Embroidery software is software that helps users create embroidery designs. While a large majority of embroidery software is specific to machine embroidery, there is also software available for use with hand embroidery techniques, such as cross-stitch.
Comparison of embroidery software
Software Title | Runs on Windows? | Runs natively on Mac OS X? | Runs natively on Linux | License | User interface languages | Machine Embroidery | Hand Embroidery | Embroidery formats can open | Embroidery formats can save | Batch convert | Photorealistic/3D | Can use TrueType fonts? | MSRP (USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6D Embroidery Software Suite by KSIN Luxembourg,VSM Software Ltd. | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | pec, pes, xxx, vp3, vip, hus, shv, dhv, jef, sew, exp, pcs, dst, 100 | pec, pes, hus, jef, xxx, sew, vp3, exp, vip, pcs, dst, 100 | Yes | Yes | Yes | $2399 |
Applique It! by Amazing Designs | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | blf, pes, pec, art, sew, emd, gnc, jef, exp, pcs, vip, vp3, xxx, csd, dst, shv, hus | blf, pes, emd, sew, jef, exp, pcm,pcs, vip, vp3, emd, xxx, csd, dst, shv, hus | No | Yes | Yes | $99.99 |
Artistic Digitizer by DRAWstitch Ltd. | Yes | Yes | No | Proprietary | en, fr, de, cz, it, es, no, se, pl, jp, ch, tr| | Yes | No | DRAW, jef, jef+, jpx, sew, exp, ngs, dst, dsz, dsb, sst, ksm, pcs, pcm, tap, pec, pes, hus, vip, shv, m3, 10O, hqf, sef, tbf, xxx, vp3, zsk, 100, zhs, U??, qli, cqp, cmd | DRAW, jef, jef+, jpx, sew, exp, ngs, dst, dsz, dsb, sst, ksm, pcs, pcm, tap, pec, pes, hus, vip, shv, m3, 10O, hqf, sef, tbf, xxx, vp3, zsk, 100, zhs, U??, qli, cqp, cmd | Yes | Yes | Yes | $1199.00 |
AutoPunch by Singer | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | fhe, psw, che, xxx, pec, pes, hus, vip, shv, sew, jef, exp, pcs, vip, dst | fhe, xxx, pec, pes, hus, vip, jef, sew, exp, pcs, vip, dst | No | Yes | Yes | $299 |
Bernina Embroidery Software Version 7 by Wilcom | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | art, arx, pes, pec, emd, gnc, hus, shv, vip, sew, exp, pcs, pcd, pcq, pcm, csd, xxx, dst, amt | art, pes, pec, emd, hus, shv, vip, sew, exp, pcs, pcd, pcq, pcm, csd, xxx, dst, amt | Yes | Yes | Yes | $1999 |
Brother BES4 Dream Edition Embroidery Lettering Software | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, fr, es | Yes | No | brf, pes, pec, sew, jef, hus, pcs, dst, xxx, exp, shv, vip, art, vp3, zip, fcm | pes, sew, jef, hus, pcs, dst, xxx, exp, shv, vip, vp3, dxf, pat, cqp, hqf, iqp, plt, ssd, qli, wmf, fcm, svg | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Buzz-2-Stitches by Buzz Tools Inc | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | — | csd, dst, emd, exp, pes, hus, sew, jef, pcs, xxx, pec, vip, vp3 | No | Yes | No | $299.95 |
BuzzEdit by Buzz Tools Inc | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | art, art50, art60, cnd, csd, dst, emd, exp, gnc, hus, jef, jef+, oef, pcd, pcq, pcs, pec, pes, phc, sew, shv, vip, vp3, xxx | buz, csd, dst, emd, exp, hus, jef, pcs, pec, pes, sew, vip, vp3, xxx | No | Yes | Yes | $189.95 |
