A Free Beadifier Alternative — With an Editor, Cloud Saving & a Gallery
Beadifier is a solid open-source photo-to-bead-pattern converter. MakeBead does that same job — photo in, brand-matched pegboard chart out, all in your browser — and keeps going where Beadifier stops: you can edit every bead, save patterns to a free account, browse a template gallery, and use the whole thing in 11 languages. Here's the honest comparison.
MakeBead vs Beadifier at a Glance
| MakeBead | Beadifier | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free (open source) |
| Photo → bead pattern | ✓ (in your browser) | ✓ (in your browser) |
| Edit beads after converting | ✓ full editor: paint, erase, fill, replace, undo | ✗ no retouch tools |
| Save & reopen projects | ✓ free cloud save + cross-device sync | ✗ export only |
| Pattern gallery & sharing | ✓ public gallery, likes, share links | ✗ |
| Bead brand palettes | Perler · Hama · Artkal · Nabbi · MARD (midi) | 15 palettes incl. mini 2.6 mm lines, Perler Caps, Diamond Dotz; brands mixable |
| Color matching | 5 metrics incl. CIEDE2000 · 6 dithering modes | 3 metrics incl. CIEDE2000 · dithering with hardness |
| Pegboard layout | ✓ board splitting + per-board PDF pages | ✓ multi-board layouts |
| Bead counts | ✓ per color, bags + cost estimate | ✓ per color totals |
| Export formats | PDF · PNG | PDF · PNG · JPEG · SVG · XLSX (beta) |
| Written instructions | ✓ on the craft tools (crochet, mosaic, peyote…) | ✗ |
| Other crafts in one place | ✓ cross stitch, diamond painting, kandi, loom, crochet family, peyote/brick | ✗ fuse beads (+ Diamond Dotz palette) |
| Languages | 11 | English only |
Feature comparison verified against the live Beadifier app (beadifier.eremes.xyz) in July 2026. Beadifier is an independent open-source project — no affiliation. Spotted something outdated? Use the Feedback button and we'll correct it.
What Beadifier Does Well
Credit where due: Beadifier ships more palettes than any other free converter — including the 2.6 mm mini lines (Hama Mini, Perler Mini, Artkal A/C), Perler Caps and even Diamond Dotz — and it lets you mix several brand palettes into one conversion. Its SVG and XLSX exports are unique among free tools, and the whole thing is MIT-licensed open source. If your project lives in mini beads or you want a spreadsheet of your pattern, it's genuinely good at that.
Where MakeBead Takes Over
The gap shows up right after conversion. In Beadifier, the pattern you get is the pattern you keep — there's no way to fix a stray bead, and when you close the tab, the project is gone unless you exported it. MakeBead treats conversion as step one: open the editor to repaint, erase, flood-fill or swap any color pattern-wide; compare against the original photo while you edit; then save to a free account that syncs across devices, share with a link, or publish to the gallery. Craft tools beyond fuse beads — cross stitch, diamond painting, kandi, bead loom, the crochet family, peyote and brick stitch — come with row-by-row written instructions. And the entire site speaks 11 languages, not just English.
Switching Takes One Upload
- Open the Perler converter (or the fuse bead page to switch brands) and upload the same photo you used in Beadifier.
- Pick your brand palette and pattern width — the advanced panel has the same CIEDE2000 matching and dithering controls, plus weighted RGB and CIE76.
- Fix anything you don't like in the bead editor, then export the PDF — or sign in (free) to save and share it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is MakeBead really free like Beadifier? ▾
Yes. Converting, editing, and exporting PNG/PDF are free with no account. A free account additionally lets you save patterns to the cloud, sync across devices, and publish to the gallery — all still free.
What does MakeBead have that Beadifier doesn't? ▾
A bead-by-bead pattern editor (Beadifier has no retouch tools), free cloud saving and cross-device sync (Beadifier is export-only), a public template gallery, row-by-row written instructions on the craft tools, a Start Crafting placement tracker, and a fully translated interface in 11 languages (Beadifier is English-only). Checked against the live app in July 2026.
What does Beadifier do better? ▾
It carries more bead palettes in one list — including 2.6 mm mini lines, Perler Caps and Diamond Dotz — lets you mix several brand palettes in one conversion, and exports SVG and XLSX in addition to PDF/PNG. It's also open source. If you specifically need mini-bead palettes or spreadsheet export, Beadifier is a fine choice.
Does MakeBead match Beadifier's color accuracy? ▾
Both tools offer perceptual color matching: Beadifier has Euclidean, CIE94 and CIEDE2000; MakeBead has those plus weighted RGB and CIE76, along with six dithering modes (Floyd–Steinberg, Atkinson, Sierra, Stucki, Burkes, or none). Results on the same photo are comparable — try both on your image.
Can I import a Beadifier pattern into MakeBead? ▾
There's no file import between the tools — but you don't need one: upload the same source photo here, pick the same brand palette and width, and you'll get an equivalent chart you can then edit bead by bead and save.
Is MakeBead affiliated with Beadifier? ▾
No. Beadifier is an independent open-source project. This page is our own feature comparison, checked against the live Beadifier app in July 2026 — if anything here has gone out of date, tell us via Feedback and we'll fix it.