6 best knitting apps: row counters, patterns and stash (checked Oct 2026)

By the All Things AI team Updated

Method: prices, account rules, offline support and data storage checked on each developer's own pages in October 2026, with sources linked under each pick. No affiliate links; nobody paid to be listed. How we checked

Short answer

Ravelry is where the patterns and the community are, on the web with a free account (there is no official Ravelry app). knitCompanion is the best tool for working through a PDF pattern row by row. For a free, no-account row counter, try StitchLog or Skein in your browser, or BeeCount on Android.

Compare at a glance

6 best knitting apps: row counters, patterns and stash (checked Oct 2026): comparison table
App Best for Price Account needed Works offline Where data lives Platforms Status
Ravelry Pattern database, projects and stash tracking Free account (patterns priced by designers) Required No Developer's cloud Web Available now
knitCompanion Following PDF patterns row by row Free Basics; $29.99/yr upgrade Optional Yes On device + optional iCloud or Dropbox iPhone, Android, Mac Available now
BeeCount Knitting Counter Free, no-frills row counters on Android Free Not required Yes On device Android Available now
Skein Yarn stash and multiple row counters Free (browser version) Not required Yes In your browser, on this device Web Community proposal — try in browser
StitchLog Row counting from your wrist Free (browser version) Not required Yes In your browser, on this device Web Community proposal — try in browser
Sewbench Sewing patterns and fabric stash Free (browser version) Not required Yes In your browser, on this device Web Community proposal — try in browser

Scroll the table sideways on a phone. Third-party facts checked October 2026; prices can change, so confirm on the developer's site before you pay.

About “community proposal”: this is a community proposal. We build the iPhone/Android app once it reaches 100 upvotes. You can try the browser version free, with no sign-in; upvoting takes a Google sign-in.

  1. Ravelry

    Available now Other developer

    Pattern database, projects and stash tracking

    Ravelry says there is no official Ravelry app and lists third-party apps that connect to it, so on phones you use the website or one of those apps.

    Price
    Free account (patterns priced by designers)
    Account
    Required
    Offline
    No
    Data
    Developer's cloud
    Visit Ravelry ↗

    Source: www.ravelry.com/about/apps · checked Oct 2026

  2. knitCompanion

    Available now Other developer

    Following PDF patterns row by row

    It links to your Ravelry library to pull in PDFs, and iCloud-synced projects stay available offline as of the last sync.

    Price
    Free Basics; Setup+Essentials $29.99/yr (US App Store)
    Account
    Optional
    Offline
    Yes
    Data
    On device + optional iCloud or Dropbox
    Visit knitCompanion ↗

    Source: knitcompanion.com/ · apps.apple.com/us/app/knitcompanion-knitting-more… · checked Oct 2026

  3. BeeCount Knitting Counter

    Available now Other developer

    Free, no-frills row counters on Android

    Open-source (Apache 2.0) with multiple linked counters per project and alerts at set row counts; version 2.7.6 was released Apr 19, 2026.

    Price
    Free
    Account
    Not required
    Offline
    Yes
    Data
    On device (backup/restore of the projects database)
    Visit BeeCount Knitting Counter ↗

    Source: f-droid.org/en/packages/com.knirirr.beecount/ · checked Oct 2026

  4. Skein

    Community proposal — try in browser By All Things AI

    Yarn stash & row counter

    Price
    Free (browser version)
    Account
    Not required
    Offline
    Yes
    Data
    In your browser, on this device
    Try Skein free in your browser App page and upvotes

  5. StitchLog

    Community proposal — try in browser By All Things AI

    A pattern reader for your wrist.

    Price
    Free (browser version)
    Account
    Not required
    Offline
    Yes
    Data
    In your browser, on this device
    Try StitchLog free in your browser App page and upvotes

  6. Sewbench

    Community proposal — try in browser By All Things AI

    Patterns. Projects. Yards. Done.

    Price
    Free (browser version)
    Account
    Not required
    Offline
    Yes
    Data
    In your browser, on this device
    Try Sewbench free in your browser App page and upvotes

The longer answer

Fiber crafters live in two places at once: the pattern in front of them and the bin of yarn in the closet. Ravelry is the hub for both, a free website with a vast pattern database, project pages and stash tracking; it has no official app, so on a phone you use the site or a third-party app that connects to it. knitCompanion is built for following a PDF pattern row by row, with a free Basics level and a paid yearly upgrade, and it can pull patterns from your Ravelry library. BeeCount is a free, open-source row counter for Android. Our three apps keep everything on your device with no login. Skein color-matches a yarn ball against your own stash and tracks several row counters per project. StitchLog is a row counter designed to work from the wrist so you never set down your needles. Sewbench rolls your pattern PDFs, modification notes and fabric stash into one offline sewing log.

How we checked

FAQ

Are these apps free, and do they require a subscription?

None of the three require a subscription. Skein, StitchLog, and Sewbench all work without an account, in contrast to apps like Ravelry that need a login or My Row Counter and knitCompanion that put core features behind a paywall. They are currently in TestFlight beta.

Do they work offline?

Yes. All three are designed to run entirely on-device with no network connection. Skein matches yarn colors against your stash on-device, StitchLog reads imported pattern PDFs with on-device Vision OCR, and Sewbench keeps your pattern library and fabric stash offline. Your data stays on your iPhone.

Is there one that works on Apple Watch?

StitchLog does. It is built to run as a fully standalone Apple Watch row counter, so you can count from your wrist without tethering to your iPhone and without the disconnect problems some watch counters have. Skein and Sewbench are iPhone apps.

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