Creative 4D Design Creator by Pfaff | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | pec, pes, xxx, vp3, vip, hus, shv, dhv, jef, sew, exp, pcs, dst, 100 | pec, pes, hus, jef, xxx, sew, vp3, exp, vip, pcs, dst, 100 | Yes | Yes | Yes | $2199 |
Creative DRAWings by DRAWSTITCH Ltd. | Yes | Yes | No | Proprietary | en, fr, de, cz, it, es, no, dk, fi, se, pl, ro, sl, jp, nl, ru, ch, tr | Yes | No | exp, ngs, dst, dsz, dsb, sst, ksm, pcs, pcm, tap, pec, pes, hus, vip, shv, jef, jef+, sew, m3, 10o, hd, fdr, draw, sef, tbf, xxx, vp3, zsk, 100, zhs, sas | exp, ngs, dst, dsz, dsb, sst, ksm, pcs, pcm, hus, tap, vip, pec, shv, pes, jef, jef+, sew, m3, 10o, hd, fdr, draw, sef, tbf, xxx, vp3, zsk, 100, zhs | Yes | Yes | Yes | $899 (X), $1299 (Pro) |
Digitize ‘N Stitch by Amazing Designs | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | art, blf, csd, dst, emd, exp, hus, shv, jef, pcs, pcm, vip, pes, sew, xxx | blf, csd, dst, emd, pcs, exp, pcm, hus, vip, shv, pes jef, sew, xxx | Yes | Yes | No | $399 |
Digitizer MB by Janome | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | jef, jef+, sew, emd, pes, pec, hus, vip, vp3, exp, pcs, pcm, csd, xxx, dst | jef, jef+, sew, emd, vp3, pes, exp, pec, pcs, hus, pcm, vip, csd, xxx, dst | Yes | Yes | Yes | $1999 |
DG by Pulse Microsystems Ltd. | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, ch, cs, fa, fr, de, el, iw, it, jp, pt, ru, es, tr, | Yes | No | pxf, pof, psf, dst, tbf, pes, dsb, dat, u??, emd, sew, jef, exp, pcm, pcs, csd, xxx, 100, jus, shv, vip, vp3, dsz, z??, dxf, sst | pxf, pof, psf, dst, tbf, pes, dsb, dat, u??, emd, sew, jef, exp, pcm, pcs, csd, xxx, 100, jus, shv, vip, vp3, dsz, z??, dxf, sst | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
DRAWings PRO by DRAWstitch Ltd. | Yes | Yes | No | Proprietary | en, fr, de, cz, it, es, no, se, pl, jp, ch, tr | Yes | No | DRAW, jef, jef+, sew, exp, ngs, dst, dsz, dsb, sst, ksm, pcs, pcm, tap, pec, pes, hus, vip, shv, m3, 10O, hqf, sef, tbf, xxx, vp3, zsk, 100, zhs, U??, qli, cqp, cmd | DRAW, jef, jef+, sew, exp, ngs, dst, dsz, dsb, sst, ksm, pcs, pcm, tap, pec, pes, hus, vip, shv, m3, 10O, hqf, sef, tbf, xxx, vp3, zsk, 100, zhs, U??, qli, cqp, cmd | Yes | Yes | Yes | $1299 (Pro) |
Elna CustomizerEX by Elna, Inc. | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | jef, jef+, sew | jef | No | Yes | No | $349 |
Elna DigitizerEX by Elna, Inc. | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, fr, it, es | Yes | No | jef, jef+, sew, emd, pes, pec, hus, vip, vp3, exp, pcs, pcm, csd, xxx, dst, u??, DSB, 100 | jef, emd, pes, pec, pcs, hus, pcm, vip, vp3, csd, exp, xxx, dst | Yes | Yes | Yes | $1699 |
