# Pastel vs Dev Utils

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dev Utils at none against Pastel's 3. Dev Utils also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 76%) and chart position (#117 vs unranked). Pastel's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (1.4K vs 101). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pastel sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Dev Utils asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pastel against 4.7 for Dev Utils. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pastel has 1.4K ratings behind it against 101, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Pastel's written reviews are positive against 92% of Dev Utils's.

Pastel ships an update monthly, Dev Utils every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pastel | Dev Utils |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastel/id413897608/reviews) | [4.7 (101 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dev-utils/id6444063249/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | 101 |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews | **92.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#117** |
| Size | 11 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steven Troughton-Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/286133549) | [Ryan Fielder](https://appshunter.io/developer/1563352665) |

## What reviewers say

### Pastel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastel/id413897608)

Easily capture, organize, and use color palettes for your creative projects. Analyze photos to extract dominant colors, or manually select them. Seamlessly sync your library across devices and export colors in various code formats or as pixel bitmaps.

**Highlights:** Capture color palettes from photos, Manual color selection, Drag and drop colors to other apps, iCloud sync across devices, Export colors in code formats (RGB, hex, Swift), Create custom wallpapers

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pastel (One Month) | $1.99 | per month |
| Pastel (One Year) | $9.99 | per year |
| Pastel (Legacy Purchase) | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 🚀 Efficient color management
- 💡 Ability to import colors from photos
- 🎨 Great for designers and artists
- 📦 Seamless integration with Procreate

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Disappearing custom palettes
- 🔍 Lack of color picker functionality
- 🤔 Confusing widget behavior
- 🔀 Issues with rearranging colors in palettes

**Reported bugs**

- Palettes disappearing after OS updates
- Delays and freezes when using color wheel
- Inconsistent behavior on different devices/OSes

**Requested features**

- Color contrast analysis tools
- CMYK color support
- Easier way to copy/paste color codes
- Improved palette organization and management
- Integration with more design apps


### Dev Utils

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dev-utils/id6444063249)

**Currently charting:** #117 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This app provides mobile developers with essential tools to streamline their workflow. It offers timely notifications for OS and Xcode releases, accessibility features, device information, and a reference for HTTP status codes. Customize your experience with themes and app icons.

**Highlights:** OS and Xcode release notifications, System font and color comparison, Device information lookup, HTTP status code reference, Light/dark themes, Customizable app icons

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Very useful app
- 👍 Good device info
- 👍 Helpful for developers
- 👍 Excellent UI/UX
- 👍 User-friendly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Needs update for releases
- 🐛 Data not up-to-date
- 🐛 Potential privacy concerns
- 🐛 Accusations of hacking
- 🐛 Blocked on M series Macs

**Reported bugs**

- Unknown errors
- Find my iPhone error
- Apple ID locked
- Privacy concerns
- Being attacked

**Requested features**

- Update release notes/version numbers
- Adapt to iOS 26 and dark icon
- Update data promptly
- Allow development usage
- More access to watch design UI


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pastel free?

Pastel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Dev Utils free?

Dev Utils is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pastel or Dev Utils?

Pastel and Dev Utils are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.4K and 101 ratings respectively.

### Do Pastel or Dev Utils have ads?

Neither Pastel nor Dev Utils shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pastel or Dev Utils?

Pastel ships an update monthly, and Dev Utils every 4 months. Most recently, Pastel was updated on October 13, 2026 and Dev Utils on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*