Side by side

Brother PE-DESIGN 11 vs TurtleStitch

Both stand on embroidery design software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Brother PE-DESIGN 11

Free trial Windows

PE-DESIGN 11 offers a broad set of digitizing, fabric, color, and machine-connection tools for Windows users. The limited trial and dealer-based pricing mean buyers should confirm required functions and machine compatibility first.

Visit Brother PE-DESIGN 11

TurtleStitch

Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+2

TurtleStitch combines code-based design with embroidery exports and includes an offline workflow. Users should note that cloud saving requires an account and saved projects are public by default.

Visit TurtleStitch

The facts

	Brother PE-DESIGN 11	TurtleStitch
Free plan	A free trial	Yes
Open source	No	Not published
Runs on	Windows	Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows
Lowest paid plan	PE-DESIGN 11: $1,450, paid once	Free or on request
Plans published	2	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	brother-usa.com	turtlestitch.org
On embroidery design software	#11 of 31	#7 of 31

Brother PE-DESIGN 11: what it does well

Over 1,000 built-in designs
Includes 130 built-in fonts
Photo-based embroidery and tracing wizards
Supports many machine file formats
Wireless transfer to specified Brother machines

What to know first

Windows-only software
Trial omits saving and transfers
Trial excludes several tools and exports
Pricing is available through dealers

TurtleStitch: what it does well

Free to use
Exports designs for .exp and .dst machines
Offline work includes blocks and libraries
Density and overlap checks are available
Teachers can create student logins without student personal information

What to know first

Online use requires internet access
Offline mode does not provide cloud access
Cloud projects are public by default
Cloud saving requires an account and email

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