Can I import my sewing spreadsheet?

CSV import for fabric and patterns is on the roadmap. Today, the fastest path is the AI photo scanner — point your camera at a shelf and it catalogs in seconds.

Will my spreadsheet always be cheaper?

On paper, yes. In practice, the hours you spend maintaining formulas and scrolling sideways on your phone usually outweigh $4.99/month.

Can I export back to a spreadsheet?

Yes — CSV export is supported so your data stays portable.

Sewist Studio

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Sewist Studio vs a Sewing Spreadsheet

Spreadsheets are free and flexible — until you're scrolling sideways on your phone at the fabric store trying to find row 247.

Verdict: A sewing spreadsheet is a great starting point. Sewist Studio is what you graduate to when photos, mobile use, linked records, and AI cataloging start mattering more than column freedom.

Sewist Studio handles photos natively; spreadsheets get unreadable past a few hundred rows.
Linked records (pattern ↔ fabric ↔ project) work out of the box.
AI photo scanner replaces manual row-by-row entry.

See the full comparison ↓

Sewist Studio vs Excel / Google Sheets: feature by feature

Honest, side-by-side. Where Excel / Google Sheets wins, we say so.

Feature	Sewist Studio	Excel / Google Sheets
Photos for every item	Up to 8 per record, fast preview	Awkward image embedding or links
Mobile use	Mobile-first PWA	Painful horizontal scrolling
Linked records (pattern ↔ fabric ↔ project)	Native, two-way	VLOOKUP / manual references
AI photo cataloging	Yes (Pro)	Not possible
Search & filter	Fast, multi-attribute filtering	Filter views work but slow at scale
Shopping list generation	Auto from project gaps	Manual formulas
Cost	Free tier + Pro $4.99/mo	Free
Custom columns / formulas	Fixed sewing schema	Unlimited customization
Offline editing	PWA caches recent data	Excel desktop / Sheets offline

Why sewists switch

Photos render instantly — no broken image links or 50 MB files.
Mobile-first UI means you can actually use it at the fabric store, not just at your desk.
Fabric, patterns, threads, notions, projects, and measurements are linked by default.
AI scanner ingests pattern envelopes and fabric photos faster than you can type.
Built-in shopping list, low-stock alerts, and Kanban — no formulas needed.

When Excel / Google Sheets is still the better pick

You want zero monthly cost and don't need photos or mobile use.
You love spreadsheet formulas and want total schema control.

Frequently asked questions

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