Comparison

swatchbook vs Focalize

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

Head to head
About

swatchbook

This app provides a cloud platform for sourcing, developing, and sharing digital materials. It allows users to search, filter, and request physical samples, interact with materials in 2D and 3D, and create shareable collections for design projects.

Highlights
  • Source and request physical material samples
  • Develop materials with 2D and 3D display options
  • Create and share material collections
  • Search and filter digital materials
  • Patent-pending 1:1 material display
Features
Read full description

swatchbook is the new home of materials. a cloud platform that revolutionizes the sourcing, development & sharing of digital materials. with the iOS app this means we are putting all the materials back in your hand. all the power of swatchbook focused inside the mobile app. source: Search, filter & fine tune your search. when ready, request samples for a wonderful touch & feel experience. you are making an actual physical product after all. develop: we've designed this to make the best use of all the visual tools swatchbook has to offer. it offers various display options to view the swatches including our incredible patent pending 1:1 display. interact with them in 2d & 3d & ultimately create materials & collections for your design line. share: Create collections that can be shared within your organization, with your team members, or externally with material consultants or you may receive them directly from your suppliers.

About

Focalize

This app helps designers bring their creative concepts to life. Organize ideas, sketches, and moodboards in one place, and collaborate with team members. Streamline the process of creating collections and managing digital assets for your brand.

Highlights
  • Idea and sketch management
  • Moodboard creation
  • Digital collection organization
  • Team collaboration tools
  • Concept book generation
  • Asset sharing and distribution
Features
Read full description

Enhance your creativity! Create whatever you want, whenever you want with the Focalize Designer app. Turn inspirations and concepts into products customers and retailers love. Visually driven and built specifically for designers. SMOOTH ACCESS Manage ideas, sketches and moodboards in one place. INSPIRATIONS Your collection in the palm of your hand. MOODBOARDS Simply tap to create and edit. DESIGNS Import digital or paper based, organize sketches and create your line sheet. CONCEPT BOOK Your body of work automatically organized into an interactive catalog. COLLABORATE Chat with your team members and collaborators and work together. With Focalize Designer you can: • Create whatever you want, whenever you want; • Organize collections in the palm of your hand; • Work visually and marry instinct with information; • Keep your work in one place; • Go from iPhone to iPad and personal computer; • Seamlessly collaborate with colleagues and partners Key features: • Organize and digitalize creativity and collections; • Advanced technologies empowering an immersive creative process; • Workflow and collaboration; • All in one platform; • Reduce time and errors to create collections; • Storage and one centralized hub for your work; • Share, reuse and distribute product digital asset, which is the foundation of your brand identity. With Focalize Designer you can work on your ideas, beginning from pictures you can either take with your camera or upload from your own library. You are also able to: • Add information related to each picture (Location, Material Used, Item Type, Event and more); • Record voice notes; • Take notes; • Organize sketches; • Create Moodboards; • Share content you created; • Interact with your team members and collaborators; • Present your work on a Concept Book in an entertaining way. Our team will provide support 24/7.

Screenshots

swatchbook4 screens
Focalize4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: swatchbook at 4.7 against Focalize's 4.0. swatchbook also leads on ratings volume (12 vs 2). Focalize's advantage is iOS requirement (12.4 vs 14.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

swatchbook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: swatchbook has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

swatchbook ships an update every 2 months, Focalize every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
swatchbook versus Focalize: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterswatchbookFocalize
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (12 ratings) — better4.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerswatchbook Inc.Focalize, Inc.

Customer experience

swatchbook

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Focalize

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

swatchbook

No in-app purchases

None

Focalize

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is swatchbook free?
swatchbook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Focalize free?
Focalize is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, swatchbook or Focalize?
swatchbook is rated higher. swatchbook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Focalize averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.
Do swatchbook or Focalize have ads?
Neither swatchbook nor Focalize shows ads.
Which is updated more often, swatchbook or Focalize?
swatchbook ships an update every 2 months, and Focalize every 6 weeks. Most recently, swatchbook was updated on October 7, 2026 and Focalize on October 6, 2026.

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