Embroidery software on a Mac: your options

What to check first

Does it run on your Mac? Natively, or only in Windows through Parallels? Apple silicon Macs need Windows 11 on ARM, and Windows software may ask for more memory.
Does it read and write your machine's format? Check your machine's manual, then the program's format list. The format guides explain PES, DST, JEF and others.
Do you need digitizing? Editing, lettering and converting existing designs is a smaller job than turning your own artwork into stitches, and usually costs less.
How is it sold? One purchase, separate modules that add up, or a subscription.
Can you try it with your own files? A free tier or trial on your own Mac tells you more than any comparison.

At a glance

Option	On a Mac	Digitizing	How it is sold
Satinsmith (ours)	Native Apple silicon app (M1 or newer), macOS 14 or later	Yes, from Digitizer	Free tier with five exports a month
Embrilliance	Runs natively on Mac and Windows	Yes, with StitchArtist (sold separately)	One-time purchases, bought separately and added together: Essentials $159 list ($139 in a sale running when checked)
StitchBuddy	Native Mac app from the Mac App Store, macOS 12 or later	No	Free download (saves designs of up to 1,000 stitches)
Ink/Stitch	Extension for Inkscape (1.0.2 or later) on macOS 12 or later, with Apple silicon and Intel downloads	Yes, inside Inkscape	Free and open source (GPL-3.0)
Hatch Embroidery 4	Windows only	Yes, from Composer (auto) and Digitizer (full)	One-time: Organizer $199, Personalizer $299, Composer $699, Digitizer $1,199 (list prices on the pricing page), or FlexPay at $99 a month for Composer and Digitizer
Wilcom EmbroideryStudio	Windows only	Yes	Purchase or subscription
Brother PE-DESIGN 11	Brother lists Windows requirements only	Yes	No price on Brother's product page

Summaries of the details below, from each vendor's pages read on September 24, 2026.

Satinsmith

On a Mac: Native Apple silicon app (M1 or newer), macOS 14 or later.

What it does: Library, preview and export checks free; editing and lettering (Studio), manual digitizing and SVG import (Digitizer), auto-digitizing, photo mode, multi-hoop and stitch-to-object recovery (Digitizer Pro), production orders and batch names (Business). Reads 24 machine formats and writes 14.

Price: Free tier with five exports a month; paid plans one-time: Studio $99, Digitizer $249, Digitizer Pro $599, Business $999; 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

Good at

One native app from organizing files to digitizing, with no Windows or virtual machine
Opening and previewing is free, so you can check your own files first
One-time prices, no subscription

Keep in mind

New: no long track record or large font library
Apple silicon only; no Intel Mac or Windows version
Files are checked in software, not sewn out on each machine model
Stitch-to-object recovery rebuilds runs and satins, not fills

A good fit for: Mac embroiderers who want one native app from their design folder to digitizing, and prefer one-time prices.

Sources (our own pages): Plans and prices, Known limits.

Embrilliance by BriTon Leap

On a Mac: Runs natively on Mac and Windows; one purchase includes both. The vendor's pages don't say whether it is built for Apple silicon, and its two macOS version lists disagree.

What it does: Separate modules: Essentials edits, merges, resizes, recolors and letters designs (21 fonts included); StitchArtist Levels 1 to 3 add digitizing; further add-ons such as AlphaTricks, Density Repair Kit and Thumbnailer.

Price: One-time purchases, bought separately and added together: Essentials $159 list ($139 in a sale running when checked); StitchArtist Levels $169 to $649 at that sale's prices; 90-day refund.

Good at

Native Mac and Windows versions in one purchase
Reads and writes a wide range of home machine formats
Buy only the modules you need

Keep in mind

Digitizing is a separate purchase, and the total grows with each module
Apple silicon support is not stated

A good fit for: Mac users who want a native editing and lettering tool and are happy to buy modules as they go.

Sources, read September 24, 2026: Mac and Windows statement, Store and prices, Essentials features and formats, Downloads and macOS versions.

StitchBuddy by an independent developer

On a Mac: Native Mac app from the Mac App Store, macOS 12 or later.

What it does: Views, edits, converts and combines designs, and adds simple text from macOS fonts. Digitizing is not offered.

Price: Free download (saves designs of up to 1,000 stitches); in-app upgrades Pro $49.99 and Creator $29.99.

