If your question isn't in here, please reach out and we'll be happy to respond.
The app is free to download and use. The free version lets you track up to 30 skeins and manage up to 3 projects — enough to get a real feel for it before committing.
If you want unlimited skeins and projects, Full Access is a one-time purchase of $9.99. No subscription, no recurring charge — you pay once and it's yours for the life of the app on that platform.
No. Everything runs locally on your device. The reference catalogs, your stash, your projects — all of it works with airplane mode on. There is no "online mode" because there is no Needle Minder server in the first place.
The only times the network is touched are: when you choose to share or back up a file yourself (to iCloud, Drive, or any folder you pick), and at the moment of purchasing Full Access (since that payment goes through Apple or Google). Once purchased, premium features work fully offline.
No. Needle Minder has no ads, no third-party trackers, and no analytics SDKs. Your stash and project data stays on your device — it isn't sold, shared, or mined.
No. You install the app, open it, and start tracking. No email, no password, no anonymous user ID. The first screen is the app itself, not a sign-up form.
Today, syncing is handled through the backup file: export your stash to a single portable .json file and import it on any other device running Needle Minder. Many people keep that file in their preferred cloud folder so it travels automatically. Note that this feature is not a sync, and is a pure overwrite. So, if you make changes on one device, and restore to another, you can risk deleting items.
If you purchased Full Access, your unlock travels separately through your Apple ID or Google account — not through the backup file. After importing your backup on a new device, open Settings → Restore Purchases to reinstate your purchase. Both steps together get your stash and your premium access fully restored.
Needle Minder ships with reference catalogs built in. These catalogs follow industry-standard color numbering, so the codes you see on the label map directly to the records in the app. Support for additional catalogs is on the roadmap.
Yes. Any skein can be added manually with a custom number and color swatch. Custom entries get their own "Custom" catalog so they're easy to filter out (or pull up) when you're stash-shopping. We're exploring a feature to allow conversion of custom threads to new catalogs as those new catalogs become available.
Three steps. The backup file is a single document — you choose where it goes.
.json file anywhere — iCloud / Drive, AirDrop / Quick Share, or even an email to yourself.Be aware that restores will overwrite rather then add to your stash. We're looking at a feature that makes this smoother, but be careful about using backups as a sync mechanism. Manually modifying your backup files is not supported and not recommended.
A local database — protected by your phone's built-in security — holding your stash entries (color number, family, count, notes), your projects (name, thread plan, reserved counts, status), and the preloaded reference catalogs. That's it. No images of your face or your home; no analytics events; no device fingerprint.
This usually happens after reinstalling the app or switching to a new phone. Your purchase is stored with your Apple ID or Google account — not inside the app itself — so a fresh install doesn't automatically see it.
The fix is one tap: go to Settings → Restore Purchases. The app will check your account, confirm the purchase, and unlock Full Access immediately. You will not be charged again.
No. There is no third-party analytics SDK in the app and no first-party endpoint that receives any usage data. You can verify this yourself by enabling airplane mode and watching the app work exactly as it always does.
Yes, both. Needle Minder is built with React Native and ships as native iOS and Android apps from a single shared codebase. They use the same data model and the same .json backup format, so a backup made on one device runs on the other.
The iOS app runs on iPad as a universal binary, with a wider layout that's nice for planning. There's no web or desktop app yet — running a web client correctly while staying offline-first is a thornier problem than it sounds, and we'd rather not ship a half-version.
We read every message and reply within a few days. Honest answers, even when the answer is "not yet."