Frequently Asked Questions

No. Needlework Studio is a one-time purchase. You pay once and own it forever. There are no monthly fees, no recurring charges, and no account required.

Visit the Pricing section on our homepage and click the purchase button. After payment, you will receive a license key by email. Paste it into the app under Settings → License → Activate.

Open the app, go to Settings, scroll to the License section, paste your key, and click Activate. The app needs an internet connection for the first activation only. After that, your license works offline.

Yes. Your license key can be activated on multiple devices. Each activation is recorded so we can prevent abuse, but normal use across your personal computers is fine.

Licenses do not expire. Once activated, the Full Version features remain available permanently. If we release a major new version in the future, existing license holders may receive a discounted upgrade.

Yes. We offer a no-questions-asked refund within 30 days of purchase. Contact us at support@needlework-studio.com and we will process your refund promptly.

• Up to 10 saved patterns (up to 150×150 stitches)
• Image-to-pattern converter (up to 75×75, 30 colors)
• Pattern editor with core tools (pencil, eraser, fill, eyedropper, line, shapes, text, select)
• Full cross stitch, half stitch, and backstitch
• Chart and thread view modes with progress tracking
• Thread inventory (up to 50 threads, DMC + Anchor)
• PNG export (with watermark) and JSON export
• 1 public share link

Everything in the free version, plus:

• Unlimited patterns and canvas sizes (up to 1000×1000)
• All stitch types: quarter, petite, French knots, beads
• Advanced tools: confetti cleanup, mirror mode, color replace, copy/paste, lasso select
• PDF, SVG, OXS, and HTML export (no watermark on PNG)
• PDF and OXS pattern import
• Materials calculator and shopping list
• Per-color progress tracking, zen mode
• Tags, bulk operations, backup/restore
• Unlimited thread inventory with skein quantities
• 50 undo levels (vs 10 in free)

Absolutely. All your patterns, progress, and inventory are preserved when you activate a license key. The Full Version features simply become available alongside everything you have already created.

It includes everything in the Full Version, plus the ability to self-host Needlework Studio on your own server using Docker. This adds multi-user support, an admin panel, desktop-to-server sync, and server backup/restore. It is designed for users who want to access their patterns from multiple devices or share a server with family or friends.

All your data (patterns, progress, thread inventory, settings) is stored locally on your computer. Nothing is uploaded to our servers. On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/needlework-studio. On Windows: %APPDATA%\needlework-studio. On Linux: ~/.config/needlework-studio.

No. The app does not require an account, does not collect usage analytics, and does not transmit your patterns or personal data. The only network requests are: license activation (once), checking for updates, and optional desktop-to-server sync if you set it up. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

If the app encounters an unexpected error, it may send an anonymous crash report to Sentry. This includes your operating system, app version, and the technical details of the error. It does not include your patterns, personal data, or account information. IP addresses are not stored.

Only for the initial license activation and checking for updates. After activation, the app works completely offline. All pattern editing, progress tracking, and exporting works without an internet connection.

If your software exports OXS (Open Cross Stitch) format, you can import directly. Otherwise, export to PDF and use the PDF importer, or take a screenshot of the chart and use the image-to-pattern converter. See Import & Export in the wiki for step-by-step instructions.

Visit the Wiki for detailed guides on every feature. Start with Getting Started, learn about Pattern Design and the Pattern Viewer, or browse Project Management. For troubleshooting, see the Technical FAQ. You can also email us at support@needlework-studio.com.