Comparison

Variable Color vs Model Paints

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

Head to head
About

Variable Color

Easily scan and identify colors from your surroundings. Find matching paints and materials, organize your color discoveries into palettes, and share them with others. Streamline your color selection process for design, DIY, or professional projects.

Highlights
  • Scan and identify colors instantly
  • Match colors to paint and material libraries
  • Organize colors into custom palettes
  • Share color palettes with others
  • Cross-reference colors between brands
  • Attach images to palettes
Features
Read full description

The Variable Color app assists consumers, DIYers and professionals (such as interior designers, architects, paint contractors and material specifiers), streamline the color selection process. Scan color, find products that match, coordinate and complement. Color referencing, collecting, organizing and sharing has never been easier and more efficient. Variable Color offers: • Instant color match to exact colors • Speed up the color selection process • Share color palettes with friends, clients & colleagues • Material & paint libraries on your mobile device • Cross reference colors between brands & materials Color referencing, collecting, organizing and sharing has never been easier, more accurate and more efficient. A Color Reference System of a Different Color The Variable Color system changes the way modern color management systems operate. The compact size and mobility allow for easy collection and identification of color, which is critical, as you may never know when a color will inspire you. The COLOR MUSE system gives you the ability to match these colors to color and material libraries. Making color matching more black and white The Variable Color system can differentiate colors the human eye isn’t able to. Our technology can be broken down into three essential components. The Variable Color app allows color referencing, selection and inspiration collection to streamline the color selection process. Features: • Scan, store, file and reference colors • Reference scans against color libraries • Scan colors and store them in your custom palettes • Remembers device connections for connecting with ease during later usages • Provides paint and material matching for leading U.S. and International paint companies • Browse full color libraries of paint and material manufacturers • Attach pictures to your inspirational palettes About Variable Inc. Variable, Inc. is an industry leader in color hardware technology, color mobile app development, digital color referencing and color library management across multiple industries throughout the world.

About

Model Paints

This app provides a comprehensive database of over 20,000 paints from numerous manufacturers, assisting scale model builders. It offers tools for browsing paint charts, matching colors from photos or the camera, and calculating scale conversions. The database is automatically updated with new colors and paint information.

Highlights
  • Extensive paint manufacturer database
  • Color matching from photos and camera
  • Scale calculation tools
  • Paint blending for new colors
  • Automatic database updates
  • Search by barcode
  • Paints lists support
Features
Read full description

A database of paints from most of the manufacturers designed for modellers (more than 20000 paints). Model Paints simplifies scale model builder work by providing a set of easy to use and comprehensive tools. With Model Paints you can: - Browse paint charts from colour standards and model kit paint manufacturers; - Matching paints from whole database or your favourite paints only; - Matching from selected photo from you library; - Online matching from camera; - Get detailed information about paint; - Scale calculation; - Paint matching for a manually specified color - Search for paints by barcode - Paints lists support - Lightening result can depends scale - Getting new colors when blending paints - Database automatically update Current paint manufactures are include: - Abteilung 502 - Agama - AK Interactive - AMMO by Mig Jimenez - Andrea Miniatures - Arion Models - Aztek - Badger - Citadel Paints - Coat D'Arms - Createx Colors - CreateFX - Flames Of War - Floquil - Forge World - Gianonotes - Gravity Colors - Hannants - Hataka - Heki - Heller - Humbrol - Italeri - IPP - Jim Scale - Lefranc Bourgeois - LifeColor - Meng - Mig Productions - Mission Models - Model Master - Molotow - mr.Hobby - Mr.Paint - Pactra - Privateer Press - Pro Acryl - RailMatch - Reaper Miniatures - Revell - Scale75 - Scalecoat - Scale Colors - SMS Paints - Sovereign Hobbies - Splash Paints - Tamiya - Testors - The Army Painter - Vallejo - Wargames Foundry - Wilder - Winsor & Newton - [ ARM.PNT ] - Акан - Моделист - ZIPMaket - Zvezda ... and more References Charts: - Army-Navy Aeronautical (ANA) - British Standard 381C - British Standard 4800 - Federal Standard 595C - RLM - RAL Classic

Screenshots

Variable Color4 screens
Model Paints1 screens

Verdict

The call

Variable Color and Model Paints both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% of Model Paints's written reviews are positive against 0% of Variable Color's. Variable Color's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Model Paints sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. Variable Color asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Variable Color against 4.3 for Model Paints. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 62 and 37 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of Variable Color's written reviews are positive against 81% of Model Paints's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Variable Color ships an update every 5 weeks, Model Paints every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and August 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Variable Color versus Model Paints: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVariable ColorModel Paints
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (62 ratings) — better4.3 (37 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews80.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings62 — better37
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVariable Technologies LLCValentin Ozerov

Customer experience

Variable Color

All ratings62 ratings
Positive85.5%
Neutral4.8%
Negative9.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Model Paints

All ratings37 ratings
Positive83.8%
Neutral5.4%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

None

Variable Color

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Model Paints

Subscriptions1
  • Annual subscription$2.991 Year
One-time1
  • Remove Ads$5.99

Questions

Is Variable Color free?
Variable Color is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Model Paints free?
Model Paints is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Variable Color or Model Paints?
Variable Color is rated higher. Variable Color averages 4.4 out of 5 from 62 ratings, while Model Paints averages 4.3 from 37 ratings.
Do Variable Color or Model Paints have ads?
Model Paints shows ads; Variable Color does not.
Which is updated more often, Variable Color or Model Paints?
Variable Color ships an update every 5 weeks, and Model Paints every 2 months. Most recently, Variable Color was updated on September 17, 2026 and Model Paints on August 19, 2026.

Other comparisons