# Smarty Paints vs ChromaMagic

The clearest difference is price: Smarty Paints at Free against ChromaMagic's $19.99. Smarty Paints also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 5 months). ChromaMagic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (92% vs 79%). On rating, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Smarty Paints is free to download; ChromaMagic costs $19.99 up front. Smarty Paints sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per year. ChromaMagic asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Smarty Paints against 4.8 for ChromaMagic. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 49 and 53 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Smarty Paints's written reviews are positive against 92% of ChromaMagic's.

Smarty Paints ships an update every 11 days, ChromaMagic every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Smarty Paints | ChromaMagic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $19.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (49 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smarty-paints/id6472111419/reviews) | **[4.8 (53 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chromamagic/id6479220262/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 49 | **53** |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews | **91.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 days** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#18** |
| Size | 111 MB | 125 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Neural Appworks LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1671246020) | [Michele Clamp](https://appshunter.io/developer/1697771835) |

## What reviewers say

### Smarty Paints

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smarty-paints/id6472111419)

This app helps watercolor artists manage their paint collections, find substitute colors, and match tutorial supplies. It simplifies tracking what you own, identifying dupes, and ensuring your paints align with class or tutorial requirements.

**Highlights:** Track watercolor paint collections, Find close-enough paint dupes, Match tutorial supplies to your stash, Compare paint properties across brands, Create digital palette layouts, Searchable paint database

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro | $12.99 | per year |
| Unlock Premium Features | $39.99 | one-time |


### ChromaMagic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chromamagic/id6479220262)

**Currently charting:** #18 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app helps artists identify and understand colors in reference images. It breaks down colors into hue, value, and chroma, offering multiple modes to analyze color relationships and value shapes. Enhance your painting by truly seeing and mixing colors accurately.

**Highlights:** Identify hue, value, and chroma, Munsell color mode, Value shape organization, Grayscale value analysis, Color saturation analysis, Color wheel distribution view, Zoomable and pannable images

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Smarty Paints free?

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

### Is ChromaMagic free?

ChromaMagic costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Smarty Paints or ChromaMagic?

ChromaMagic is rated higher. Smarty Paints averages 4.7 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while ChromaMagic averages 4.8 from 53 ratings.

### Do Smarty Paints or ChromaMagic have ads?

Neither Smarty Paints nor ChromaMagic shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Smarty Paints or ChromaMagic?

Smarty Paints ships an update every 11 days, and ChromaMagic every 5 months. Most recently, Smarty Paints was updated on October 30, 2026 and ChromaMagic on October 30, 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.*