Best color by number & pixel art coloring apps (2026)
Five popular coloring apps compared on what actually matters: how many pictures you get, whether you can color your own photos, offline play, ads and real prices.
Full disclosure: Pixel Paint is our app. We put it first because it's ours, and we say plainly where the others do better. Every fact below comes from each app's official App Store (US) and Google Play listing, checked on 8 October 2026. Prices and features change, so tap through to the store before you buy anything.
Quick picks
- Pick your own difficulty, pay least to go ad-free: Pixel Paint
- Biggest free library: Happy Color
- Pixel art for kids, without ads: Sandbox
- Snap a photo and color it: Color by Number
- 3D pictures and daily new artworks: Pixel Art by Easybrain
Side-by-side comparison
| App | Pictures | Your own photos | Offline | Ads | To go ad-free or unlock | App Store age | App Store rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pixel Paint | 38 hand-made + 8 starters | Yes | Yes | Yes, in the free version | $4.99 once, or Pro $2.99/month · $19.99/year | 4+ | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Happy Color | 40,000+, all free | Not mentioned | Yes | Yes | $7.99 once, or $9.99/month · $49.99/year | 17+ | 4.8 (3.4M) |
| Sandbox | Not stated | Yes | Not mentioned | Listing says “No Ads” | $3.49/month · $19.49/year | 4+ | 4.7 (978K) |
| Color by Number | Not stated | Yes, gallery or camera | Not mentioned | No ads label on Google Play | From $12.49/month · $99.99/year | 4+ | 4.7 (1.8M) |
| Pixel Art by Easybrain | 40,000+, daily updates | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Yes | $7.99/week · $14.99/month · $46.99/year | 12+ | 4.7 (747K) |
“Not mentioned” means the official listing doesn't say either way, not that the feature is missing. Prices are the in-app purchases listed on the US App Store; your country's prices may differ.
1. Pixel Paint — pick your own difficulty
Best for: people who want to decide how long a picture takes, and who'd rather pay little or nothing to get rid of ads.
Every picture in Pixel Paint comes in several sizes, from 30×30 for a coffee break to 90×90 for a long evening, so the same fox or mountain lake can be a five-minute color or a whole project. You can also turn your own photos into pixel art, and it works offline. The free version shows ads; a one-time $4.99 removes them, and Pro at $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year adds subscriber-only pictures and unlimited photos of your own. That's the lowest one-time ad removal and the lowest monthly plan on this list.
Where others beat it: the library is small, 38 hand-made pictures against 40,000+ in Happy Color or Pixel Art by Easybrain, and the app is new, with only a handful of ratings so far.
2. Happy Color — the biggest free library
Best for: coloring as much as you like without paying.
Happy Color says all 40,000+ of its pictures are free, and it plays without Wi-Fi. It's one of the most-rated apps in the category, with 3.4 million ratings on the US App Store.
Watch out for: it carries Google Play's “Contains ads” label; removing ads is $7.99 one-time or a $9.99 monthly Premium, and one of the listed options notes that hint ads stay. The App Store rates it 17+, which matters if you're choosing for a child.
3. Sandbox — pixel art for kids, without ads
Best for: families who want a simple pixel art coloring app for children.
Sandbox is rated 4+, its listing says “No Ads. Only safe art”, and it turns photos from your gallery into pixel art. At 11 MB it's also the smallest download here by far.
Watch out for: it's a subscription app, $3.49 a month or $19.49 a year on the US App Store, and the listing doesn't mention offline play.
4. Color by Number: Coloring Games — snap a photo and color it
Best for: turning a picture you just took into a coloring page.
Wildlife Studios' app lets you import pictures from your gallery or snap a photo with the camera and color it by number. It's rated 4+ and has 1.8 million ratings on the US App Store.
Watch out for: it's the priciest to unlock here, with Color Unlimited from $12.49 a month or $99.99 a year, and it also sells coins and booster packs.
5. Pixel Art by Easybrain — 3D and daily new artworks
Best for: variety, with 3D pictures, events and fresh artworks every day.
Easybrain lists more than 40,000 artworks, a daily updated collection, 3D coloring, and a mode to create your own pixel art.
Watch out for: Google Play labels it “Contains ads”, Premium removes them at $7.99 a week, $14.99 a month or $46.99 a year, and the App Store rates it 12+.
How we compared
- Sources: each app's official App Store (US) listing and in-app purchase list, plus its Google Play listing, checked on 8 October 2026.
- Which apps: the most-rated color by number and pixel art coloring apps on the US App Store that are actively updated and available on both iPhone and Android.
- What we didn't do: we didn't buy every subscription or count pictures ourselves, so we quote only what each developer states.
- Our bias: we make Pixel Paint. If something here is out of date, write to contact@nadzeyayashchuk.com and we'll fix it.
Best color by number apps — FAQ
What is the best free color by number app?
If you never want to pay, Happy Color has the biggest free library on this list, with 40,000+ pictures that its listing says are all free. Expect ads in exchange.
Which app turns my own photos into pixel art?
Pixel Paint and Sandbox both turn photos from your gallery into pixel art, and Color by Number by Wildlife Studios can import a photo or take one with the camera. You can also try our free pixel art converter in the browser first.
Which coloring apps work offline?
Pixel Paint and Happy Color both say they work without an internet connection. The other listings don't mention offline play either way.
What is the cheapest way to color without ads?
Sandbox's listing says it has no ads but needs a $3.49 monthly subscription. Among apps with ads, Pixel Paint has the cheapest one-time removal at $4.99, against $7.99 in Happy Color, and the cheapest monthly plan at $2.99.
