Comparison

CAL Select vs Curio

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

Head to head
About

CAL Select

This app is a digital color specifier for professionals, allowing users to instantly apply selected colors to images. It helps decorators, sign makers, and others find exact or similar color tones from leading brands of adhesive films, saving time and providing visual confirmation on objects.

Highlights
  • Digital color specifier
  • Integrates leading adhesive film brands
  • Apply selected colors to images
  • Instant color reference numbers and RGB values
  • Find identical or similar color tones
  • Compatible with COLORCATCH NANO
Features
Read full description

« CAL Select » first universal, digital color specifier with adhesive films. Colorix’s « CAL Select » for the first time includes leading brands of self-adhesive films. Exclusive software, especially developed for decorators, sign makers, stand builders etc. brings a selected color instantly to a picture. Selected colors (except metallics) shows up instantly on the screen of an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch including its reference number and RGB values. Thanks to its exclusive software original colors can instantly be applied (text inscription, car, logo etc.) to a picture taken by an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. « CAL Select » not only saves the professional and his clients considerable time when surching for the right color, but shows the selected color immediately on the object. The professional instantly finds a particular color within a specific series; no more time-consuming search consulting several color specifiers. « CAL Select » instantly finds the identical or a similar color tone within a color range. Additional color specifiers such as NCS and RAL may be downloaded into the App. CAL Select is compatible with COLORCATCH NANO. COLORCATCH NANO incorporates a revolutionary new technology to accurately measure the color of smooth, structured or patterned surfaces to determine the corresponding color of the preselected swatch. NANO reads and measures 50'000 pixels separately. During reading it eliminates automatically all non-dominant colors such as shade effects and dirty surfaces. Due to technical limitations, colors seen in this App may not accurately reflect paint colors. To confirm your color choices refer to your color cards.

About

Curio

Identify, understand, and value your antiques with just a photo. Get instant identification, historical context, and estimated market value for your treasures. Organize your collection and explore similar items online.

Highlights
  • Instant antique identification by photo
  • Detailed historical context and origin
  • Estimated market value appraisals
  • Visual matches for online comparison
  • Personal antique collection management
  • Exportable collection data
Features
Read full description

Curio - Antique Expert In Your Pocket Curio is the antique identifier app that tells you what your old things are, where they came from, and what they're worth. Snap a photo of any antique, vintage item, or collectible and get an answer in seconds. Whether you're going through a parent's house, hunting at thrift stores and estate sales, running a resale business, or just curious about the treasures on your shelves, Curio turns "I have no idea what this is" into a clear answer. KEY FEATURES: Instant Antique Identification Just take a picture. Curio's identification engine tells you what the item is, who made it, where it's from, and roughly when it was made. Furniture, paintings, pottery, porcelain and china, glassware, clocks, rugs, coins, currency, books, jewelry, and much more. Not sure about that vase from Grandma's cabinet? Snap a photo and find out. Estimated Value & Quick Appraisal Find out what your antique is worth. Curio gives you an estimated price range based on what similar pieces are on the market for, so you know what to ask if you're selling and what to pay if you're buying. Never overpay at an antique store again, and never let a valuable piece go for a dollar at a yard sale. The History Behind Every Piece Curio doesn't just name your item. It tells you its story: the maker, the era, the style, and why it matters. For many of our users the history is their favorite part, even when they have no plans to sell. Visual Matches See similar items on the market from across the web, with photos, so you can compare your piece with your own eyes and check the estimate for yourself. Tap any match to open it right inside the app. Add Details for Better Results Spotted a maker's mark on the bottom, a signature, or a pattern name? Add it in a tap. Curio updates the description and the estimated value using your extra details, so results get sharper the more you know. Catalog Your Collection Every item you identify is saved to your personal collection. Organize your pieces into collections, revisit their stories anytime, and export them as a PDF to share with family or keep for your records. Many people use Curio to build a home inventory, or to document heirlooms so their kids know what's worth keeping. Sign in to back up and sync across all your devices. Built for Real Life * Clearing out an estate or downsizing? Decide what to keep, sell, or donate without weeks of research. * Thrifting or at an estate sale? Check a find on the spot before you buy. * Reseller, dealer, or auctioneer? Price your inventory in seconds and write listings faster. * Collector? Finally learn what you really own. Curio is fast, simple, and beginner friendly. Download it free and try your first scans, then upgrade for unlimited identifications. Download Curio today and find out what your treasures are really worth. Snap, identify, and discover the story behind every piece. Find out more about Curio at https://www.curio.app Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://www.curio.app/privacy

Screenshots

CAL Select4 screens
Curio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Curio at 67% against CAL Select's 0%. Curio also leads on price (Free vs $10.99) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months). CAL Select's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

Curio is free to download; CAL Select costs $10.99 up front. CAL Select sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Curio sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CAL Select ships an update every 5 months, Curio weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
CAL Select versus Curio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCAL SelectCurio
Price$10.99Free — better
Rating—4.8 (17K ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews66.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—17K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#36 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperColorix SADionysus Labs, LLC

Customer experience

CAL Select

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Curio

All ratings15,545 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.8%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews338 reviews
Positive66.6%
Neutral5.6%
Negative27.8%

Bugs and requests

CAL Select

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Curio

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inaccurate identification
  • Crashes and errors

Requested features

4 requests
  • Free tier with ads
  • Unlimited free scans
  • Zoom and region selection
  • Improved AI accuracy

In-app purchases

3 purchases

CAL Select

One-time3
  • RAL CLASSIC$1.99
  • RAL DESIGN$5.99
  • NCS®©$9.99
9 purchases

Curio

Subscriptions8
  • Premium$4.997 Days
  • Premium$6.997 Days
  • Premium Weekly$6.997 Days
Show 5 more
  • Premium2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Premium$19.991 Year
  • Premium2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Premium2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Premium$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is CAL Select free?
CAL Select costs $10.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Curio free?
Curio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CAL Select or Curio have ads?
Curio shows ads; CAL Select does not.
Which is updated more often, CAL Select or Curio?
CAL Select ships an update every 5 months, and Curio weekly. Most recently, CAL Select was updated on October 14, 2026 and Curio on October 22, 2026.

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