Report updated Apr 17, 2026
Paint by Number Oil: Hey Color
For individuals seeking a relaxing, stress-relieving creative outlet to beat anxiety or pass time through digital art.
Paint by Number Oil: Hey Color is an established games app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.7/5 rating from 161K reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate relaxing experience, though excessive advertising remains a common concern.
What is Paint by Number Oil: Hey Color?
Current Momentum
v5.4 · 14mo ago
ZombieThe app has not received a feature update in over a year, with the last activity being minor maintenance in February 2025.
Active Nemesis
Happy Color by Numbers Game
By X-Flow
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
GamesNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
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What Are The Key Features?
Automatic color switching when moving the palette, eliminating the need for multiple taps.
Secret images that are unveiled as the user colors them.
Access to over 10,000 coloring pages across diverse categories.
How much does it cost?
- Free to download and play
- In-app purchases for exclusive content and bonuses
Monetization relies on a high-volume ad-supported model supplemented by IAPs. Current user feedback suggests the ad-load is reaching a breaking point for the 'relaxing' value proposition.
Who Built It?
Tripledot Studios
Providing accessible, meditative puzzle experiences for casual gamers. They focus on high-frequency, low-friction gameplay for short sessions.
Portfolio
13
Apps
Who is Tripledot Studios?
Tripledot Studios operates as a data-driven publisher that prioritizes rapid iteration and broad-market accessibility over deep-meta complexity. Their strategic moat is built on a high-volume release cadence that allows them to quickly identify and scale successful casual puzzle mechanics. The current inflection point is a notable tension between their established 'Zen' brand positioning and an increasingly aggressive ad-monetization strategy that is actively eroding user sentiment across their top-performing titles.
Who is Tripledot Studios for?
- Casual mobile gamers
- Seniors
- Seeking low-pressure
- Relaxing
Portfolio momentum
With 188 releases in the last 6 months and a high volume of active titles, the publisher maintains an aggressive development and update cycle.
What other apps does Tripledot Studios make?
Cryptogram: Logic Puzzle Game
Solitaire.com: Classic Cards
Water Sort Puzzle: Get Color
Blackjack
Woodoku - Wood Block Puzzles
Triple Tile: Match Puzzle Game
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 161K total reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate relaxing experience and content variety, but report excessive advertising and technical stability and performance.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What is the competitive landscape for Paint by Number Oil: Hey Color?
How's The Games Market?
How does it evolve in the Games market?
| Country | Category | Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | Trivia | iOSGrossing | #56 | ▲2 |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | Trivia | iOSGrossing | #76 |
The rivals identified
The Nemesis
Head to Head
While Happy Color maintains the edge in scale and IP variety, Hey Color competes effectively on UX innovation. Hey Color's one-hand palette switching is a superior accessibility feature, though it must address its mixed sentiment regarding technical stability to truly challenge the leader.
What sets Paint by Number Oil: Hey Color apart
Proprietary 'One-Hand Coloring' mechanic provides a smoother UX for mobile-first users
Unique 'Mystery Magic' images offer a discovery-based engagement hook that the nemesis lacks
What's Happy Color by Numbers Game's Edge
Significantly larger total rating count and brand recognition in the App Store
Stronger overall sentiment regarding ad-to-play ratio and technical performance
Contenders
花花填色：Paint by Number
★4.4 (62)Tap Q Games
⚡A high-volume direct competitor that mirrors Hey Color's feature set and monetization strategy almost exactly.
Heavy emphasis on 'Special' images like animated and glitter effects
Aggressive performance optimization for older iOS devices
Zen Coloring Book for Adults
★4.6 (178)Adult Coloring Book Apps, LLC
Directly competes for the 'mindfulness' and 'anxiety relief' audience with a very similar aesthetic.
Curated 'Zen' collections specifically designed for meditation and sleep prep
Minimalist UI that reduces cognitive load compared to busier competitors
Peers
Includes an 'AR' gallery feature to view colored works in a 3D space
Broader focus on free-hand coloring alongside paint-by-number
Coloring Book for Adults: Lake
★4.6 (78.7K)Lake Coloring
⚡While more artist-focused, it captures the premium segment of the digital coloring market.
Focus on 'human' artists with a revenue-sharing model for creators
More sophisticated toolset including brushes and textures rather than just tap-to-fill
New Kids on the Block
Hybrid gameplay that provides a higher level of cognitive engagement than pure coloring
Exceptional haptic feedback and polish typical of Easybrain titles
April - אפריל
April Cosmetic & Fragrance Chain Stores
A rising threat that uses a distinct 'oil painting' aesthetic similar to Hey Color's branding but with a more modern UI.
Unique 'swipe-to-color' mechanic that feels more tactile than standard tapping
Highly curated, sophisticated art style that appeals to a more mature demographic
The outtake for Paint by Number Oil: Hey Color
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Proprietary 'One-Hand Coloring' UX
- Mystery Magic discovery mechanic
- Large existing user base (160k+ ratings)
Critical Frictions
- Aggressive ad frequency
- Extreme storage footprint (up to 10GB)
- Perceived decline in art quality (AI-generated)
Growth Levers
- Licensed IP partnerships (Disney/Marvel) to match Nemesis
- Storage optimization to reduce churn on mid-tier devices
- Hybrid gameplay mechanics (coloring + puzzles)
Market Threats
- Happy Color's dominant market share and IP library
- New tactile mechanics like 'swipe-to-color' in April: Coloring
- Declining sentiment trend leading to long-term user abandonment
What are the next best moves?
Optimize asset storage and cache management.
Users are reporting the app takes up 10GB of space, leading to immediate uninstalls despite liking the content.
Implement ad-load capping or a 'Zen Mode' session timer.
Excessive advertising is the #1 complaint theme and directly contradicts the 'stress relief' value proposition.
Curate and label 'Artist-Designed' vs 'AI-Generated' content.
Sentiment data shows users are noticing a shift to computer-generated art and feel the quality has stagnated.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Licensed content library (Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros.) available in Happy Color
- Hybrid jigsaw-coloring mechanics available in Art Puzzle
- AR gallery features available in Colorfy
- Swipe-to-color tactile mechanic available in April: Coloring
Key Takeaways
If I were the PM, I would immediately pivot from content volume to technical optimization, specifically targeting the 10GB storage bloat and ad-frequency friction. While the 'One-Hand Coloring' mechanic is a best-in-class differentiator, it cannot sustain the product if the 'Mixed' sentiment trend continues to drive long-term users toward more stable competitors like Happy Color.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
Frustrated mood regarding 10GB storage requirements — significant technical debt driving uninstalls.
Upset users citing 'unusable' ad frequency — monetization is cannibalizing the core 'relaxation' value prop.
Recent updates (v5.4.14) limited to bug fixes — maintenance mode rather than feature innovation.