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| Decision field | Free accountSwatchOnGlobalRemove | Open accessKnittyGlobalRemove | Open accessYarnSubGlobalRemove | Free accountFOURSOURCE Supplier NetworkGlobalRemove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | ||||
| Primary job | Choose materials | Find patterns & fit | Choose materials | Source production |
| Also useful for | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded |
| Area | Materials | Yarn | Yarn | Production |
| Best for | Sourcing swatches and low-MOQ fabric options | Free editorial knitting patterns and techniques | Building a substitution shortlist for a discontinued or unavailable yarn before checking quantity, availability, and a representative swatch | Searching global apparel and textile production capabilities |
| Know before using | SwatchOn's supplier status, counts, trust language, specifications, prices, availability, and account benefits are provider or supplier statements that can change. They do not independently establish fibre identity, performance, certification validity, mill ownership, production capacity, colour continuity, delivery, duty, or commercial fit. Review representative samples, test data, current certificates, the contracting entity, order terms, return limits, and landed logistics before purchase. | Free access does not grant commercial reproduction or sale rights; uses beyond one personal copy must be resolved with the designer or author. Knitty says it tries to avoid errors but disclaims responsibility for pattern and technique inaccuracies. Check the live page for corrections, verify gauge and measurements, and confirm permission before any commercial use. | A suggested match is a data-based shortlist, not proof that the yarn suits the pattern or maker. Records can be incomplete or wrong, price bands are approximate, availability varies by country and seller, and shade-level matching is unavailable. YarnSub says affiliate status does not change suggestions, but equally rated matches are ordered by brand popularity. Confirm required gauge, total length, fibre behavior, construction, care, colour, dye lot, accessibility, price, availability, and seller terms, then make and assess a representative swatch before committing. | The company count is a changing platform claim. Search fields, profiles, certificates, locations, and account access do not independently verify the legal entity, factory ownership, capability, capacity, certificate validity or scope, compliance performance, delivery, or project fit. Confirm the site and subcontracting, credentials with issuers, samples, audits when appropriate, specifications, contracts, and commercial terms. |
| Practical access | ||||
| For | Apparel brands | Makers | Makers | Apparel brands |
| Location or jurisdiction | Global | Global | Global | Global |
| Access | Free account | Open access | Open access | Free account |
| Format | Marketplace | Reference | Reference | Marketplace |
| Source type | Commercial marketplace | First-party platform | First-party platform | Commercial marketplace |
| Account, payment, and exit | ||||
| Access scope | Business or individual buyer sourcing fabric, trims, swatches, or custom printing through SwatchOn's marketplace and order workflow. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Maker comparing a replacement for a named yarn before buying. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Before an account | Read the marketplace scope, material-category pages, service explanations, help articles, calculators, and legal policies. The checked signed-out pages do not expose the full product library, wholesale ordering, or sample-purchase workflow. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Search a named yarn, inspect suggested substitutes, and filter by fibre and approximate price band without creating an account. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Free-account boundary | After email verification, business and individual accounts receive product-library, wholesale-order, and sample-purchase access. A completed business profile and business proof add a sourcing manager and conditional swatch credits; the terms allow identity, business, or payment verification and account rejection. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | The checked core substitution route does not require an account, and the FAQ does not offer user-entered yarn records. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Payment boundary | The checked first-party pages disclose no recurring platform subscription. Buyers pay per sample or product order plus the checkout currency, shipping, duties, taxes, adjustments, and any agreed service fees; complimentary swatches or credits are conditional rather than universal free access. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | No subscription is presented for the core route. Affiliate retailer links and optional donations help fund the site; equal-rated matches are ordered by brand popularity. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Cancellation or exit | There is no subscription plan to cancel on the checked pages. The terms say a user may stop using the platform, while the privacy policy routes access, correction, portability, and deletion requests through support and permits retention for legal, accounting, dispute, and agreement-enforcement needs. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | There is no account or recurring plan to cancel for the core route. The newsletter has a separate unsubscribe link. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Saved work and data | The platform can hold account and verification data, carts and orders, payment and shipping records, customs documents, artwork, supplier messages, reviews, and support tickets. The privacy policy offers copy, portability, correction, and deletion requests, but does not state a self-service full export, exact format, completion time, or complete deletion of retained transaction records. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | YarnSub does not expose an API and does not accept user-entered yarn details. Use the data-issue link on a yarn page for corrections. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Source and review | ||||
| What the source establishes | SwatchOn's current marketplace page exposes fabrics, trims, and prints, with swatch samples, in-stock catalogue colours, low-order-quantity options, and global logistics support. Current account guidance places the full product library, wholesale ordering, and sample purchasing behind email verification, while the terms describe supplier-provided listings, per-order payment, cross-border charges, sample limits, and marketplace responsibility. | Knitty currently publishes web-only editorial issues containing original knitting and crochet patterns and articles. Its legal page states that patterns are free for one person's personal use, identifies each designer or author as the copyright holder, and explains that verified pattern corrections are posted in bright pink on the pattern page. | YarnSub's official FAQ says its matching software compares gauge, texture, yarn weight and density, fibre content, and fibre qualities such as drape and softness. Discontinued yarns remain searchable as starting points but are excluded from suggestions. Result filters can exclude animal, animal-derived, synthetic, or plant fibre groups and use a subjective $ to $$$$$ price indicator. The site does not accept user-entered yarn details, individual shade cards, or expose an API. Each yarn page provides a data-issue route. | FOURSOURCE's current public network page presents an operator-reported global company count and country or territory search. It says logged-in users can narrow results by compliance certificates, product groups, fabric types, target groups, minimum order quantities, and other fields, with a free-trial and supplier sign-up route. |
| Linked page reviewed | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 21, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 21, 2026 |
| Next review due | Jan 24, 2027 | Jan 17, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 | Jan 17, 2027 |
| Inspect | ||||
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