Comparison

PaintBuddy vs Mini Painting Tracker

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

Head to head
About

PaintBuddy

Features
Read full description

Paint Buddy is the complete paint reference tool for miniature painters. Free features: Browse the full paint database Search by brand, range and colour Paint Buddy Premium (£2.99/month, 3-day free trial): Cross-brand colour matching Collection and wishlist tracking Paint age tracker Cloud sync across devices Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Mini Painting Tracker

Track your miniature painting backlog, manage paint collections, and log your hobby sessions. This app helps you organize models by project and save paint recipes for consistent results. It's designed to turn your overwhelming hobby backlog into a satisfying progression system.

Highlights
  • Track miniature progress through six stages
  • Save and reuse paint recipes
  • Manage paint collection and generate shopping lists
  • Log painting sessions and track streaks
  • Organize models by project
  • Supports various tabletop gaming miniatures
Features
Read full description

Every painter has a pile. Boxes still in shrink wrap, sprues half clipped, a squad primed two winters ago. Sprue turns that pile into something you want to open every evening: a bench that slowly fills with colour as you paint. EVERY MINI, FROM SPRUE TO SHOWCASE Track each model or unit through On Sprue, Built, Primed, Painting, Painted and Showcase, plus a Wanted list for kits you haven't bought yet. Drag cards across the board, move a whole squad in one tap, and watch your pile tumble on the Desk as you tilt your phone. 3D prints and resin are welcome too. There is no limit on how many models you track. PAINT WITH A TIMER Start a session and follow your recipe one step at a time. The timer and the current step sit on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, so you never have to pick up the phone with paint on your fingers. Start from Control Center, a widget or Siri. When you finish, log what you painted and move models to their next stage. YOUR PAINT RACK, ALL OF IT Sprue knows 3,687 paints from Citadel, Vallejo, The Army Painter, AK Interactive, Monument Hobbies, Scale75, Reaper, Green Stuff World, Kimera Kolors and Formula P3. Add the pots you own, count duplicates, mark what's running low, and stop buying a third pot of the same wash. Metallics shimmer and washes look like washes. RECIPES THAT REMEMBER Save each scheme as steps: basecoat, shade, layer, highlight. On model thirty of a squad, you'll paint it exactly like model one. Recipes know which paints are on your rack and which you still need. PROJECTS AND ARMIES Group models into projects with a points target, a cover photo and colours taken from your recipes. Paste an army list from New Recruit or another list builder, or import a CSV, and Sprue creates every unit for you. PHOTOS AND PROGRESS Add a photo at each stage, compare before and after, and keep a streak that forgives a missed day. The calendar is painted in the colours you actually used. Set a pledge for the month, like ten minis or twenty hours at the desk. SHARE YOUR WORK Make cards for a recipe, your pile report, your streak, an army or a finished model, sized for stories and posts. At the end of the year, get your Year in the Hobby. WIDGETS The Pile, Hobby Streak and Paint Next widgets for your Home Screen and Lock Screen. YOURS, IN YOUR ICLOUD Everything syncs through your own iCloud and moves with you to a new iPhone. Export a backup or a CSV of your models any time, for free. No account needed, no ads, no tracking. SPRUE PRO - The ledger: painted vs bought vs gifted, money spent, hours, and the date you'll clear the pile at your pace - Shelf of Glory: finished minis cut out of their photos and lined up on lit shelves - Can I paint this tonight? Checks your rack before you start and suggests substitutes you already own - Equivalents: the closest paint in every other range, matched by colour and paint type - Rack scan: point the camera at your shelf and add every pot it reads - Smart shopping list grouped by brand - Unlimited recipes (5 are free) and a full photo gallery - Your own stage names, army deadlines for events, and share cards without the Sprue mark - Scheme ideas built from real paints, the ones on your rack first Pro is available monthly, yearly, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, and you can manage or cancel them in your Apple Account settings. Paint colours are approximate; screens and pots differ. Sprue is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Games Workshop or any paint manufacturer. All trademarks belong to their owners. Privacy Policy: https://237LR.github.io/app-legal/sprue/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PaintBuddy4 screens
Mini Painting Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: PaintBuddy at every 3 days against Mini Painting Tracker's every 3 weeks. PaintBuddy also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. PaintBuddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Mini Painting Tracker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PaintBuddy ships an update every 3 days, Mini Painting Tracker every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PaintBuddy versus Mini Painting Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaintBuddyMini Painting Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better18
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB13 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJames ClarkKarol Jaworski

In-app purchases

2 purchases

PaintBuddy

Subscriptions2
  • Paint Buddy Premium$2.991 Month
  • Paint Buddy Premium Annual3 Days trial2 variants$19.991 Year
4 purchases

Mini Painting Tracker

Subscriptions3
  • Sprue Pro$2.991 Month
  • Sprue Pro$19.991 Year
  • Sprue Pro1 Year trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Sprue Pro Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is PaintBuddy free?
PaintBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mini Painting Tracker free?
Mini Painting Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PaintBuddy or Mini Painting Tracker have ads?
Neither PaintBuddy nor Mini Painting Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PaintBuddy or Mini Painting Tracker?
PaintBuddy ships an update every 3 days, and Mini Painting Tracker every 3 weeks. Most recently, PaintBuddy was updated on October 25, 2026 and Mini Painting Tracker on October 25, 2026.

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