Good at

Low cost for viewing, converting and simple edits
Available from the Mac App Store

Keep in mind

No digitizing
The free version saves only small designs

A good fit for: Mac users who mainly need to view, convert and combine existing designs at low cost.

Sources, read September 24, 2026: Product page, Mac App Store listing.

Ink/Stitch by an open-source project

On a Mac: Extension for Inkscape (1.0.2 or later) on macOS 12 or later, with Apple silicon and Intel downloads; its install guide also asks Apple silicon users to install Rosetta, and some releases are unsigned.

What it does: Digitizing and lettering inside the Inkscape vector editor; writes DST, EXP, JEF, PES, VP3, XXX and other formats.

Price: Free and open source (GPL-3.0).

Good at

Free, with deep manual control
Runs on Mac, Windows and Linux

Keep in mind

You work inside Inkscape, which suits people comfortable with vector drawing
Installing on a Mac takes a few extra steps

A good fit for: People who are comfortable in Inkscape and want free, detailed digitizing.

Sources, read September 24, 2026: Project site, macOS install guide, File formats.

Hatch Embroidery 4 by Wilcom

On a Mac: Windows only. Wilcom's help says it does not run natively on macOS; it supports running it in Parallels on Apple silicon with Windows 11 on ARM, with 16 GB of memory minimum and 32 GB recommended.

What it does: Four levels, each including the ones below: Organizer, Personalizer (lettering and monograms), Composer (auto-digitizing) and Digitizer (full digitizing).

Price: One-time: Organizer $199, Personalizer $299, Composer $699, Digitizer $1,199 (list prices on the pricing page), or FlexPay at $99 a month for Composer and Digitizer; 30-day trial. On a Mac you also need Parallels and a Windows 11 licence.

Good at

A clear path from organizing to full digitizing, each level including the ones below
A 30-day trial with no card needed

Keep in mind

Needs Windows in a virtual machine on a Mac
Needs an internet sign-in to export machine files, with up to 30 days offline

A good fit for: People who want Hatch's tools and don't mind running Windows in Parallels.

Sources, read September 24, 2026: Mac statement, Pricing, System requirements.

Wilcom EmbroideryStudio

On a Mac: Windows only. Wilcom calls running versions 2025 and 2026 in Parallels on Apple silicon (M1 to M5, 32 GB recommended) a supported workaround rather than a native setup. The trial is not available on a Mac or in a virtual machine.

What it does: Professional digitizing and production software for commercial embroidery.

Price: Purchase or subscription; no prices published on Wilcom's pages.

Good at

Wilcom's full professional digitizing and production tools

Keep in mind

Windows in a virtual machine on a Mac
No Mac trial and no published prices

A good fit for: Commercial digitizers who need Wilcom's professional tools and can run Windows.

Sources, read September 24, 2026: Mac and Parallels statement, Trial, Download.

Brother PE-DESIGN 11

On a Mac: Brother lists Windows requirements only; the requirements page does not mention macOS.

What it does: Digitizing and lettering, with built-in designs and fonts and a photo stitch tool.

Price: No price on Brother's product page.

Good at

Brother's own software, from the maker of the PES format

Keep in mind

No Mac version listed

A good fit for: Brother machine owners who work on a Windows computer.

Sources, read September 24, 2026: System requirements, Product page.

Also offered for Mac

Janome Artistic Digitizer: Janome offers a Mac version; Janome Canada lists the latest or preceding macOS on Apple M1 and M2. No price on Janome's pages.
Ricoma Chroma: Offers a Mac version (macOS Mojave or later, Intel i5 or Apple M1). Sold as an annual subscription, with the first 12 months paid upfront.

Read on September 24, 2026. We did not compare these in detail.

Which one fits?

You want it free and are comfortable in a vector editor: Ink/Stitch.
You mostly view, convert and combine existing designs: StitchBuddy, or Satinsmith's free tier.
You want native Mac editing and lettering and will buy modules as needed: Embrilliance.
You already use Hatch, Wilcom or PE-DESIGN, or learn with a class that does: stay with it, and run Windows in Parallels.
You want one native Apple silicon app from your design folder to digitizing, with one-time prices: Satinsmith.

Try Satinsmith with your own files

Opening, previewing and checking designs is free, with five exports a month. Download Satinsmith for an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later, or start with the free library lesson and its practice files.

Satinsmith is not affiliated with any company named here. Product names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify their products.