Comparison

miniPal studio vs Hobby Rack

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

Head to head
About

miniPal studio

This app helps miniature painters and hobbyists organize and document their projects. It offers tools for capturing perfectly framed photos, tracking progress with overlays, and managing images in dedicated albums.

Highlights
  • Onion-skin overlay for alignment
  • Grayscale preview for value judgment
  • Dedicated macro mode for close-ups
  • Quick-zoom presets
  • Album bar for instant organization
  • High-resolution capture
Read full description

Your Pocket Assistant for Miniature Painting, Maker and Hobby Projects. Capture, compare, and catalog your minis and other maker projects like never before. miniPal helps track progress, quickly access helpful tools, and take perfectly framed photos—all in one sleek, easy-to-use app. Whether you’re a hobbyist or pro, miniPal keeps your projects journey organized, visual, and inspiring. ––––– FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS • Onion-Skin Overlay Ghost the last photo in the selected album on top of the live view for pixel-perfect before-and-after alignment. • Grayscale Preview De-saturate the live feed to judge values and contrast before you commit paint or ink. • Dedicated Macro Mode One tap dials in an ultra-wide lens (or locked near-focus fallback) for razor-sharp close-ups. • Quick-Zoom Presets Toggle instantly between 0.5×, 1×, 2× (and more where available) without fiddling with pinch gestures. • Album Bar & Instant Organisation Make photo organization ultra fast with the Album bar. Create albums, switch between them, and auto-save each shot to the selected collection—perfect for tracking different projects or commissions. • High-Resolution Capture Shoots in full quality and stores photos directly in your Photo Library; no cloud account or sign-in required. ––––– WHY MINIATURE ARTISTS LOVE MINIPAL • Keeps camera controls simple and right-hand–friendly, so you can hold your model with the other hand. • Lets you see mistakes early by overlaying your previous layer or color pass. • Saves you from clutter by dropping images straight into dedicated albums. ––––– PRIVACY FIRST miniPal NEVER collects personal data or uploads your images. All photos stay on your device and in your iCloud Photos (if enabled). ––––– JOIN THE COMMUNITY • Discord: discord.gg/DNpfN95f • Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/geekmoniker • Website & support: geekmoniker.com/minipal

About

Hobby Rack

Features
Read full description

Know what’s in your paint rack before you buy another pot. Hobby Rack brings your miniature paints, projects and Wish List together, so you can plan a model and see what you already have. BUILD YOUR PAINT COLLECTION Track paints across popular miniature ranges, including Warhammer Tone Pro. Search the catalogue or scan supported labels to find a paint, then add it to My Paints or your Wish List. Create custom paints for colours the catalogue doesn’t cover. PLAN EACH PAINTING STEP Create a project for a miniature or army, start with a Painting Method Template, and keep its paint recipe organised by step. Choose alternatives from your rack and mark sections complete as you paint. FIND A PAINT YOU CAN USE When a recipe calls for a paint you don’t own, check alternatives from your collection. Hobby Rack shows published conversions and verified colour guidance where available, helping you choose what to use next. SHOP WITH YOUR WISH LIST Keep the paints you still need in one place and mark them bought when they join your collection. A Home Screen widget keeps your Wish List handy while you shop. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF See the next step in a recent project with the Project widget. Find paints and projects in Spotlight, including whether a paint is in My Paints or on your Wish List. Siri and Shortcuts actions also help you open projects, your Wish List and the scanner. MAKE HOBBY RACK YOURS Choose an alternative app icon and add custom paints that belong in your rack. FREE TO START The paint catalogue, scanner, Wish List and your first three projects are free to use. Hobby Rack Plus adds unlimited projects, iCloud sync and backup, more Painting Method Templates, project-specific paint alternatives, and an ad-free Projects experience. From your first few pots to an army in progress, Hobby Rack keeps your paint decisions with the projects they’re for. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

miniPal studio4 screens
Hobby Rack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: miniPal studio at none against Hobby Rack's 5. miniPal studio also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). Hobby Rack's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. Hobby Rack sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. miniPal studio asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

miniPal studio ships an update every 5 weeks, Hobby Rack weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
miniPal studio versus Hobby Rack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterminiPal studioHobby Rack
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYusuf MohsinallyMark Reid

In-app purchases

None

miniPal studio

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Hobby Rack

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Plan$0.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan1 Year trial$9.991 Year
One-time3
  • Buy me a coffee$2.99
  • Buy me lunch$4.99
  • You've made my day$9.99

Questions

Is miniPal studio free?
miniPal studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hobby Rack free?
Hobby Rack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do miniPal studio or Hobby Rack have ads?
Neither miniPal studio nor Hobby Rack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, miniPal studio or Hobby Rack?
miniPal studio ships an update every 5 weeks, and Hobby Rack weekly. Most recently, miniPal studio was updated on October 10, 2026 and Hobby Rack on October 2, 2026.

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