Mini Painting Tracker vs Hobby Codex
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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/
Hobby Codex
Organize your miniature painting hobby with this app. Catalog your collection, save paint recipes, manage your paint inventory, and track project progress. Designed for mobile use on your painting desk.
- Catalog miniatures
- Save paint recipes
- Manage paint inventory
- Track project progress
- Log painting sessions
- Built-in paint catalog
Read full descriptionHide full description
Hobby Codex is a mobile app for miniature painters. It keeps your collection, paints, color schemes, projects, and painting journal in one place. Once boxes start piling up, notes get scattered, and you can no longer remember which paints or steps were planned, it becomes hard to keep track. Hobby Codex helps you follow a miniature from the box to the finished model. Start by scanning a box Scan its barcode, or search by name, to find its contents and add its miniatures to your collection in a few taps. No need to enter every reference one by one. The catalogue also lets you browse available factions and boxes. This feature is available with a subscription. You can also add a miniature manually, whether it comes from a box that is not in the catalogue or is a custom reference. Organize your collection Track the miniatures you own or want to buy, along with their assembly and painting progress. Add your own photos, notes, and details to keep a useful record of every model. Plan your painting - create color schemes; - break a miniature down into parts and painting steps; - keep track of the paints and techniques you use; - see which pots are missing from your inventory. Move your projects forward Group related miniatures into projects or campaigns. Track their progress and keep a clear view of what remains to be done. Keep a record of your sessions The journal records your painting sessions: time spent, miniatures worked on, calendar, and progress over time. Pick up where you left off without having to reconstruct your plans. Your collection stays on your device by default. If you create an account, you can choose to back up your data and photos to the cloud and restore them on another device. Hobby Codex is available in French and English, with no ads. Catalogue subscription Tracking features are free. Access to the box catalogue requires an account and a Hobby Codex Catalogue subscription, monthly or yearly, that renews automatically. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://nicolaslabrousse.github.io/hobby-codex-legal/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hobby Codex at 100% against Mini Painting Tracker's 50%. Hobby Codex also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.7) and monetization model (free vs freemium). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Mini Painting Tracker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Hobby Codex sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Hobby Codex holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Mini Painting Tracker's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hobby Codex's.
Mini Painting Tracker ships an update every 3 weeks, Hobby Codex every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mini Painting Tracker | Hobby Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 81 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Karol Jaworski | Labrousse Nicolas |
Customer experience
Mini Painting Tracker
Hobby Codex
In-app purchases
Mini Painting Tracker
- Sprue Pro$2.991 Month
- Sprue Pro$19.991 Year
- Sprue Pro1 Year trial$39.991 Year
- Sprue Pro Lifetime$49.99
Hobby Codex
- Box Catalog$2.991 Month
- Box Catalog$24.991 Year
Questions
Is Mini Painting Tracker free?
Is Hobby Codex free?
Which has better reviews, Mini Painting Tracker or Hobby Codex?
Do Mini Painting Tracker or Hobby Codex have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mini Painting Tracker or Hobby Codex?
Other comparisons















