Lake and Pigment are two of the most popular adult coloring apps on iPhone and iPad, and both are rated 4.6 on the App Store. Lake is built around hand-drawn books from independent artists. Pigment is built around a huge library and a wide range of tools. Here is how they differ, and where a third option, Paint Alive, fits in.
How do Lake and Pigment compare?
| Lake | Pigment | |
|---|---|---|
| Library | 1,500+ drawings from 100+ independent artists | 10,000+ pages, including Marvel content |
| Free content | Free trial; full access needs a subscription | 800+ pages for free users and a free daily page |
| Tools | Artistic brushes, glitter, smudge and acrylic marker; color inside or outside the lines | 30+ tools including pencil, marker, pastel, airbrush and watercolor; tap to fill |
| Extras | Import your own drawing or photo, coloring journal, ASMR brush sounds | Community gallery, tutorials, detailed Apple Pencil control |
| Sync | Works offline and syncs with iCloud | Not stated in the listing |
| US price | $2.99/week, $9.99/month, $39.99–$59.99/year | $4.99/week, $9.99/month, $59.99/year, 7-day free trial |
| App Store rating | 4.6 from 82K ratings, Editors' Choice | 4.6 from 219K ratings |
Sources: the US App Store listings for Lake and Pigment, checked on October 24, 2026. Prices change; check the listing before you subscribe.
Which should you choose?
Choose Lake if the style of the artwork matters most. Each book comes from a named illustrator, new books arrive every month, and iCloud sync keeps your pages on every device.
Choose Pigment if you want the biggest library and the most tools, or plenty to color before paying: it has hundreds of free pages and a free trial.
Is there an alternative to both?
If neither quite fits, Paint Alive takes a different approach. It has a smaller library of 250+ original canvases, but every stroke carries real crayon or colored-pencil texture and never crosses the lines. Each canvas comes with palettes made for it and an optional color guide. It has no ads, and costs $39.99 a year in the US.
- Paint Alive vs Lake
- Paint Alive vs Pigment
- Free printable coloring pages to try the artwork first
Lake and Pigment are trademarks of their owners. Paint Alive is not affiliated with either.