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Chroma alternative

Everything Chroma keeps for Luxe, in one licence.

Chroma sells three plans, and design analysis, appliqué, the magic wand and splitting a design across hoops come only with Luxe, US$2,499 for the first year. Motifab sells one licence with all of them, for €149 a year.

Try Motifab free for 15 daysThe full comparison, with its sources

No card, nothing charged when it ends · then €149 a year

Founding price: €99 your first year, then €149 a year for as long as you stay subscribed. Ends 31 January 2027.

An iMac on a designer’s desk shows Motifab’s editor and Quality panel with the Novra logo, thread cones and colour swatches beside it
  • €149 a year, not US$2,499. Chroma Luxe is US$2,499 for the first year, then US$492 a year, as Chroma’s pricing page shows. Motifab’s one licence has every tool.
  • 15 days free, longer than Chroma’s 14. Export included, no card. Take real orders with Motifab’s files and be paid before you pay anything.
  • Five hoodies pay for the year. At €30 an embroidered hoodie, five cover the €149 licence. Or count the ten to twenty logos a year you would otherwise send to a digitizer.

Side by side

MotifabChroma Luxe
Price, first year€149, or €99 at the founding price until 31 January 2027US$2,499
Each year after€149US$492
PlansOne, with everythingThree: Inspire, Plus, Luxe
On a MacNative, on Apple siliconNative
On WindowsWindows 10 and 11Included
Free trial15 days, export included14 days
AI credits1,000 every yearNot in this plan
What Chroma keeps for Luxe.
Motifab€149 a yearChroma InspireUS$799 first yearChroma PlusUS$1,799 first yearChroma LuxeUS$2,499 first year
Auto digitizingIncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
Realistic stitch viewIncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
Design analysisQuality, with Fix allNot in this planNot in this planIncluded
AppliquéIncludedNot in this planNot in this planIncluded
Magic wandIncludedNot in this planNot in this planIncluded
A design split across hoopsIncludedNot in this planNot in this planIncluded
Cross stitchIncludedNot in this planNot in this planIncluded
More fill typesContour, circular, meander, guided, gradient, tartanNot in this planNot in this plan10 complex fills
Embroidery fonts151, and any installed font150200250

Prices without tax, and they can change. AI credits: none of the three pages lists them. Names and trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to compare; Motifab is not affiliated with them. The full comparison, with its sources

Why shops choose Motifab

Motifab’s editor: the parts list, the tool palette and the Alto Coffee sample embroidered on the canvas.

  • One plan, no upgrades

    Every tool from the first day, and every update in the year.

  • Quality, not only a preview

    Motifab lays the stitches over the original artwork and scores what a customer would see: bare fabric, lost details, closed openings.

  • Mac and Windows

    Like Chroma, Motifab runs natively on both.

  • Files read back

    Every machine file is read back and compared with the screen before it is saved.

Every tool in Motifab

What does each cost?
Motifab is €149 a year with every tool. Chroma is US$799, US$1,799 or US$2,499 for the first year, then US$16, US$33 or US$41 a month, billed yearly.
Does Motifab have as many fonts?
Motifab has 151 Motifab Fonts, digitized by hand for embroidery, and it can embroider any font installed on your computer. Chroma has 150 to 250, by plan.
Does it work with Ricoma machines?
Yes. Motifab writes DST, the format Ricoma machines read, and reads every file back before it is saved.
When is Chroma the better choice?
When you want the most embroidery fonts out of the box: Chroma has 150 to 250 by plan, Motifab has 151 Motifab Fonts and can embroider any font installed on your computer. For every tool without choosing a plan, at €149 a year, Motifab is the better buy.

Try it on the next logo a customer sends.

Digitize it, embroider it with Motifab’s file and deliver it within the 15 free days. If Motifab doesn’t earn its place in your shop, you have paid nothing.

Try Motifab free for 15 daysSee pricing

No card, nothing charged when it ends · then €149 a year

Founding price: €99 your first year, then €149 a year for as long as you stay subscribed. Ends 31 January 2027.

No card needed
Download Motifab and sign in with your e-mail. Nothing is charged when the 15 days end.
Export included
Embroider Motifab’s files on your own machine before you pay; the files you make stay yours. The trial has 300 AI credits.
Mac and Windows
A Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 13 Ventura or later, or a PC with Windows 10 (64-bit) or later.