Comparison

Palettes vs Datacolor ColorReader

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

Head to head
About

Palettes

Create and manage color palettes from various sources like photos, websites, or manually. Supports multiple color models and schemes for design projects. Offers import/export options and cloud backup.

Highlights
  • Create palettes from photos, websites, or manually
  • Supports RGB, HSV, HSL, CMYK, and Grayscale
  • Import/export with design software
  • Cloud backup and restore
  • Color blending and schemes
  • Color information display
Features
Read full description

Palettes is a powerful productivity tool for creating and maintaining color palettes. Great for creating color schemes. Now you can create a color palette anywhere at anytime. Grab colors from a photograph, a website, or add colors using any one of 5 color models. Quickly find matching colors with support for many different color schemes. You may create and store any number of palettes. This application runs at one of three levels: Free, Basic, and Pro. The initial free version runs at the Pro level for a limited time allowing you to fully test the application. It will then revert back to the Free level. Use the included in-application purchasing to upgrade to either the Basic or Pro level at any time. Key features include: • Single universal application works on all your iOS devices including iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. • Quickly create a color palette from a web site, image, camera, or color scheme. • Unlimited number of palettes (Free only supports 3). • 25 colors per palette (Free and Basic allows 5). • Undo/Redo support. • Import/Export palettes from/to Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Fireworks, GIMP, Paintshop Pro, Procreate, and OS X Color Chooser. (Pro) • Import/Export palettes via email. Team development made easy with one click import. (Pro) • Backup and restore your Palettes data directly to/from your own computer, iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, or FTP servers. (Basic, Pro) • Import and export palette files directly to/from your own computer, iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, FTP servers, or another app. (Pro) • Email color palettes to friends and co-workers. (Pro adds more options) • Pick colors from:   • RGB, HSV (HSB), HSL, CMYK, or Gray scale sliders   • Standard colors lists (SVG, Web Safe, HTML, Java, Apple) or other palettes.   • A website URL (webpage, image, CSS file, 3rd party palette file (Pro)).   • An image or camera.   • Any valid CSS3 color representation. • Create colors via:   • Color blending (Pro adds using 1 of 4 color models).   • Color schemes (monochromatic (Pro), analogous, triadic, complementary (Pro), split complementary (Pro)). • Review color information:   • Details (integer, hex, percent, decimal, CSS).   • As both a foreground and background color. • "Palette Flow" (not on iPad) • Display a color full screen to compare against a real world item (press and hold color briefly). • Palette preview screen. • Backup a palette as an image in your photo library for later restore. • Rename, reorder, or delete palettes. • Sort palette colors by RGB, HSV/B, HSL, CMYK, or Gray color model. • All work is saved as you go. • Always remembers where you left off last. • Built in context sensitive help system. • Preferences can be set from within the application. (Basic, Pro) • Excellent customer support. Palettes can be used to create color palettes for: • Web site design • Marketing campaigns • Home decorating • Wardrobe • Artists • Color coordinating • Anywhere colors are needed - just use your imagination Please visit http://www.maddysoft.com/iphone/palettes to see a more complete set of screen shots and additional information on the features of "Palettes". The website includes contact information for leaving feedback, asking questions, or reporting any issues. NOTE: Known limitation - this version is unable to import binary OS X palette files (.clr) from ~/Library/Colors. NOTE: Screenshots are after upgrading to the Pro level.

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/

Screenshots

Palettes4 screens
Datacolor ColorReader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Datacolor ColorReader at 4.7 against Palettes's 3.6. Datacolor ColorReader also leads on ratings volume (713 vs 23) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Palettes's advantage is review sentiment (46% vs 26%) and iOS requirement (8.1 vs 13). 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. Palettes sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Datacolor ColorReader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Datacolor ColorReader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Datacolor ColorReader has 713 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Palettes's written reviews are positive against 26% of Datacolor ColorReader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Palettes ships an update every 4 months, Datacolor ColorReader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Palettes versus Datacolor ColorReader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPalettesDatacolor ColorReader
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (23 ratings)4.7 (713 ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.2% of reviews — better25.6% of reviews
Number of ratings23713 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS8.1 — better13
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRick MaddyDatacolor Inc.

Customer experience

Palettes

All ratings23 ratings
Positive60.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative30.4%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive46.2%
Neutral7.7%
Negative46.2%

Datacolor ColorReader

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

Bugs and requests

Palettes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Palettes

One-time3
  • Upgrade Palettes Free to Palettes Basic$1.99
  • Upgrade Palettes Basic to Palettes Pro$1.99
  • Upgrade Palettes Free to Palettes Pro$3.99
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

Questions

Is Palettes free?
Palettes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Datacolor ColorReader free?
Datacolor ColorReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Palettes or Datacolor ColorReader?
Datacolor ColorReader is rated higher. Palettes averages 3.6 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Datacolor ColorReader averages 4.7 from 713 ratings.
Do Palettes or Datacolor ColorReader have ads?
Neither Palettes nor Datacolor ColorReader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Palettes or Datacolor ColorReader?
Palettes ships an update every 4 months, and Datacolor ColorReader every 2 months. Most recently, Palettes was updated on October 31, 2026 and Datacolor ColorReader on November 13, 2026.

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