Dark Color is a paint-by-number coloring app for teens and adults, featuring surreal and moody illustrations on iOS.
Product velocity
Steady
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#82
▲5Games · free
Sentiment
4.5
19k reviews
Nemesis
Color by Number：Coloring Games
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire the app for meditative, low-stakes creative flow, but the current ad-heavy design forces interruptions that break the very relaxation they seek.
For Teens and adults seeking a calm, creative outlet through mature, atmospheric, and surreal art styles.
Key features
Curated collection of illustrations focusing on alternative aesthetics, surrealism, and symbolic imagery.
Automated coloring function that fills larger sections of an illustration with a single tap.
Full functionality available without an active internet connection.
How much does it cost?
Monetization relies on ad-inventory generated through high-frequency, low-friction coloring sessions.
Velocity
Steady developmentnew contentUX improvementsShow more...
The app maintains a steady development cadence, averaging approximately 0.25 releases per week over the analyzed period. The release history shows a consistent pattern of content-focused updates, specifically adding new moody and surreal illustrations. While the release notes are repetitive, they indicate a focus on content delivery rather than technical maintenance. The development trend is stable, with no significant acceleration or deceleration observed in the last three months.
Who built it?
User Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Fresh user feedback skews upset. Users appreciate high quality visual artwork provides a relaxing experience for users who enjoy coloring, but report excessive ad frequency during active coloring sessions disrupts the relaxation and flow.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- High quality visual artwork provides a relaxing experience for users who enjoy coloring
- Excessive ad frequency during active coloring sessions disrupts the relaxation and flow
60 of 76 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Upset overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 1 more frustration theme and 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Dark Color: Paint by Number
How's the Games market?
The app holds a #73 Free rank in the US and #99 Grossing, but the grossing rank lagging behind free discovery signals monetization friction. The 4.5-star rating on 18,753 reviews confirms a strong core product that is currently being undermined by ad-density.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Wildlife Studios
With over 1.6 million reviews and a high release cadence, this app dominates the paint-by-number category through sheer content volume and market presence.
- Maintains a massive, constantly refreshed library of daily content that keeps users returning for new challenges
- Leverages a mature, high-frequency update cycle that consistently introduces new thematic categories and seasonal events
- Utilizes a highly optimized monetization funnel that balances free-to-play access with aggressive premium content gating
Pixel Art － Color by NumberContender
Paint by Number: Coloring GameContender
Zen Color - Color By NumberContenderUnlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Dark Color: Paint by Number
Where is it heading?
The casual coloring market is consolidating around high-frequency content updates, and the current ad-heavy strategy leaves this app exposed to rivals with better monetization balance. The PM must pivot to a subscription-first model to avoid losing the niche audience to competitors like Zen Color.
- High ad-density in the latest version triggers user churn, which compounds the negative sentiment already visible in recent reviews.
- The latest release added new surreal illustration themes, showing that the team is still investing in the core art library.
The SWOT
- Surreal art library differentiates from mass-market competitors
- Offline-first architecture maintains habit loops
- Dark mode increases nighttime session duration
- Untapped B2B partnerships in education
- Expansion into wearable-friendly puzzle formats
Next best moves
Audit ad-network partners because inappropriate ad content is a top complaint → restore brand trust
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's #2 chart rank is a risk…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Real-time social competition (available in Jigsawscapes but absent here) +1
Since the last report: The app is experiencing increased user churn due to aggressive ad-density and monetization friction, despite maintaining a steady content update cadence.
Bottom line
Dark Color holds a strong niche through its surreal art, but the aggressive ad-monetization is actively destroying its user base, so the PM must prioritize ad-density reduction to stabilize retention.
Unlock 3 critical frictions, 3 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeReport last updated