Embird | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, de, fr, it, es, cz | Yes | Yes | 10o, 9mm, art, bro, csd, dat, dsb, dst, dsz, ecf, emb, eof, exp, exy, fxy, gt, hus, inb, jef, jef+, jpx, ksm, m1, m2, m3, max, mit, new, pcd, pcm, pcq, pcs, pec, pes, phb, phc, plt, psf, ptm, pum, sew, shv, spx, ssp, sss, sst, stx, tap, tbf, t01, t03, t04, t05, t09, uxy, u??, vip, vp3, xxx, zxy, z?? | 10o, 9mm, bro, csd, dat, dsb, dst, dsz, exp, exy, fxy, gt, hus, inb, jef, jef+, ksm, m1, m2, m3, max, mit, new, pcd, pcm, pcq, pcs, pec, pes, phb, phc, plt, ptm, sew, shv, spx, ssp, sss, sst, stx, tap, tbf, t01, t03, t04, t05, t09, uxy, u??, vip, vp3, xxx, zxy, z?? | Yes | Yes | Yes | $150-$1,000 |
Embrilliance StitchArtist, BriTon Leap, Inc. | Yes | Yes | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | pec, pes, phc, xxx, vp3, vip, hus, shv, jef, sew, exp, exp+, pcs, dst, tap, 100, svg, studio, fcm, scut4 | pes, hus, jef, xxx, sew, vp3, exp, exp+, vip, pcs, dst, svg, fcm, studio, plt, svg, studio, fcm, scut4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | $179-$699 per module(>$1150 total) |
Embroidery Office By Sierra Software | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, fr, it, es, de, pt, ru, nl, cs, tr, ar, no, pl | Yes | No | dst, 10O, exp, tap, u01, ksm, xxx, pes, sew, cem, inb, pcm, pcs, phb, phc, pec, pcd, hus, vip, jef, tbf, plt, emf, svg | dst, 10O, exp, tap, u01, ksm, xxx, pes, sew, cem, inb, pcm, pcs, phb, phc, pec, pcd, hus, vip, jef, tbf, plt, emf, svg | — | Yes | Yes | $35/month and more |
Embroidermodder | Yes | Yes | Yes | GNU GPL zLib |
en | Yes | No | 10o, 100, bro, col, csd, dat, dsb, dst, dsz, edr, emd, exp, exy, fxy, gt, hus, inb, jef, ksm, max, pcd, pcm, pcs, pec, pes, phb, rgb, sew, shv, stx, t09, tap, thr, u??, vip, vp3, xxx, zsk | col, dst, edr, exp, hus, jef, ksm, max, pcd, pcs, pec, pes, rgb, thr, xxx | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free |
EmbroideryStudio by Wilcom | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, fr, it, es, de, pt, jp, nl, ru, ch, kr | Yes | Yes | emb, 10o, art, amt, arx, bro, cnd, csd, dsb, dsn, dst, dsz, emt, emx, esd, exp, jan, jef, jmt, gnc, hus, inb, inp, ksm, pcd, pch, pcq, pcs, pec, pes, pmu, pum, sew, shv, stc, stx, tap, tbf, u??, vip, vp3, xxx, z?? | emb, 10o, bro, csd, dsb, dst, dsz, emt, exp, jef, hus, inb, ksm, pcd, pcq, pcs, pec, pes, pmu, pum, sew, shv, stx, tap, tbf, u??, vip, vp3, xxx, z?? | Yes | Yes | Yes | $149/m or Buy Outright from $999 & Free 14-day trial |
EmbroideryWare by JimmySoft LLC | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | pes | dst, pes, pec, exp, exp+, jef | No | Yes | Yes | $119-$169 |
EQStitch by The Electric Quilt Company | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | p7e | dst, exp, hus, jef, p7e, pcs, pes, sew, shv, vip, vp3, xxx | No | Yes | Yes | $249.95 |
FontWorks by Designer's Gallery | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | blf, pes, pec, art, sew, emd, gnc, jef, exp, pcs, vip, vp3, xxx, csd, dst, shv, hus | blf, pes, emd, sew, jef, exp, pcm,pcs, vip, vp3, emd, xxx, csd, dst, shv, hus | Yes | Yes | Yes | $299.99 |
