miniPal studio vs Hobby Rack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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 descriptionHide 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
Hobby Rack
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | miniPal studio | Hobby Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yusuf Mohsinally | Mark Reid |
In-app purchases
miniPal studio
No in-app purchases
Hobby Rack
- Monthly Plan$0.991 Month
- Yearly Plan1 Year trial$9.991 Year
- Buy me a coffee$2.99
- Buy me lunch$4.99
- You've made my day$9.99
Questions
Is miniPal studio free?
Is Hobby Rack free?
Do miniPal studio or Hobby Rack have ads?
Which is updated more often, miniPal studio or Hobby Rack?
Other comparisons















