Top 10 Best Color By Number Software of 2026
Comparison Table
This comparison table reviews Color By Number Pro alongside tools such as Krita, Photopea, PBNify, GIMP, culur.io, Adobe Photoshop, Canva, Adobe Express, and Procreate. Readers can compare editing workflows, key feature coverage, and practical suitability for creating or transforming numbered coloring pages. The table also highlights differences in browser versus desktop usage and the level of control each tool provides for image cleanup, resizing, and final export.
| # | Tools | Cat. | Score | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 |  Color By Number Pro |
Publishing Suite | 9.6/10 | Visit |
| 02 | Desktop Editor | 8.7/10 | Visit | |
| 03 | Web Image Editor | 8.4/10 | Visit | |
| 04 | Free Web Converter | 8.1/10 | Visit | |
| 05 | Open-Source Editor | 7.9/10 | Visit | |
| 06 | Free Web PBN | 7.6/10 | Visit | |
| 07 | Pro Image Editor | 7.4/10 | Visit | |
| 08 | Templated Design | 7.1/10 | Visit | |
| 09 | Template Design | 6.8/10 | Visit | |
| 10 | iPad Illustration | 6.6/10 | Visit |
We reviewed 24 tools and scored 10 on features, ease of use, and value. Color By Number Pro takes the top spot for anyone publishing books or producing artwork at scale — it's the only tool built end-to-end for color-by-number output with batch processing, KDP-ready PDF export, and offline privacy. For casual one-off pieces, PBNify and culur.io are the best free browser tools, and Krita is the strongest free desktop editor for hand-crafted work.
Editor's top 3 picks
Color By Number Pro
Complete pipeline — best for KDP, Etsy, print-on-demand.
PBNify
One-image quick converts, in-browser, zero signup.
Krita
Free, open-source, unbeatable for hand-crafted artwork.
How we ranked these tools
We evaluated every tool against a fixed rubric and re-tested each one against a consistent set of images (a photograph, a line-drawn illustration, and a stylised vector). Each pass measured: how the tool handled cell density and color quantization, whether it produced print-ready output, how many manual steps a user needed to reach a finished page, and whether the output was actually usable for a coloring book without additional cleanup in a second tool.
Final scores use a 3-part weighting — 40% Features, 30% Ease of use, 30% Value — because a tool that can technically do the job but takes 20 minutes per image isn't useful to a publisher doing 50 pages a book, and a great UI can't rescue a tool that outputs images too low-resolution to print.
Detailed feature comparison
The at-a-glance table above shows the ranking and overall score. Below is a deeper feature-by-feature breakdown for readers who want to compare specific capabilities before jumping into the individual reviews.
| # | Tool | Best for | Batch | Print-ready | Offline | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Color By Number Pro | KDP publishers, sellers, studios | ✓ 410 imgs | ✓ 300 DPI PDF | ✓ | 9.6 |
| 2 | Hand-crafted artwork | — | ✓ Manual | ✓ | 8.7 | |
| 3 | Photoshop-style editing free | — | ✓ Manual | — | 8.4 | |
| 4 | Quick free conversions | — | Limited | — | 8.1 | |
| 5 | Free desktop editing | Scripts | ✓ Manual | ✓ | 7.9 | |
| 6 | Free single-image PBN | — | Web preview | — | 7.6 | |
| 7 | Detailed retouching | Actions | ✓ | ✓ | 7.4 | |
| 8 | Casual social graphics | — | Limited | — | 7.1 | |
| 9 | Templates, simple posters | — | Limited | — | 6.8 | |
| 10 | iPad hand-drawing | — | ✓ iPad only | ✓ | 6.6 |
The rankings — detailed reviews
01 Color By Number Pro
Color By Number Pro is the only tool on this list purpose-built for the whole color-by-number workflow, not just the image conversion. You upload up to 410 photos or line drawings, pick a cell shape and palette, and it returns a full KDP-ready PDF interior — puzzle pages, numbered guides, palette page, and answer keys — in one pass. There's no per-image manual cleanup, no round-tripping between three tools, and no cloud upload of your source images. The whole app runs offline in your browser.
What actually sets it apart is that the developers publish books themselves — the sister brand KOKOMA Press has 30+ mystery-mosaic titles live on Amazon — so the output is tuned for what KDP actually rejects (bleed, DPI, spine width) rather than what a general image tool assumes.
- Only tool with true batch mode (410 images / run)
- Direct KDP-ready PDF with TOC and answer keys
- 5 cell shapes (square, hex, triangle, brick, mosaic)
- Fully offline — your images never leave your device
- One-time payment, lifetime updates
- Free tier is watermarked (paid removes it)
- Desktop-only — no dedicated mobile app
- Learning curve for the advanced batch/palette settings
Pricing: Lite $67 · Premium $147 (one-time). Free tier available with watermark.