Floriani Total Control U by RNK LLC | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | waf, pes, sew, emd, jef, hus, pcs, dst, csd, xxx, exp, shv, vip, vp3 | waf, pes, sew, emd, jef, hus, pcs, dst, csd, xxx, exp, shv, vip, vp3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | $4299 |
Floriani Embroidery Suite by G7 Solutions & RNK LLC | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | art, dat, uxx, c2s, gnc, cnd, sew, jef, jef+, mgl, stl, exp, ksm, vp3, pcm, xxx, dst, dsb, dsz, 10o, pcs, csd, pes, vip, vp3, shv, hus | dat, uxx, c2s, sew, jef, mgl, stl, exp, ksm, dsb, dsz, pcm, 10o, xxx, pcs, dst, vp3, csd, pes, vip, vp3, shv, hus | Yes | Yes | Yes | $4299 |
Generations Automatic Digitizing Software by Notcina Corporation | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | u??, pes, emd, vst, jef, sew, exp, pcm, pcs, xxx, dst, 10o, hus, shv, m3, pec, pcq, jef+, csd, vip, vp3, cnd | u??, pes, emd, vst, jef, sew, exp, pcm, hus, pcs, shv, xxx, m3, dst, 10o, pec, pcq, csd, vip, vp3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | $1799 |
Hatch Embroidery Digitizer by Wilcom | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, fr, it, es, de, pt, jp, nl, ru, ch, kr | Yes | Yes | emb, art, amt, jan, emx, gnc, u??, exp, dst, dsb, 10o, arx, pes, pec, emd, sew, jef, jef+, jpx, hus, shv, vip, vp3, pcd, pcm, pcq, pcs, csd, xxx, jmt, amt, emt | emb, exp, dst, exp, pes, pec, emd, sew, jef, hus, shv, vip, vp3, pcd, pcm, pcq, pcs, csd, xxx, emt, svg | Yes | Yes | Yes | $99 per month / $149-$1,099 & Free 30-day trial |
Ink/Stitch Inkscape extension | Yes | Yes | Yes | GNU GPL | en, de, fr, pt, it | Yes | No | 100, 10o, bro, dat, dsb, dst, dsz, emd, exp, exy, fxy, gt, inb, jef, jpx, ksm, max, mit, new, pcd, pcm, pcq, pcs, pec, pes, phb, phc, sew, shv, stc, stx, svg, tap, tbf, txt (g-code), u01, vp3, xxx, zxy | csv, dst, exp, jef, pec, pes, svg, txt (g-code), u01, vp3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free |
KXStitch | Unknown | Yes | Yes | GNU GPL | en | No | Yes | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | |
Letter It! By Amazing Designs | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | blf, pes, pec, art, sew, emd, gnc, jef, exp, pcs, vip, vp3, xxx, csd, dst, shv, hus | blf, pes, emd, sew, jef, exp, pcm,pcs, vip, vp3, emd, xxx, csd, dst, shv, hus | No | Yes | Yes | $99.99 |
Monogram It! By Amazing Designs | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | blf, pes, pec, art, sew, emd, gnc, jef, exp, pcs, vip, vp3, xxx, csd, dst, shv, hus | blf, pes, emd, sew, jef, exp, pcm,pcs, vip, vp3, emd, xxx, csd, dst, shv, hus | No | Yes | Yes | $99.99 |
MasterWorks Lite by Designer's Gallery | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | pes, sew, exp, hus, xxx, dst, jef, shv, vip, pcs | blf, pes, sew, exp, hus, xxx, dst, jef, shv, vip, pcs | Yes | Yes | No | $899.99 |
Millennium X by Proel TSI | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, es, pt, fr, it, cs, tr | Yes | No | 10o, cnd, dat, dsb, dst, dsz, e??, exp, f??, fdr, fmc, hus, jef, ksm, lam, lmu, m3, pcs, pec, pes, plt, pmu, pum, sew, shv, t01, t02, t03, t04, t05, t09, tap, tbf, u??, vip, vp3, z? | 10o, dsb, dst, dsz, exp, plt, tap, tbf, u??, z?? | No | Yes | Yes | $630 |
