Comparison

ClayLab vs ArtArchive

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

Head to head
About

ClayLab

A digital diary for ceramists to meticulously document their pottery projects. Track every stage, from forming to firing, and record detailed information about glazes, clay bodies, and application techniques. Organize and retrieve your work with advanced search and backup features.

Highlights
  • Comprehensive progress tracking
  • Detailed documentation of glazes and materials
  • Advanced search and filtering
  • Data backup and import/export
  • Layering and application details logging
  • Unlimited photos per piece
Features
Read full description

Never lose track of a pottery piece again. ClayLab is a pottery journal and studio tracker designed by potters for potters. Track pieces, glazes, firings, experiments, and inventory in one place. Whether you work in a home studio or a shared community studio, ClayLab helps you stay organized, find your work, and learn from every experiment. Track every stage of your pottery journey, from wet clay to finished work. Record glazes, underglazes, slips, oxides, stains, clay bodies, forming methods, dimensions, weight, firing results, and more. Keep detailed notes and photos so you always know what worked and what didn't. ▶ Stay Organized Track pieces through every stage Record sold, gifted, traded, available, and archived pieces Organize work with custom locations Quickly find pieces in shared studios Unlimited pieces Unlimited photos ▶ Track Your Process Glazes and underglazes Clay bodies Forming methods Slips, oxides, and stains Stage tracking Status tracking Detailed notes Dimensions and weight tracking ▶ Learn From Every Experiment Compare results across pieces Search and filter by glaze, clay body, form, stage, and more Record glaze layering and application details Track dipping times Calculate shrinkage and monitor changes through firing ▶ Backup & Restore Protect your pottery records with export and import tools. Easily back up your data and move it between devices. Perfect for potters, ceramic artists, students, hobbyists, and studio members who want to keep better records, stay organized, and improve their craft. ▶ What's Included No ads Unlimited pieces Search and filtering Custom glazes Custom underglazes Custom clay bodies Custom stains Custom oxides Custom forms Custom forming methods Custom locations Dimensions tracking Weight tracking Stage tracking Status tracking Unlimited photos General note-taking ▶ ClayLab Pro Backup export Backup import Unlimited glaze layers Coat tracking Application method logging Glaze annotations Dipping time tracking Duplicate pieces (up to 20 copies) Custom stage definitions ▶ How do ClayLab Pro subscriptions work? ClayLab Pro Monthly: billed monthly ClayLab Pro Yearly: billed annually at a discounted rate Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account upon confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal in your App Store account settings. www.claylabapp.com/terms www.claylabapp.com/privacy-policy

About

ArtArchive

Features
Read full description

What is the most important thing for an artist? It is important to record and organize the history of your art step by step. Art Archive helps with this cumbersome process. ArtArchive Features: - You can post your work and enter the details of the work. (Additional inputs including title, material, size, year) - Files related to the work (high-definition images, media files, documents) can be uploaded in conjunction with the work. - You can register the exhibition in which the artist participated and enter the exhibition details. (Exhibition title, location, date) - You can organically manage your works and exhibitions by connecting the posted works and exhibitions. - You can create a portfolio with one click. - You can create documents including information on your work and exhibitions on which the work is displayed with one click. - You can manage your work through iCloud Sync Complete your art through ArtArchive! If you have any feedback, questions, or suggestions, please send them to stonicsolution@gmail.com. Premium Payment: If you upgrade to premium plan, the payment will be charged to your App Store account, and the subscription fee will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the expiration of the current period. You can choose between monthly or annual payments. You can disable auto-renewal at any time after purchase through your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ClayLab4 screens
ArtArchive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ArtArchive at every 3 weeks against ClayLab's every 2 months. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ClayLab sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and ArtArchive sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $49.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ClayLab ships an update every 2 months, ArtArchive every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
ClayLab versus ArtArchive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClayLabArtArchive
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (358 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews91.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings358 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLorenzo CalvaniStonicSolution

Bugs and requests

ClayLab

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or performance issues
  • Data loss when changing devices or reinstalling

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add hand-building option alongside thrown pieces
  • Ability to track firing details (cone, atmosphere, etc.)
  • Option to create custom categories (e.g., sold, gifted)
  • Search and filter by glaze, clay, form, etc.
  • Sync data across devices (iCloud, etc.)
Show 1 more
  • Export data to CSV or PDF format

ArtArchive

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ClayLab

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$49.991 Year
1 purchases

ArtArchive

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly Subscription$49.991 Year

Questions

Is ClayLab free?
ClayLab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ArtArchive free?
ArtArchive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ClayLab or ArtArchive have ads?
Neither ClayLab nor ArtArchive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ClayLab or ArtArchive?
ClayLab ships an update every 2 months, and ArtArchive every 3 weeks. Most recently, ClayLab was updated on September 29, 2026 and ArtArchive on September 21, 2026.

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