# Grid vs Paintwell

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Grid at none against Paintwell's 9. Paintwell's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Paintwell sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.00 per month. Grid asks for nothing beyond the download.

Grid ships an update fortnightly, Paintwell weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Grid | Paintwell |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintwell-real-paint-mixing/id6806537336/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 148 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Chris Wang](https://appshunter.io/developer/1723706836) | [Paintwell LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6806537338) |

## What reviewers say

### Grid

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grid-layout/id6748335211)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Paintwell

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintwell-real-paint-mixing/id6806537336)

This app helps oil and acrylic painters create a step-by-step plan for their artwork. It analyzes photos to identify colors, provides mixing recipes using your own paint tubes, and offers tools for value studies, line drawings, and progress tracking.

**Highlights:** Photo analysis for color identification, Customizable paint mixing recipes, Step-by-step painting plan generation, Value and line drawing tools, Progress tracking and AI critique, Colorblind assist, Paint index with 700+ colors

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Studio, monthly | $3.00 | per month |
| Professional, monthly | $6.00 | per month |
| Studio, yearly | $20.00 | per year |
| Professional, yearly | $48.00 | per year |
| 5 Line Drawings | $3.00 | one-time |
| 1 Painting Plan | $6.00 | one-time |
| 15 Line Drawings | $6.00 | one-time |
| 5 Painting Plans | $20.00 | one-time |
| 10 Painting Plans | $30.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Grid free?

Grid is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Paintwell free?

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

### Do Grid or Paintwell have ads?

Neither Grid nor Paintwell shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Grid or Paintwell?

Grid ships an update fortnightly, and Paintwell weekly. Most recently, Grid was updated on November 8, 2026 and Paintwell on November 10, 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.*