# Datacolor ColorReader

> Color & Paint Matching App

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/id1217566816](https://chrome-stats.com/d/id1217566816)

## Overview

- **ID:** `id1217566816`
- **Platform:** Apple
- **Type:** Apple app
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** Datacolor Inc.
- **Category:** Productivity
- **Rating:** 4.70 / 5 (704 ratings)
- **Version:** 3.24.8
- **Last updated:** 2025-05-05
- **First published:** 2017-03-28
- **Size:** 34 MB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-22
- **Store listing:** [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/datacolor-colorreader/id1217566816)
- **Website:** [http://www.colorreader.datacolor.com](http://www.colorreader.datacolor.com/)
- **Privacy policy:** [http://www.datacolor.com/legal-documents/colorreader/privacy-policy/](http://www.datacolor.com/legal-documents/colorreader/privacy-policy/)

## Description

Datacolor ColorReader lets professionals and DIYers identify paint colors with over 90% accuracy. A single press analyzes the color of a wall or object and matches it to a wide range of popular brands or your own uploaded fan decks—eliminating guesswork and costly mismatches. Designed for on-site confidence, it delivers quick, reliable results and supports color decisions from first take to final finish.

Through the mobile app, you can build, save, and share color palettes; review measurement history; receive harmonious color scheme recommendations; and obtain exact color names and numbers. The app returns precise values (RGB, Hex, CIELab, and more) and supports QC checks on ColorReader and ColorReader Pro. With Datacolor’s 45 years of color precision, ColorReader is a trusted tool for painters, designers, and color-conscious professionals.

## Rankings

- #63,287 — Overall
- #18 — eyedropper

## Review summary

Datacolor ColorReader is praised for fast, in-store color matching and broad brand coverage, plus useful color-scheme tools. However, many reviews flag serious drawbacks: readings are frequently inaccurate, especially on textured samples; connectivity and update issues plague reliability; the library is incomplete or not up-to-date; and the app often requires an active hardware connection, limiting offline use. Overall, it can save time but its reliability and library gaps limit effectiveness.

### Pros

- Fast color matching in seconds when used with the ColorReader hardware, saving time vs traditional fan decks.
- Wide brand coverage; the library includes many major paint brands.
- Supports color-theory tools like complementary, analogous, triadic, and monochromatic schemes and allows custom palettes.
- Overall convenience and ease of use for quick in-store color matching, helping professionals and DIYers alike.

### Cons

- Color readings are inconsistent and often inaccurate across different colors and surfaces.
- Frequent connectivity and pairing issues; the app sometimes won’t connect or complete updates.
- The color library is incomplete or outdated, with missing brand colors and palette entries.
- The app can feel clunky and relies on a live connection to the device to view scanned colors (no offline access).

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/id1217566816)