Comparison

Paint Codex vs Paint Vault

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

Head to head
About

Paint Codex

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
Read full description

Paint Codex, by Battle Servo Studios, is your all-in-one companion for miniature and model painters — from weekend hobbyists to professional commission artists. Document every step of your painting process, stay organized across projects, and build a personal archive of your creative journey. Features • Create detailed Paint Doctrines to record every phase of your work • Start with classic preset painting phases like Building, Priming, and Highlights — or rename, add, and reorder them to fit your own creative process and style. Paint Codex is made for hobbyists of all levels. • Capture progress directly from your camera or device gallery • Export projects as ".paintcodex" files to archive, share, or trade with other painters • Offline-first design — your data stays private on your device • Free plan supports up to 3 Doctrines; upgrade to Premium for unlimited projects, export functionality, and other Your Personal Gallery Paint Codex doubles as a showcase for everything you’ve created or collected. Scroll through your personal Gallery to revisit the models, armies, and art you’ve brought to life — or admire Paint Doctrines you’ve imported from your favorite artists. Take awesome cover photos for each project — they become your Gallery cards and visual trophies of your progress and passion. A Powerful Tool Built to Empower Artists — from Hobbyists to Professionals Beyond tracking colors and steps, Paint Codex gives artists a new creative asset. Export detailed paint breakdowns to share with clients, fans, and collectors — showing the depth of craft behind every project. Use your ".paintcodex" files as part of your professional toolkit: • Bundle them with finished models or tutorials • Share them with your community as premium educational content • Build trust and transparency with clients by revealing your process By helping painters document, share, and leverage their creativity, Paint Codex supports a more sustainable future for artists — and helps the hobby continue to grow. Built on an original system designed by Battle Servo Studios — a patent-pending framework made to preserve and share artistic workflows like never before. Subscription Details: Paint Codex Premium unlocks unlimited gallery card slots, and export functionality allowing you to share your work with your friends and collect as many Paint Doctrines as you like! Subscription options: Monthly ($2.99) or Annual ($24.99) Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account upon purchase. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/battleservostudios/privacy-policy?authuser=0 Developed by Battle Servo Studios LLC Privacy-friendly • No ads • Patent pending

About

Paint Vault

Features
Read full description

Your entire paint collection, in your pocket. Paint Vault is the companion app for miniature painters, scale modellers and hobbyists. Browse a catalogue of 25,000+ paints from 121 brands, track exactly what you own, and never buy the same pot twice. SCAN YOUR POTS Point the camera at a barcode and the paint lands in your inventory. Thousands of references are already matched, paint sets included. KNOW WHAT YOU OWN Your inventory, searchable and filterable, with storage locations, quantities, custom paints for anything not in the catalogue, and stats on your collection. FIND THE RIGHT COLOUR - Colour match: photograph any colour and get the closest paints you already own - Find alternatives: out of stock, or switching brands? Get the nearest equivalent - Harmonies: complementary, triadic and analogous schemes, built from real paints All of it runs on CIEDE2000 colour science, the same maths the printing industry uses. COMPLETE YOUR SETS 2,000+ paint sets are described pot by pot. See what is missing from a box before you buy it. PLAN YOUR PROJECTS Create a project, attach a reference image, pin down its palette and write your mixing recipes so you can repeat them months later. SHOPPING LIST Everything you are missing, in one list, ready for your next order. WORKS OFFLINE The whole catalogue, your inventory and the colour tools work with no connection. Everything syncs when you are back online, and your data is encrypted on the device. Available in 9 languages. Free, with ads. Every feature is free - a single one-time purchase removes the ads for good. No subscription.

Screenshots

Paint Codex4 screens
Paint Vault4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Paint Vault at none against Paint Codex's 2. Paint Vault also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Paint Codex sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Paint Vault asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Paint Codex ships an update fortnightly, Paint Vault every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Paint Codex versus Paint Vault: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaint CodexPaint Vault
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMitch Zavalayann gilles

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Paint Codex

Subscriptions2
  • Paint Codex Premium (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • Paint Codex Premium (Annual)$14.991 Year
None

Paint Vault

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Paint Codex free?
Paint Codex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paint Vault free?
Paint Vault is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Paint Codex or Paint Vault have ads?
Neither Paint Codex nor Paint Vault shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Paint Codex or Paint Vault?
Paint Codex ships an update fortnightly, and Paint Vault every 2 days. Most recently, Paint Codex was updated on September 22, 2026 and Paint Vault on September 19, 2026.

Other comparisons