SDS-ONE APEX4 vs Valentina
SDS-ONE APEX4
shimaseiki.comValentina
smart-pattern.com.uaSide by side
| Figure | SDS-ONE APEX4 | Valentina |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | €6.88/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 5 |
| Spec score · Fashion Design Software | 7.1 (#20) | 7.7 (#12) |
| Founded | 1962 | 2020 |
| Support | SHIMA SEIKI says its user support includes maintenance, customer-specific training, and long-term supply of genuine parts. | The paid Basic plan includes developer support, while the Free plan provides community support without developer support. |
Plans
Valentina
- FreeFree
- Basic€8.26 a month
- Premium€16.51 a month
- Basic€82.57 a year
- Premium€165.15 a year
In their own words
SDS-ONE APEX4
SDS-ONE APEX4 is SHIMA SEIKI’s all-in-one design system, combining dedicated hardware and software for textile, apparel, and industrial product development. It provides planning, design, colorway creation, realistic fabric simulation, and high-definition 3D virtual sampling. Textile tools cover flat knitting, circular knitting, printing, and weaving. Pattern CAD supports knitwear, apparel, and industrial designs, while knitting-machine programming includes shaping and WHOLEGARMENT production. The system can scan and simulate real yarn, and virtual samples can reduce the need for physical sample-making. An Auto-suggest function generates colorways and designs automatically. SHIMA SEIKI describes links across planning, design, production, and sales promotion among yarn spinners, brands, and manufacturers. Listed industries include fashion, sports and outdoors, healthcare, footwear and accessories, home furnishings, automotive, aeronautical, and industrial materials. APEX4 runs on Windows, including Windows 11. For units numbered 60001 or higher, updating to Windows 11 version 24H2 may deactivate Windows licensing.
Valentina
Valentina is clothing-pattern software for building and modeling patterns, with an emphasis on parametric sizing. Measurements, increments, formulas, and construction rules can be used to rearrange patterns. It supports 2D pattern making and size grading, and exports SVG, PDF, PNG, OBJ, PS, EPS, and DXF. The software runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Stable downloads list an AppImage for Linux, Windows 7+ 32-bit and Windows 10+ 64-bit packages, and macOS packages for Intel, Apple Silicon, and Universal systems. Valentina is GPLv3+ licensed, and its FAQ says there are no restrictions on the kind of work made with it. It supports.val files from Seamly2D, though the reverse compatibility is not supported; DXF import is unavailable. The Free plan is free and includes source code access, historical versions, and community support, but no current binaries, manual, or developer support. Basic is €8.26 a month and Premium is €16.51 a month.