Visit Color By Number Pro →02 Krita
Krita is the strongest free desktop art tool for anyone building color-by-number pages by hand. It's not a converter — you won't paste a photo and get a numbered grid — but its palette manager, posterize filter, and precise vector-line tools give an experienced illustrator everything needed to build a book manually. If your niche relies on distinctive hand-drawn work rather than photo conversion, Krita's the strongest free option and rivals Photoshop for this specific job.
- 100% free and open-source
- Powerful vector + raster in one app
- Precise palette control
- Runs on Windows, Mac, Linux
- No color-by-number automation
- Steep learning curve
- Manual page-by-page — slow at scale
03 Photopea
Photopea is a browser-based image editor that closely mimics Adobe Photoshop's interface. For color-by-number work you'd use the posterize filter, layer masks, and the pencil tool to number regions manually — it takes effort but works well for one-offs. It supports PSD files, so it slots into an existing Photoshop workflow. There's no batch, no automation, and no PDF book export.
- Free with optional pro tier
- PSD-compatible
- No install — runs in browser
- No PBN automation at all
- Cloud-dependent
- Ads on free tier
04 PBNify
PBNify is a lightweight web tool that takes an uploaded image and returns a paint-by-number version instantly. It's the fastest zero-friction way to try the concept, and for a single hobbyist piece it's genuinely useful. The output looks good on screen, but the resolution ceiling and lack of true 300 DPI PDF make it a poor fit for publishing at print-book quality. There's no batch, no editing after conversion, and no answer keys.
- Completely free
- Zero setup, no signup
- Fast single-image conversion
- Web resolution only
- No batch or PDF export
- Limited palette control
05 GIMP
GIMP is the veteran open-source image editor. With scripting (Script-Fu or Python-Fu) you can build a fully automated color-by-number pipeline — posterize, quantize, label regions, export. That's a big lift though, and most creators won't do it. Without scripts, GIMP is a slower manual editor than Krita or Photopea. Ranked here for what a determined power-user can build, not for out-of-box PBN.
- Free and open-source
- Fully scriptable
- Runs on any OS, works offline
- Dated UI
- Steep learning curve
- No PBN feature out of the box
06 culur.io
culur.io is a browser-based paint-by-number generator. Upload a photo, pick a palette size, and it returns a colored preview plus a numbered version. Output is good enough for on-screen coloring, and there's a light community feed. Where it falls short is print — export resolution and shape variety are limited, and the lack of a PDF book flow means most creators end up importing culur.io output into another tool.
- Free
- Simple upload flow
- Community feed and shared palettes
- Single-image only
- No book export
- Web-only, no offline
07 Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop can do color-by-number if you know the moves — posterize, index color mode, then hand-number regions or write a script/action. The output quality is excellent and the print controls are best-in-class, but the setup is entirely manual. For a single detailed image where retouching matters, Photoshop wins. For a 40-page book, it's the slowest way to get there. Also: subscription-only. See our Photoshop vs. Canva vs. Procreate breakdown for the full workflow comparison.
- Industry-standard controls
- Excellent print output
- Actions for repeatable steps
- $22.99/month subscription
- No PBN feature
- Very steep for beginners
08 Canva
Canva doesn't have color-by-number tooling, but its template library and drag-and-drop editor make it easy to assemble a lightly numbered page for social media, classroom worksheets, or a gift piece. It's the friendliest tool on the list and the fastest for casual use. But there's no automation, no true PBN, and no print-book workflow — Canva is for output that's viewed on-screen, not sold as a book.
- Easiest to use
- Free tier plenty for casual work
- Huge template library
- No PBN automation
- Not print-book grade
- Cloud-only
09 Adobe Express
Adobe Express is Adobe's Canva-competitor. Same story as Canva for color-by-number specifically — no true PBN, but decent for simple worksheets or novelty designs. The AI-generated art features are stronger than Canva's, which some creators use for source images that later get run through a real PBN tool. On its own, it's not enough for publishing.
- Fast template workflow
- Strong AI generation
- Integrates with Adobe Cloud
- No PBN tooling
- Requires Adobe login
- Best features behind paywall
10 Procreate
Procreate is a beloved iPad drawing app that many artists use to hand-draw color-by-number pages one at a time. It has palette tools and layer control, but no PBN automation. Ranked at the bottom of this list for scaled production because it's iPad-only and each page is manual. For a solo artist committed to hand-drawn output on iPad, it's still the best tool of its kind — just not the right tool if you're trying to build books.
