Datacolor ColorReader vs Paint Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
Paint Tracker
Easily save, organize, and share every paint color in your home. Track colors by project, room, and area, including brand, code, sheen, and photos. Generate professional PDF paint schedules for easy sharing with contractors or family.
- Organize colors by project and room
- Store brand, color code, and sheen
- Attach photos of paint samples
- Search entire paint library
- Generate PDF paint schedules
- Cloud backup and sync
- Share with contractors and family
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Never lose a paint color again. Paint Tracker is the simplest way to save, organize, and share every paint color in your home. Record colors by project, room, and area — with brand name, color code, sheen level, base type, and photos. Whether you just repainted your bedroom or you're planning a whole-house refresh, every shade is right where you need it. Looking for an app to keep track of paint colors? Paint Tracker is a paint color tracker for your home: save the color codes for every wall, ceiling and trim, and find them again years later when it's time to touch up or reorder. TRACK BY PROJECT & ROOM • Create homes, rentals, or properties as separate projects • Add rooms and spaces within each project • Assign multiple paint colors to every room or area • Store brand, color code, sheen level, and base type • Attach photos of paint samples and can labels • Add notes for coverage, number of coats, or anything else SEARCH YOUR ENTIRE LIBRARY • Instantly find any color across all your projects • Quickly recall the exact code when you need to reorder • No more digging through old receipts, chips, or photos EXPORT & SHARE • Generate a clean, professional PDF paint schedule • Share with painters, contractors, designers, or family • Perfect for renovation projects and property management CLOUD BACKUP • Securely sync your colors to the cloud • Access your full paint history across all your devices • Never risk losing your paint records again BUILT FOR ANYONE WHO PAINTS Homeowners, renters, property managers, interior designers, contractors — if you ever need to remember a paint color, Paint Tracker is for you. Download Paint Tracker and keep track of every paint color in your home.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Paint Tracker at free against Datacolor ColorReader's free with in-app purchases. Paint Tracker also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Datacolor ColorReader's advantage is ratings volume (710 vs 3) and iOS requirement (13 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Datacolor ColorReader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Paint Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Paint Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Datacolor ColorReader has 710 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Datacolor ColorReader ships an update every 2 months, Paint Tracker every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Datacolor ColorReader | Paint Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (710 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 710 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 110 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Datacolor Inc. | Brett Pappas |
Customer experience
Datacolor ColorReader
Paint Tracker
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
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- 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
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- 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
Paint Tracker
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Datacolor ColorReader
- NCS Colour (monthly)$9.991 Month
- British Standards (monthly)$14.991 Month
- NCS Colour (yearly)$89.991 Year
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- British Standards (yearly)$149.991 Year
Paint Tracker
- Paint Colors Pro$9.99
Questions
Is Datacolor ColorReader free?
Is Paint Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, Datacolor ColorReader or Paint Tracker?
Do Datacolor ColorReader or Paint Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Datacolor ColorReader or Paint Tracker?
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