mySewnet Embroidery Software Platinum | Yes | Yes | No | Proprietary | en, fr, de, it, es, no, dk, fi, se, nl, ru, ch, tr, pr | Yes | No | Bernina (.art version 1, 2, 3), Brother/Babylock/Bernina PEC (.pec), Brother/Babylock/Bernina PES (.pes ver 2 - 10), Compucon/Singer PSW (.xxx), Husqvarna Viking / Pfaff (.vp4, .vp3 and .vip), Husqvarna (.hus, .shv and .dhv), Janome (.jef and .sew), Melco (.exp), Pfaff (.pcs), Tajima (.dst), Toyota (.10*) | Husqvarna Viking / Pfaff (.vp4 and .vp3), Brother/Babylock/Bernina PEC (.pec), Brother/Babylock/Bernina PES (.pes ver 2 - 10), Compucon/Singer PSW (.xxx), Husqvarna Viking / Pfaff (.vip), Husqvarna (.hus ,.shv), Janome (.jef, .sew), Melco (.exp), Pfaff (.pcs), Tajima (.dst), Toyota (.10*) | Yes | Yes | Yes | $39.99 per month & Free 30-day trial
Boxed version available for purchase through embroidery machine dealers |
PE-Design by Brother | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | csd, dst, exp, hus, jef, pcs, pec, pes, phc, sew, shv, vip, xxx | csd, dst, exp, hus, jef, pcs, pes, sew, shv, vip, xxx | No | Yes | Yes | $1299.95 |
PEmbroider library for Processing, by CMU Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry | Yes | Yes | Yes | GNU GPL | en | Yes | No | txt, svg | dst, exp, gcode, jef, pdf, pec, pes, svg, tsv, vp3, xxx | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free |
Perfect Embroidery Professional by Inspired by DIME | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | 10o, art, c2s, cnd, cop, csd, dat, dsb, dst, dsz, dxf, emp, exp, gnc, hqf, hus, iqp, jef, jef+, ksm, ldf, mtp, pcm, pcs, pes, plt, qcc, sew, shp, shv, ssd, sst, svg, txt, uxy, vip, vp3, xxx | 10o, art, c2s, cnd, cop, csd, dat, dsb, dst, dsz, dxf, emp, exp, gnc, hqf, hus, iqp, jef, jef+, ksm, ldf, mtp, pcm, pcs, pes, plt, qcc, sew, shp, shv, ssd, sst, svg, txt, uxy, vip, vp3, xxx | Yes | Yes | Yes | $4299.00 |
Punto Embroidery Digitiser | Yes | Yes | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | dst, dsz, dsb, u??, exp, .10O, tap, ksm, pdc | dst, dsz, dsb, u??, exp, .10O, tap, ksm, pdc | No | Yes | Yes | Quote By email: Lite 3.5K; Designer 9K |
Size It! By Amazing Designs | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | blf, pes, pec, art, sew, emd, gnc, jef, exp, pcs, vip, vp3, xxx, csd, dst, shv, hus | blf, pes, emd, sew, jef, exp, pcm,pcs, vip, vp3, emd, xxx, csd, dst, shv, hus | No | Yes | Yes | $99.99 |
StitchMax By Stitchmax Solutions LLP | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en | Yes | No | stx, evx, dst, dhs, dsb, dsz, exp, pes, pcs, ksm, tbf, tcf, mst, sas, t15, dat, mjd, pat, u01, z??, sst, jef, dxf, evt | stx, evx, dst, dhs, dsb, dsz, exp, pes, pcs, ksm, tbf, tcf, mst, sas, t15, dat, mjd, pat, u01, z??, sst, jef, dxf, evt | Yes | Yes | Yes | $140-$210/year |
Thred | Yes | No | Yes | GNU GPL Public Domain |
en | Yes | No | dst, thr | dst, thr | No | No | No | Free |
