Comparison

Datacolor ColorReader vs Color Card Pro

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Datacolor ColorReader

This app helps professionals and DIYers accurately match paint colors from walls or objects to popular paint brands. It provides color values and recommendations, saving time and ensuring job quality.

Highlights
  • Accurate paint color matching (>90%)
  • Matches to uploaded fan decks
  • Build, save, and share color palettes
  • Color measurement history
  • Color scheme recommendations
  • Get paint brand color name and number
  • Provides RGB, Hex, CIELab values
Features
Read full description

Matching paint color by eye is subjective. Job quality is not. That’s why you need the Datacolor ColorReader. It matches paint color with more than 90% accuracy. All at the push of a button. All in the brand of your choice. The ColorReader analyzes the color of a wall or object and matches it in less than a second to the closest paint color. For those who need to know paint color to do their jobs. No more matching by eye and searching through fan decks or color cards. Paint confidently. Design confidently. DIY confidently. Be confident with color. Highest Accuracy Across Popular Paint Brands • Industry leading matching with more than 90% success rate • Matches color to any uploaded fan deck • Easy to use • One-click analysis • Ultra-portable • Bluetooth®-connected • OLED display for standalone device use (ColorReader Pro only) Expanded capabilities through the mobile app: • Build, save, and share color palettes • Color measurement history • Color scheme recommendations for harmonious color flow • Get paint brand color name and number • Get color values for measurements and color matches including RGB, Hex, CIELab, and more! • QC functionality (ColorReader and ColorReader Pro only) Backed by the Leading Precision Color Company For more than 45 years, Datacolor’s passion for precision color has helped us meet the exacting needs of more than a million customers whose entire job depends on the accuracy of their colors. What People Are Saying about ColorReader? “This device is incredibly easy to use - and it’s dependable.” John Metz - Haddon Painting “I love it. It cut one hour of time off my desk.” Debbie Deutsh – Interiors by Cornerstone “In this industry, time is money. If I can’t get the exact color they want, I’m losing time and material costs. “ Jon Ipock – ProTastic Painting “I have not stopped using it in matching colors to fabric and wall covering. It has saved me so much time in trying to match with paint chips.” Vincent Wolf – Vincent Wolf Associates, Inc. “There are many contenders in this field, but this in my opinion is the only one that provides the best balance between accuracy, ease-of-use and price. Whatever color you read with your ColorReader will be matched against those fan decks and the best matching returned. This is a much better alternative to purchasing multiple paint samples and trying them out, and is in my opinion the best bang for the buck.” Amazon Customer “Bought this (the lower cost one) because it seemed there had to be a better way than trying to match paint swatches to what is on the walls now. Setup was straight forward, and the app is fairly easy to use to take readings. The device accurately identified a swatch that I had, and it was straight forward to take multiple readings of the long ago painted walls in our old house.“ Amazon Customer Terms & Conditions: https://www.datacolor.com/legal/us/terms-conditions/ Privacy Policy: http://www.datacolor.com/legal-documents/colorreader/privacy-policy/

About

Color Card Pro

Easily create custom color cards and gradients from photos, color wheels, or cameras. Offers detailed color data and supports sharing your creations with others.

Highlights
  • Automatic picture color matching
  • Color wheel and color picker
  • Create 4-6 color cards
  • Gradient color production
  • Share color cards and data
  • Built-in color card library
Features
Read full description

This is an easy to use, very convenient color card making tool, built-in recommended color card 1500+, built-in gradient color card 500+. With this tool, you can easily create your own colorful cards. The main function: Automatic picture color matching, support album photo or photo capture color, easy to use color wheel, detailed color data, powerful and easy to use card production, share color cards to your friends or save in your phone. - Make a color card Through color wheel, picture photo, camera, get the color you need, support color production of up to 4 colors to 6 colors, support color card, gradient color production. -Color wheel Conveniently drag the slider to get the desired color and save it. - color picker If you've used PhotoShop, you can easily get the color you want and save it by color picker. - color card Support 4 color ~ 6 color card production, collection, built-in 1500 + color card. - gradient Supports gradient production of up to 2 colors to 3 colors, and saves collections. - share and copy Conveniently copy color data through the clipboard, share it with screenshots, and share the color card with friends. - Support sharing color matching color cards to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, QQ, WeChat...

Screenshots

Datacolor ColorReader4 screens
Color Card Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Datacolor ColorReader at 4.7 against Color Card Pro's 3.8. Datacolor ColorReader also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months) and review sentiment (25% vs 11%). Color Card Pro's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Datacolor ColorReader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Color Card Pro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Datacolor ColorReader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Datacolor ColorReader has 709 ratings behind it against 89, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Datacolor ColorReader's written reviews are positive against 11% of Color Card Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Datacolor ColorReader ships an update every 2 months, Color Card Pro every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Datacolor ColorReader versus Color Card Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDatacolor ColorReaderColor Card Pro
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (709 ratings) — better3.8 (89 ratings)
Positive reviews25.3% of reviews — better11.1% of reviews
Number of ratings709 — better89
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS1310.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDatacolor Inc.庆南 赵

Customer experience

Datacolor ColorReader

All ratings699 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews75 reviews
Positive25.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative68.0%

Color Card Pro

All ratings82 ratings
Positive65.9%
Neutral4.9%
Negative29.3%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive11.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative88.9%

Bugs and requests

Datacolor ColorReader

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Blank page on device registration
  • White screen during app startup
  • Calibration failed error messages
  • Device won't connect to smartphone
  • Bluetooth connectivity issues requiring multiple attempts
Show 5 more
  • Fan deck update stuck indefinitely
  • Missing read button on iPhone XS Max
  • iOS 12 compatibility broken after update
  • Inaccessible color history after fan deck removal
  • Support ticket system non-functional

Requested features

10 requests
  • Store scanned colors on phone without device connection
  • Cloud sync for color history across devices
  • Tutorial or guided walkthrough for app navigation
  • Ability to delete individual colors from history
  • Reorder colors within custom palettes
Show 5 more
  • Search by paint swatch number
  • Support for more eco-conscious paint brands
  • Expanded UK/European paint brand options
  • Separate color selection for trim and cabinets in photo mode
  • Display custom color names in detail view

Color Card Pro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Datacolor ColorReader

Subscriptions4
  • NCS Colour (monthly)$9.991 Month
  • British Standards (monthly)$14.991 Month
  • NCS Colour (yearly)$89.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • British Standards (yearly)$149.991 Year
2 purchases

Color Card Pro

One-time2
  • Please Have A Cup Of Coffee$0.99
  • Professional Edition$3.99

Questions

Is Datacolor ColorReader free?
Datacolor ColorReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Color Card Pro free?
Color Card Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Datacolor ColorReader or Color Card Pro?
Datacolor ColorReader is rated higher. Datacolor ColorReader averages 4.7 out of 5 from 709 ratings, while Color Card Pro averages 3.8 from 89 ratings.
Do Datacolor ColorReader or Color Card Pro have ads?
Neither Datacolor ColorReader nor Color Card Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Datacolor ColorReader or Color Card Pro?
Datacolor ColorReader ships an update every 2 months, and Color Card Pro every 7 months. Most recently, Datacolor ColorReader was updated on October 24, 2026 and Color Card Pro on October 25, 2026.

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