Wilcom EmbroideryStudio alternative
A Wilcom alternative for the Mac, and for Windows.
Wilcom EmbroideryStudio is sold for Windows PCs and listed as not compatible with macOS; the Decorating edition is US$790 a year. Motifab runs natively on both, for €149 a year with every tool.
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.
- €149 a year, not US$790. EmbroideryStudio Decorating 2026 is US$790 a year at a reseller, for Windows only, as its page shows. Motifab’s one licence has every tool.
- 15 days free, longer than Wilcom’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
| Motifab | Wilcom EmbroideryStudio Decorating 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, first year | €149, or €99 at the founding price until 31 January 2027 | US$790 |
| Each year after | €149 | US$790 |
| Plans | One, with everything | Four editions |
| On a Mac | Native, on Apple silicon | Not compatible with macOS |
| On Windows | Windows 10 and 11 | Included |
| Free trial | 15 days, export included | 14 days |
| AI credits | 1,000 every year | Not in this plan |
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
Native on a Mac
EmbroideryStudio needs a Windows PC; Motifab installs on a Mac with Apple silicon, or on Windows 10 and 11.
One licence, every tool
No editions to choose between: Auto Digitizer, Quality, lettering, patches and appliqué are all in it.
The first version made for you
The Auto Digitizer asks what a digitizer would ask, then makes the design; Quality says what to look at.
In eight languages
Every screen and message in English, German, French, Italian, Albanian, Turkish, Serbian and Spanish.
Questions
- Can Motifab open Wilcom .EMB files?
- No. EMB is Wilcom’s own format. Export the design as DST or another machine format, and Motifab opens it to recolour, move or add a name.
- Is Motifab’s licence a subscription too?
- It is yearly, like the Decorating subscription: €149 a year with every tool, every update and support in the year, and 1,000 AI credits.
- Does it run on Windows as well?
- Yes, on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), with the same tools and files as on a Mac.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Wilcom?
- Motifab is €149 a year with every tool. Wilcom EmbroideryStudio Decorating 2026 is US$790 a year at a reseller, whose page lists it as not compatible with macOS. Motifab runs on a Mac and on Windows.
- When is Wilcom the better choice?
- When your digitizers already work in EmbroideryStudio on Windows PCs and your library is in EMB files, Wilcom’s own format, which Motifab can’t open. On a Mac, or when one licence with every tool at €149 a year covers your work, 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.
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.