Comparison

Datacolor ColorReader vs Timefold

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

Timefold

This personal journal app helps you record daily activities and their duration. It offers AI-powered weekly summaries, smart categorization, and data export options. Visualize your progress with a unique star map view.

Highlights
  • Quick daily entry capture
  • AI-powered weekly insights
  • Smart activity categorization
  • Data export to Excel, CSV, JSON
  • Star Map visualization
Features
Read full description

Timefold is a lightweight daily log for what you're doing right now — no timers, no streaks to keep, just a few seconds per entry. • Capture the moment — one line per thing, jotted down as it happens • Attachments — add photos, videos, voice notes or files to any entry • Memory Roam — your past entries become a sphere you can spin and drag, bumping into moments you'd forgotten • AI weekly note — one honest sentence a week about where your time actually went • Category insight — 11 categories, auto-tagged by AI, shown as a distribution ring • Keyword map — frequent words surface on their own; tap one to see every related entry • Calendar & compare — flip through days, or line several up side by side • Your data, yours — export to Excel / CSV / JSON anytime Timefold doesn't score you and won't nag you about breaking a streak. It quietly keeps your traces, so the days are still there when you feel like looking back. Start logging, and let every day leave a mark. ————— Timefold Pro (optional subscription) Unlocks AI chat, all summary periods, all themes, multi-column compare, more roam tags, trash and scheduled backup. Auto-renewing; cancel anytime in system settings. Privacy Policy: https://0986790xyxx.github.io/timemap-legal-pages/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://0986790xyxx.github.io/timemap-legal-pages/terms.html

Screenshots

Datacolor ColorReader4 screens
Timefold4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Datacolor ColorReader at 710 against Timefold's 1. Datacolor ColorReader also leads on iOS requirement (13 vs 16.4). Timefold's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). 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 Timefold sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Timefold 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Datacolor ColorReader ships an update every 2 months, Timefold fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Datacolor ColorReader versus Timefold: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDatacolor ColorReaderTimefold
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (710 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings710 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDatacolor Inc.Weiyanda (Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Datacolor ColorReader

All ratings709 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral1.4%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive25.6%
Neutral9.0%
Negative65.4%

Timefold

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Timefold

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
4 purchases

Timefold

Subscriptions3
  • TimeMap Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • TimeMap Pro Quarterly$9.993 Months
  • TimeMap Pro Yearly$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • TimeMap Pro Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Datacolor ColorReader free?
Datacolor ColorReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Timefold free?
Timefold is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Datacolor ColorReader or Timefold?
Timefold is rated higher. Datacolor ColorReader averages 4.7 out of 5 from 710 ratings, while Timefold averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Datacolor ColorReader or Timefold have ads?
Neither Datacolor ColorReader nor Timefold shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Datacolor ColorReader or Timefold?
Datacolor ColorReader ships an update every 2 months, and Timefold fortnightly. Most recently, Datacolor ColorReader was updated on November 1, 2026 and Timefold on October 31, 2026.

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