# Pastel vs PocketCI

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PocketCI at none against Pastel's 3. PocketCI also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). Pastel's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Pastel ships an update monthly, PocketCI fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pastel | PocketCI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastel/id413897608/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 12 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Steven Troughton-Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/286133549) | [Made by Sloths Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/6808357726) |

## 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


### PocketCI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocketci/id6811967565)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pastel free?

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

### Is PocketCI free?

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

### Do Pastel or PocketCI have ads?

Neither Pastel nor PocketCI shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pastel or PocketCI?

Pastel ships an update monthly, and PocketCI fortnightly. Most recently, Pastel was updated on November 1, 2026 and PocketCI on October 29, 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.*