Top 10 Best Quilt Design Software of 2026

Electric Quilt 8 is a premier quilt design software that allows users to digitally create, customize, and visualize quilt blocks and full quilt layouts with precision. It boasts an extensive library of over 6,000 blocks, thousands of real-world fabrics from Paintbrush Studio, and advanced tools for yardage calculations, pattern printing, and 3D animations. Quilters can import photos to design from images, set blocks on point, and export designs for sharing or cutting with machines.

Quilt-Pro is a professional-grade quilting design software for Windows that allows users to create custom quilt blocks from an extensive library of over 1,000 patterns, design full quilt layouts, and preview designs with realistic fabric simulations. It excels in generating precise, full-size printable patterns for rotary cutting, templates, and foundation piecing, making it ideal for planning complex quilting projects. The software also supports importing custom fabrics and exporting designs to PDF for sharing or further editing.

Quilt Design Wizard is a free, web-based quilt design tool that provides an extensive library of over 200 traditional quilt blocks for users to customize with colors, fabrics, sizes, and layouts. It enables interactive design, previewing full quilts, and generating printable PDFs with precise cutting instructions, yardage calculations, and assembly guides. Ideal for hobbyists, it simplifies pattern creation without requiring downloads or subscriptions.

PatternKeeper is specialized Windows software for designing, editing, and printing foundation paper piecing (FPP) patterns used in quilting. It allows users to import images or bitmaps, trace and vectorize designs, precisely edit segments, lines, and labels, and customize printing with ink-saving options and multiple segment printing. While powerful for FPP, it lacks full quilt layout tools or block libraries found in more general quilt design software.

Quilt Assistant is a dedicated Windows-based quilt design software that provides quilters with a vast library of over 5,000 pieced blocks to create custom quilt layouts. It supports multiple sections, sashing, borders, and appliqué, while offering precise yardage calculations, fabric requirements, and printable patterns including foundation piecing. This tool bridges digital planning and physical sewing for detailed quilt projects.

BlockBase+ from Electric Quilt Company is a specialized quilt block library software featuring over 4,600 traditional quilt blocks from Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia. It enables users to search blocks by name, number, category, or construction technique, and print customizable patterns for rotary cutting, foundation piecing, or templates. While standalone, it excels as a companion to Electric Quilt 8 by allowing block exports for full quilt layouts. It's a valuable resource for traditional block enthusiasts but lacks comprehensive quilt design and fabric auditioning tools.

Affinity Designer is a professional-grade vector graphics editor that enables quilters to create precise, scalable quilt blocks, patterns, and full layouts using advanced shape tools, grids, and snapping features. It supports complex designs with rulers for accurate measurements and symmetry tools ideal for repeating motifs. While versatile for custom quilting projects, it lacks specialized quilt libraries or yardage calculators found in dedicated software.

Inkscape is a free, open-source vector graphics editor that excels in creating scalable illustrations and designs, making it adaptable for quilt pattern creation through precise shape tools, path editing, and pattern tiling. Users can design custom quilt blocks, sashing, and layouts with features like clones for repeatable motifs and extensions for grid-based work. While powerful for vector-based quilting, it lacks specialized quilt software functions like automated block libraries or fabric yardage calculators.

Adobe Illustrator is a professional-grade vector graphics editor renowned for creating precise, scalable artwork, making it adaptable for designing detailed quilt patterns and blocks. It offers powerful tools for drawing shapes, applying colors, creating repeats, and exporting print-ready files. While versatile for custom quilt designs, it lacks specialized quilting features like pre-built block libraries or fabric yardage calculators. Overall, it's a high-end tool best leveraged by those with design experience.

CorelDRAW is a professional vector graphics suite primarily designed for general graphic design, illustration, and layout tasks. In the context of quilt design, it provides powerful tools for drawing precise shapes, patterns, and layouts using vectors, grids, and alignment features. However, it lacks specialized quilting functionalities like block libraries, fabric simulators, or yardage calculators, requiring users to create everything manually.