Quilt design software
Quilt design apps for iPad, compared (2026)
EQ8 doesn’t run on an iPad, but several quilt design apps do. Here they are side by side, each as it describes itself, with what to check before you choose.
The short answer
Quilt design apps for iPad include TideStitch ($29.99 once, free for four designs), Quiltler 3 (a subscription), QuiltPop (free, for paper piecing) and Quiltography (not updated since 2016). NiftyFifty is free in Safari. None of them says it opens EQ8 projects.
What to look for on an iPad
- An app, or a website. Some quilt tools are App Store apps; others run in Safari. A website needs no install, but check that it says it works on an iPad: some are made for a mouse.
- Your iPadOS version. Newer apps can need a recent one. The App Store listing’s “Compatibility” says which.
- Whether it’s looked after. An app that hasn’t been updated in years may stop working after an iPad update.
- Your EQ8 projects. EQ8 doesn’t run on an iPad, and none of the iPad apps below says it opens EQ8 files.
- Printing. If you sew from templates or foundations, check it prints them from the iPad at true size.
At a glance
Each row is what the product says about itself on its own website or App Store listing, as of October 2026. Prices change, so check before you buy.
| Product | Runs on | Price | Free to use | Opens EQ8 projects? | Prints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| QuiltPop | iPhone and iPad | Free | Free | Not mentioned | Foundation paper piecing blocks on a home printer, with a numbered sewing order |
| Quiltography | iPad | $14.99 once | No free version listed | Not mentioned | PDF patterns from its photo quilt tool; yardage estimates on screen |
| 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 |
“Not mentioned” means we found no claim of EQ8 import on the product’s own pages.
On an iPad, one by one
TideStitch
Made for iPad and Mac first, and runs on iPhone, synced through iCloud. Needs iPadOS 18 or later. Shows photos of your fabric at true scale.
Quiltler 3
An iPad and iPhone app, with the same quilts in its browser studio on a computer. Needs iPadOS 18.5 or later. Has a marketplace for selling patterns.
QuiltPop
Made for foundation paper piecing projects, with ready-made blocks you resize, turn and color. Needs iPadOS 18 or later.
Quiltography
Still on the App Store, with 470 ratings. As it hasn’t been updated since 2016, check it runs on your iPad before you buy. Its App Store listing shows its last update on September 30, 2016.
NiftyFifty
Runs in Safari on an iPad, with nothing to install; its pattern maker’s page names the iPad. Says the patterns you design are yours, for commercial use too.
Browser tools that don’t mention the iPad
QuiltLab and PreQuilt run in a web browser, but the pages we read don’t say whether they work on an iPad. Try the free part on yours before you pay. QuiltLab is the one that lists EQ8 import, on its paid plans.
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 runs in Safari on your iPad, made for touch and Apple Pencil, and opens the EQ8 projects EQ8 can’t take there. 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.
Coming from EQ8? Can you use EQ8 on an iPad? covers taking your EQ8 designs to the iPad as pictures and PDFs too.
Questions
Short answers.
Something else? A real person replies.
hello@quarterinch.app
Is there an EQ8 app for iPad?
No. Electric Quilt says EQ8 won’t run on iPads, and that its full-featured software isn’t feasible on smaller hand-held devices.
Is there a free quilt design app for iPad?
QuiltPop is free, for paper piecing. TideStitch is free for up to four designs, Quiltler is free with one saved quilt, and NiftyFifty is free in Safari.
Can an iPad app open my EQ8 projects?
None of the iPad apps we compared says it can; Quiltler says it can’t. Quarter Inch, which we make, opens them in Safari on an iPad, free.
Which iPad quilt apps have no subscription?
TideStitch and Quiltography are one-time purchases, and QuiltPop is free. Quiltler is a subscription, with a one-quilt purchase.
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.
- EQ8 System Requirements The Electric Quilt Company
- iPads cannot install EQ7, and why The Electric Quilt Company
- 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
- QuiltPop Pixamark
- QuiltPop on the App Store Apple App Store
- Quiltography on the App Store Apple App Store
- Free quilt design software NiftyFifty
- Quilt design software for Mac NiftyFifty
- Free FPP pattern maker NiftyFifty
- QuiltLab QuiltLab
- Pricing QuiltLab
- QuiltLab for AI assistants (llms.txt) QuiltLab
- PreQuilt PreQuilt
- Plans PreQuilt