FineScale Modeler vs paintRack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FineScale Modeler
Learn to build and finish detailed scale models of aircraft, armor, and ships. Access articles on assembly and painting, plus reviews of new kits and expert tips. Features a gallery showcasing reader creations.
- Model building tutorials
- Assembly and painting guides
- Kit reviews
- Product announcements
- Expert tips
- Reader model gallery
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FineScale Modeler teaches you to build models of aircraft, armor, ships and more. Clear articles show you how to assemble, paint, and finish the latest model kits. Every issue includes unbiased reviews of kits that were built and tested for accuracy, product announcements, tips from the experts, and a gallery of readers’ models. This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. When purchasing through iTunes your account will be charged at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will auto-renew unless you turn this off 24 hours before the subscription runs out. You can turn off auto-renewal at any time from your iTunes account settings. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Privacy Policy: https://firecrown.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://firecrown.com/terms-of-use/
paintRack
Manage your miniature paints with a comprehensive digital library. Track your collection, create custom paint sets, and discover matching colors. Features barcode scanning for quick additions and a wish list to monitor needed supplies.
- Extensive paint library
- Custom paint set creation
- Barcode scanning for adding paints
- Color matching tools
- Wish list management
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FEATURES: LIBRARY: track your paints with over 30,000 paints from top brands! SETS: create custom paint SETS (or recipes) for your models WISH LIST: helps you track paints you need *RAPID SCAN: most bottles can be added by scanning barcodes on bottles *COLOR TOOLS: will help you find the best matching paint colors *Available in Full Version Supported paint lines include: - Abteilung 502 - Aero Color (Schmincke) - AK Interactive - Alclad II - AMMO by MIG Jimenez - Andrea Color - Apple Barrel - Archive-X - Army Painter (Warpaints) - Badger Minitaire - Battlefront (Colours of War) - Bear Cavalry - Citadel - Coat d'Arms - Colour Forge - Craft Smart - Createx - Cuttlefish Colors by Cephalopod Studios - CVLTCRAFT (CPOP) - Darkstar - DecoArt - Delta Ceramcoat - Dirty Down - Folk Art - Forge World - FREAKflex - FW Inks - Gaianotes - GarageKits.US - Golden - Green Stuff World - Hataka - Huge Miniatures - Humbrol - ICM - Instar - IONIC (AMMO) - Italeri - Jo Sonja's - Kaleido ColorWorks - Kimera Kolors - Lifecolor - Liquitex - Metalsmith - Mindtaker Miniatures - Mission Models - Model Master - Molotow - Mr. Hobby (Gunze) - Mr. Paint (MRP) - Nocturna - NuWorlds (Iwata-Medea) - P3 (Privateer Press) - Pactra - Pokorny (Dwarf Forge) - Pro Acryl (Monument Hobbies) - Reaper - Revell - Scale Modellers Supply - Scale75 - Secret Weapon - Splash Paints - Stynylrez - Tamiya - Testors - TTCombat - Turbo Dork - Two Thin Coats - Ultracryl - Vallejo - Villainy Inks - Warcolours - Wargames Foundry - Warhammer Colour - Winsor & Newton In-app colors are approximate, usually as provided by the brands themselves.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: paintRack at 93% against FineScale Modeler's 2%. paintRack also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.4) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 6 months). FineScale Modeler's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.5). 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
Both are free to download. FineScale Modeler sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and paintRack sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
paintRack holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: paintRack has 219 ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 2% of FineScale Modeler's written reviews are positive against 93% of paintRack's.
FineScale Modeler ships an update every 6 months, paintRack every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FineScale Modeler | paintRack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.4 (32 ratings) | 4.9 (219 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 2.3% of reviews | 92.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 32 | 219 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 89 MB | 71 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Flying Media Group, LLC | Courageous Octopus |
Customer experience
FineScale Modeler
paintRack
Bugs and requests
FineScale Modeler
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
paintRack
Reported bugs
2 issues- Certain paint brands not appearing in megafilter
- Scanning issues with some barcodes
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to upload and attach photos to paint sets/projects
- Improved sorting and organization options for paint libraries
- Bulk add/import functionality for entire paint ranges
- Personal paint mixing/recipe notes section
In-app purchases
FineScale Modeler
- FineScale Modeler$3.991 Month
- FineScale Modeler$39.951 Year
- July 2013$5.99
- March 2014$5.99
- April 2016$6.99
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- May 2016$6.99
- Build Better Models$7.99
- Build Better Models 2$7.99
- The Ultimate Guide to Finishing$9.99
- Experts Guide to Superdetailing$9.99
paintRack
- Full Unlock$5.99
Questions
Is FineScale Modeler free?
Is paintRack free?
Which has better reviews, FineScale Modeler or paintRack?
Do FineScale Modeler or paintRack have ads?
Which is updated more often, FineScale Modeler or paintRack?
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