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| Decision field | Open accessYarnSubGlobalRemove | Free accountSwatchOnGlobalRemove | Quote-basedMaterial ExchangeGlobalRemove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | |||
| Primary job | Choose materials | Choose materials | Choose materials |
| Also useful for | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded |
| Area | Yarn | Materials | Materials |
| Best for | Building a substitution shortlist for a discontinued or unavailable yarn before checking quantity, availability, and a representative swatch | Sourcing swatches and low-MOQ fabric options | Evaluating an enterprise material-sourcing workflow after requirements are defined |
| Know before using | 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. | 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. | The public site’s workflow, security, validation, and outcome statements are operator claims rather than independent performance evidence. The Sourcing Hub, Marketplace, and Digital Sourcing Platform have separate terms and must not be treated as one identical product. Supplier content, uploaded certificates, and AI suggestions are leads, not independent verification. Verify the exact product and Order, material identity and performance, certificate issuer and validity, supplier capability, samples, price, availability, commercial terms, data permissions, and any AI output before a sourcing decision. |
| Practical access | |||
| For | Makers | Apparel brands | Apparel brands |
| Location or jurisdiction | Global | Global | Global |
| Access | Open access | Free account | Quote-based |
| Format | Reference | Marketplace | Software |
| Source type | First-party platform | Commercial marketplace | First-party platform |
| Account, payment, and exit | |||
| Access scope | Maker comparing a replacement for a named yarn before buying. | Business or individual buyer sourcing fabric, trims, swatches, or custom printing through SwatchOn's marketplace and order workflow. | Business brand, supplier, manufacturer, or sourcing team considering Material Exchange’s current invite-only Sourcing Hub powered by Frank for early-stage material and supplier work. |
| Before an account | Search a named yarn, inspect suggested substitutes, and filter by fibre and approximate price band without creating 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. | Read the public workflow, security, and legal explanations and request a demo. The checked signed-out pages do not expose the live Sourcing Hub, supplier or material catalogue, configured feature scope, trial entitlement, or price. |
| Free-account boundary | The checked core substitution route does not require an account, and the FAQ does not offer user-entered yarn records. | 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. | Sourcing Hub registration is invite only and managed by the Material Exchange team. An Order defines each organisation’s authorized service scope and term; the terms say some services may be free and trials may be offered, but the public pages do not promise either. Individualised logins may not be shared. |
| Payment boundary | 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. | 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. | No public fee amount is disclosed. Orders or separate agreements define subscription and service charges; paid services may combine a one-time charge with automatically renewing monthly, quarterly, or annual charges. Orders are described as non-cancellable and non-refundable. Supplier transaction fees, sample shipping, scanning, customs, taxes, and separately negotiated services can be additional costs. |
| Cancellation or exit | There is no account or recurring plan to cancel for the core route. The newsletter has a separate unsubscribe link. | 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. | Users terminate through support, while paid-service exit can also depend on a separate agreement. The public terms say access can continue through the current term, there is no prorated refund, and renewal stops after termination; they also warn that account termination may destroy associated content. Confirm the required notice, receipt, final access date, and content-return terms in the Order before paying. |
| Saved work and data | 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. | 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. | The Sourcing Hub can hold company and user details, sourcing briefs, supplier and material records, files, certificates, prices, compliance data, messages, samples, and detailed transaction records. Users retain ownership of submitted content, but termination may destroy it. The data notice covers personal-data access and portability and says residual copies may remain in active servers or backups; it does not document a self-service complete business-content export, format, or timing. Keep source files outside the platform and negotiate business-data return or export terms. |
| Source and review | |||
| What the source establishes | 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. | 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. | Material Exchange’s current site presents an enterprise early-stage sourcing workflow and routes prospective customers to a demo. Its Sourcing Hub terms, last modified October 24, 2025, define invite-only registration, AI-assisted material discovery, sample requests, bulk inquiries, negotiation, order-defined service access, subscriptions, and supplier transaction fees. The same terms say Material Exchange cannot verify uploaded certificate statements. |
| Linked page reviewed | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Next review due | Jan 24, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 |
| Inspect | |||
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