Quilt design software
Free quilt design software: what you can do for free
Some quilt design software is free all the way through; more is free to start. Here’s what each free option lets you do, as each describes itself.
The short answer
NiftyFifty (in a browser), QuiltPop (iPhone and iPad) and Quilt Assistant (Windows, last updated 2013) are free. QuiltLab, TideStitch, Quiltler and PreQuilt are free to start, with limits. EQ8 has no free version.
Two kinds of free
“Free quilt design software” means one of two things, and it’s worth knowing which you’re getting:
- Free all the way through. NiftyFifty’s browser tools, QuiltPop on iPhone and iPad, and Quilt Assistant on Windows cost nothing at all.
- Free to start. QuiltLab, TideStitch, Quiltler and PreQuilt let you design for free, up to a limit, and charge for more: more saved quilts, PDFs, or the cutting and yardage.
Neither is better. A free tool can be all you need for one technique; a free start lets you try the whole thing before you pay.
At a glance
Each row is what the product says about itself on its own website or App Store listing, as of October 2026. Limits and prices change, so check before you rely on them.
| Product | Runs on | Price | Free to use | Opens EQ8 projects? | Prints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NiftyFifty | Any web browser, tablets and Chromebooks included | Free | Free, with no account needed to design | Not mentioned | Cutting charts, true-size templates, and mirrored foundations with a ¼″ seam allowance and a 1″ check square |
| QuiltPop | iPhone and iPad | Free | Free | Not mentioned | Foundation paper piecing blocks on a home printer, with a numbered sewing order |
| Quilt Assistant | Windows | Free | Free | No. It exports designs to Electric Quilt | Templates with seam allowances, and paper piecing patterns |
| QuiltLab | A web browser | Maker $10 a month, Pro $25 a month; 20% less billed yearly | A free plan: 25 quilt designs and 10 PDF exports a month | Yes, on the paid Maker and Pro plans | PDF exports |
| TideStitch | iPad, Mac and iPhone (iPadOS 18, macOS 15 or later). Android in beta, by request | $29.99 once, or $49.99 once with the Studio block designer. No subscription | Free for up to 4 designs | Not mentioned | A PDF pattern with cut sizes, yardage and sewing steps; foundation paper piecing with Studio |
| Quiltler 3 | A browser studio on a Mac or PC, and an iPhone and iPad app | $7.99 a month or $49.99 a year; $4.99 for one quilt’s pattern; Designer $99 a year | Free to use; a free account saves one quilt | No, it says so | Yardage, cutting charts and printable patterns with full-size templates (paid) |
| PreQuilt | A web browser | A subscription (Basic or Market), monthly or yearly. Prices are on its plans page | Try it on a grid free; solid color cards are free to use | Not mentioned | A fabric calculator: yardage, cut lists, cutting diagrams, backing and binding |
“Not mentioned” means we found no claim of EQ8 import on the product’s own pages.
What each one’s free part does
NiftyFifty
Its pattern designer prints per-fabric cutting charts and true-size templates; its quilt designer lays out whole quilts from more than 1,400 community blocks. Says the patterns you design are yours, for commercial use too.
QuiltPop
Free on the App Store, with no in-app purchases listed.
Quilt Assistant
Good for drafting a block or turning a photo into a quilt design on a Windows PC. Its page offers a Windows installer only. Its current download, version 2.25, is dated April 29, 2013.
QuiltLab
The free plan is for good, with no card needed. EQ8 import is on the paid plans only. Says EQ8 import brings fabrics, pieced blocks and quilts. Maker has a 7-day free trial.
TideStitch
Free keeps up to four designs, with every block and your whole fabric stash; the cut lists, yardage and PDF come with the $29.99 unlock. Shows photos of your fabric at true scale.
Quiltler 3
Free includes the full design wall, built-in fabrics and solids. Yardage, cutting charts and printable patterns are paid, or $4.99 for one quilt. Has a marketplace for selling patterns.
PreQuilt
Solid color cards are free; printed fabrics need a subscription. The Market plan lets pattern designers make coloring pages for their customers.
Not free
Of the products we compare in these guides, Electric Quilt 8, Fern Mountain Quilt Architect, and Quiltography don’t list a free version. Each is a one-time purchase: see EQ8 alternatives compared.
A note on fairness. We make Quarter Inch, so we’re not a neutral judge, and it isn’t in the table. We kept to what each product says on its own pages, read on October 26, 2026, and every source is linked below.
Where Quarter Inch fits
Quarter Inch is free to start: the Free plan has no time limit and needs no card, and opening your EQ8 files never needs a plan. Here it is on the same terms as the table:
- Runs on: a web browser on an iPad, Mac, Windows PC, Chromebook or phone, with the same quilts on each.
- Price: a Free plan, with 3 quilts being designed at a time and the yardage. Quilter is $9 a month or $89 a year.
- Opens EQ8 projects: yes, and EQ7 ones, free and with no account to open them. Every file gets a report of what came across, and your originals are never changed. See what comes across.
- Prints: with Quilter, a cutting chart, templates, paper piecing foundations, and one PDF at true size with a 1″ test square.
- Also: 524 blocks, curves included, and a block editor that works with Apple Pencil, on every plan.
You don’t have to stop using EQ8 to try it: use both. Switching from EQ8 explains how moving works, and Free and Quilter what each plan includes.
For the sums behind a quilt, our guides to how much fabric you need and backing have free calculators that need no account.
Questions
Short answers.
Something else? A real person replies.
hello@quarterinch.app
Is there a free version of EQ8?
Electric Quilt’s shop page lists EQ8 at $239.95 and doesn’t mention a free version or trial.
What is the best free quilt design software?
It depends what you sew. NiftyFifty is free and prints cutting charts, templates and paper piecing foundations; QuiltPop is free for paper piecing on iPhone and iPad.
Is there free quilt design software for iPad?
QuiltPop is free. NiftyFifty runs free in Safari. TideStitch is free for up to four designs, and Quiltler is free with one saved quilt.
Does any free software open EQ8 files?
None of the free options we compared lists it: QuiltLab’s EQ8 import is on its paid plans. Quarter Inch, which we make, opens EQ8 files free.
Sources
We checked every fact above against these pages on , and we update this guide when they change. Spotted something out of date? Write to hello@quarterinch.app.
- Free quilt design software NiftyFifty
- Quilt design software for Mac NiftyFifty
- Free FPP pattern maker NiftyFifty
- QuiltPop Pixamark
- QuiltPop on the App Store Apple App Store
- Free quilt design software Quilt Assistant
- QuiltLab QuiltLab
- Pricing QuiltLab
- QuiltLab for AI assistants (llms.txt) QuiltLab
- TideStitch Slack Tide Studio
- TideStitch: Quilt Designer on the App Store Apple App Store
- Quiltler Quiltler
- Quiltler as an EQ8 alternative Quiltler
- Quiltler 3 on the App Store Apple App Store
- PreQuilt PreQuilt
- Plans PreQuilt
- Electric Quilt 8 The Electric Quilt Company
- EQ8 System Requirements The Electric Quilt Company
- Fern Mountain Quilt Architect Fern Mountain Follies
- Fern Mountain Quilt Architect on the App Store Apple App Store
- Quiltography on the App Store Apple App Store