SewWhat-Pro (SWP} | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, fr, nl, dk | Yes | No | 10o, art, cnd, csd, dsb, dst, dsz, emb, exp, gnc, dem, hus, jef, ksm, pcd, pcm, pcs, pcq, pec, pes, phb, phc, sew, shv, stx, tap, u01, vip, vp3, xxx, zsk | 10o, csd, dsb, dst, dsz, exp, hus, jef, ksm, pcs, pec, pes, phb, sew, shv, tap, u01, vip, vp3, xxx | No | No | No | $65.00 |
SophieSew by Carlos Mandell | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, | Yes | No | 10o, dat, dst, exp, hus, jef, ksm, pec, pes, SsD, vip, xxx | 10o, dat, dst, exp, hus, jef, ksm, pec, SsD, xxx | No | Yes | No | Free |
Stilista 3 by GMI | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | it, en, de, fr, es, pt, ro, sl, nl, tr, pl, jp, ch | Yes | No | emg, emg2, emg3, ela, dst, dsz, dsb, 10O, exp, xxx, ksm, m3, pes, pec, tap, t01, t03, t04, t05, pat, fdr, tbf, sew (any DOS machine format) | emg, emg2, emg3, ela, dst, dsz, dsb, 10O, exp, xxx, ksm, m3, pes, pec, tap, t01, t03, t04, t05, pat, fdr, tbf, sew | No | Yes | Yes | Paid, based on modules |
Stitch Era By Sierra Software | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | en, fr, it, es, de, pt, ru, nl, cs, tr, ar, no, pl | Yes | No | dst, 10O, exp, tap, u01, ksm, xxx, pes, sew, cem, inb, pcm, pcs, phb, phc, pec, pcd, hus, vip, jef, tbf, plt, emf, svg | dst, 10O, exp, tap, u01, ksm, xxx, pes, sew, cem, inb, pcm, pcs, phb, phc, pec, pcd, hus, vip, jef, tbf, plt, emf, svg | — | Yes | Yes | $2/month and more |
Stilista 3 by GMI | Yes | No | No | Proprietary | it, en, de, fr, es, pt, ro, sl, nl, tr, pl, jp, ch | Yes | No | emg, emg2, emg3, ela, dst, dsz, dsb, 10O, exp, xxx, ksm, m3, pes, pec, tap, t01, t03, t04, t05, pat, fdr, tbf, sew (any DOS machine format) | emg, emg2, emg3, ela, dst, dsz, dsb, 10O, exp, xxx, ksm, m3, pes, pec, tap, t01, t03, t04, t05, pat, fdr, tbf, sew | No | Yes | Yes | Paid, based on modules |
StitchBuddy by Matthias Arndt | No | Yes | No | Proprietary | en, de | Yes | No | dst, exp, jef, jef+, jpx, ksm, pcd, pcq, pcs, pec, pes, sew, vp3 | dst, exp, jef, pcs, pec, pes | Yes | Yes | No | $49.99 |
References
- When BuzzWord and TrueType Font Add-on Pack are also installed.
- Includes Plugins in Price, to reflect chart & provide more accurate comparison against other embroidery software.
- Runs on Wine https://www.winehq.org
- With an optional package also installed.
- Applies to Embroidermodder 1.
- Applies to Embroidermodder 2.
- KXStitch running on OS X?, KXStitch Mailing List, 2012-07-06
- List of Embroidery File Formats Extensions
- Embroidery Machine Design Formats List
- Entry level price.
- Via scripting in Processing.
- Via scripting in Processing.
- Applies to the source code ported to Linux with winelib Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine.
- Applies to the source code released by Thredworks.
- Limited to PES v1.0 (max. size 130 mm x 180 mm).
- Digitizing Software Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, Designs in Machine Embroidery, Volume 51, July/August 2008