If Embird is currently out of your budget, you might want to look into high-quality free or open-source embroidery software like Ink/Stitch (an extension for Inkscape). Official Purchase:
Yes. is a free, open-source embroidery digitizing platform built on Inkscape. It supports auto-digitizing, manual digitizing, lettering, and many machine formats. While not as polished as Embird, it is improving rapidly and is completely legal.
If Embird is currently out of your budget, you might want to look into high-quality free or open-source embroidery software like Ink/Stitch (an extension for Inkscape). Official Purchase:
Yes. is a free, open-source embroidery digitizing platform built on Inkscape. It supports auto-digitizing, manual digitizing, lettering, and many machine formats. While not as polished as Embird, it is improving rapidly and is completely legal.