# Smarty Paints vs Color Maker Lab

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Color Maker Lab at none against Smarty Paints's 2. Color Maker Lab also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Smarty Paints's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 8 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Smarty Paints sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per year. Color Maker Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.

Smarty Paints ships an update every 11 days, Color Maker Lab every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Smarty Paints | Color Maker Lab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smarty-paints/id6472111419/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **47** | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 days** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 111 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Neural Appworks LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1671246020) | [JUHWAN LEE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1703441721) |

## 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 |


### Color Maker Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-maker-lab/id6745688088)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Smarty Paints free?

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

### Is Color Maker Lab free?

Color Maker Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Smarty Paints or Color Maker Lab have ads?

Neither Smarty Paints nor Color Maker Lab shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Smarty Paints or Color Maker Lab?

Smarty Paints ships an update every 11 days, and Color Maker Lab every 8 months. Most recently, Smarty Paints was updated on October 23, 2026 and Color Maker Lab on October 15, 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.*