# Paint Codex vs Color Study

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Color Study at 512 against Paint Codex's 8. Color Study also leads on chart position (#116 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). Paint Codex's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 88%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Paint Codex sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Color Study sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Paint Codex against 4.9 for Color Study. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Color Study has 512 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Paint Codex's written reviews are positive against 88% of Color Study's.

Paint Codex ships an update fortnightly, Color Study every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Paint Codex | Color Study |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paint-codex/id6752630177/reviews)** | [4.9 (512 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-study-simplify-painting/id6755313672/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **512** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 87.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#116** |
| Size | 63 MB | 195 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mitch Zavala](https://appshunter.io/developer/1840294021) | [BrushLabs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1873618742) |

## What reviewers say

### Paint Codex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paint-codex/id6752630177)

This app helps miniature and model painters document their creative process. Organize projects, record every step with custom phases, and build a personal gallery of your work. Export your progress to share with clients or the community.

**Highlights:** Create custom paint doctrines, Record painting steps and phases, Capture progress via camera/gallery, Export projects as .paintcodex files, Offline-first design for privacy, Personal gallery for completed work

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Paint Codex Premium (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Paint Codex Premium (Annual) | $14.99 | per year |


### Color Study

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-study-simplify-painting/id6755313672)

**Currently charting:** #116 Top Grossing · Graphics & Design, #175 Top Free · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app helps artists simplify images into essential shapes and colors for study. It provides tools for accurate color matching, paint mixing guidance, and detailed analysis of value, saturation, and color codes. Advanced features for deeper analysis and paint mixing are available via subscription.

**Highlights:** Image simplification to shapes and colors, Accurate color picker with pixel averaging, Paint mixing guidance, Value, saturation, and color code inspection, Interactive analysis maps, Customizable grid overlay

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Color Study Pro monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Color Study Pro monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Color Study Pro yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Color Study Pro Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Color Study tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Color Study tip | $19.99 | one-time |
| Color Study tip | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Paint Codex free?

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

### Is Color Study free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Paint Codex or Color Study?

Paint Codex is rated higher. Paint Codex averages 5.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Color Study averages 4.9 from 512 ratings.

### Do Paint Codex or Color Study have ads?

Neither Paint Codex nor Color Study shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Paint Codex or Color Study?

Paint Codex ships an update fortnightly, and Color Study every 11 days. Most recently, Paint Codex was updated on October 8, 2026 and Color Study on October 18, 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.*