site.
Actively developed — 66 updates in the past year, most recently . See what's new →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pic2Pat?
Pic2Pat (pic2pat.com) is a free online converter from the Netherlands that turns a photo into a cross stitch chart. You upload an image, pick a thread brand, fabric count and size, choose among several generated versions with different color counts, and download a PDF. It has been running since around 2010 and is available in 20 languages.
Is Pic2Pat really free?
Yes. Converting a photo and downloading the PDF chart are free, with no account and no watermark. Pic2Pat is funded by ads and by its shop, which sells the DMC floss, fabric and tools for your pattern.
What's the main difference between Stitchmate and Pic2Pat?
What happens after the conversion. Pic2Pat's output is a finished PDF: there is no editor, so you can't fix a stitch, remove confetti or add backstitch. Stitchmate converts the photo on your device with a live preview, cleans up confetti, scores the result with a FLOW score, and opens it in a full editor with fractional stitches, backstitch and French knots.
Does Pic2Pat work with Pattern Keeper?
Yes. Pic2Pat is on Pattern Keeper's list of well-supported designers, because its PDFs store symbols as text. Stitchmate's PDFs are also Pattern Keeper compatible in every paid option.
Which thread brands does Pic2Pat support?
Six: DMC, Anchor, Madeira, Venus, Cosmo and Sullivans, plus Ministeck mosaic pieces. You choose the brand before converting. Stitchmate ships 50+ thread brands, including hand-dyed lines, and can remap a finished pattern from one brand to another in one click.
Can Pic2Pat do backstitch or half stitches?
No. Pic2Pat charts use full cross stitches only. Stitchmate supports half, quarter, three-quarter and petite stitches, backstitch at any angle and French knots, all free in the editor.
Does Pic2Pat upload my photo?
Yes. Pic2Pat processes the image on its server, with uploads up to 18 MB, and does not keep your patterns in an online account. Stitchmate converts the photo in your browser, so the photo itself isn't uploaded.
Why pay for Stitchmate when Pic2Pat is free?
If Pic2Pat's chart is exactly what you want to stitch, you shouldn't. Stitchmate is free for converting and editing and charges only for the printable PDF ($5.99 per pattern, or less in packs). What you pay for is the cleanup: removing confetti, fixing the areas the converter got wrong, and adding the backstitch and fractional stitches a photo can't give you.