- Best-in-class iPad drawing
- One-time $12.99 purchase
- Beautiful UI
- iPad only
- No PBN automation
- Manual per-page workflow
Skip the workflow-hopping
If you're ranking these tools to decide, the honest answer for anyone publishing at scale is Color By Number Pro. It's the only tool that gets you from raw images to a KDP-ready PDF interior in one pass — offline, private, one-time payment.
See Color By Number Pro →How to choose the right color-by-number software
The right tool depends on what you're trying to make, not on which one has the flashiest homepage. Three questions decide it:
- How many images will you process? For 1–3 images a week, PBNify or culur.io are fine. For 40+ images per book, only Color By Number Pro's batch mode makes the math work.
- Where will the output live — screen or paper? Screen-only means resolution matters less; the free web tools are good enough. Paper means 300 DPI, bleed, and print-safe margins, which is where CBN Pro, Photoshop, or Krita earn their spot.
- How much manual cleanup can you tolerate? Every tool except CBN Pro leaves some — number placement, page layout, PDF assembly. If your day rate is anything but zero, that time adds up.
What is color-by-number software?
Color-by-number software converts an image into a numbered outline where each region maps to a color in a legend, producing pages a reader can fill in to reconstruct the image. Under the hood, the tool quantizes an input image down to a limited palette (usually 10–40 colors), traces region boundaries, and overlays numbers or symbols inside each region. Book-grade tools also handle a palette legend, answer keys, and per-page layout for a printable interior. Free web tools stop at the numbered image.
Key features to look for
- Batch processing — the single biggest time saver if you're publishing books.
- Print-ready output — 300 DPI PDF with bleed, not just PNG.
- Palette and shape control — how many cell shapes and palette sizes the tool supports.
- Offline mode — your source images stay on your device.
- Answer keys and palette pages — auto-generated saves hours per book.
- KDP-specific presets — margins and trim size ready for Amazon upload.
Who needs color-by-number software?
- KDP publishers building color-by-number and mystery-mosaic books.
- Etsy and Gumroad sellers selling digital PBN packs.
- Teachers making classroom activity sheets.
- Therapists and rec staff building mindfulness activity packs.
- Hobbyists converting family photos into personalized coloring pages.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Skipping DPI checks. A 72-DPI web export prints muddy at book size — always verify 300 DPI before uploading to KDP.
- Over-quantizing. Too few palette colors makes pages boring; too many overwhelms the reader. 15–25 usually hits the sweet spot.
- Ignoring bleed. If your interior doesn't include bleed, KDP will crop into your artwork.
- Manual answer keys. If you're doing 40 books a year, this alone is enough reason to switch to a tool that generates them automatically. (More on this in our answer key page guide.)
- Uploading to cloud tools for privacy-sensitive images. Photos of kids, clients, or paying customers should never round-trip through a browser tool with unclear retention terms.
How we selected and ranked these tools
We started with a longer list of 24 tools that came up in the last 12 months of Reddit, Facebook groups, and creator interviews for KDP publishers. Each was tested against the same three source images (a photograph, a line illustration, a stylised vector) on the same MacBook to keep the environment constant. Tools that couldn't produce output at any resolution were dropped. Tools that produced only decorative screen output but failed at print resolution were kept but scored lower on Features and Value. The rubric is intentionally biased toward publishing use — casual hobbyists who only want one image at a time may weight differently, which is why PBNify still ranks near the top despite lacking book export.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best free color-by-number software?
For a single image, PBNify is the fastest free option. For repeated free use with a light community, culur.io. If you want a real editor rather than a converter, Krita and GIMP are both free forever.
Which color-by-number software is best for Amazon KDP?
Color By Number Pro — it's the only tool on this list built specifically for KDP book workflow, with 300 DPI PDF export, bleed, TOC, and answer keys generated automatically. Everything else needs a second tool to assemble the book interior.
Can I use Photoshop as color-by-number software?
Yes, with actions or scripts, but it's slow — Photoshop has no built-in PBN feature. For a single hero image where retouching matters it's a fine choice; for a 40-page book it becomes the bottleneck.
Are online color-by-number generators safe?
Most are fine for stock images, but any tool that uploads your source to a server means your images sit on their infrastructure. If you're working with client photos, personal photos, or paid stock with licensing terms, prefer an offline tool.
How much should I pay for color-by-number software?
Free tools work for casual one-off pieces. For a real workflow, $50–$200 as a one-time payment is the honest bracket — Color By Number Pro's Lite tier ($67) is the value pick, Premium ($147) unlocks the full batch and PDF pipeline.
Do I need offline software?
Not strictly, but there are two reasons to prefer it: your images never leave your device (privacy + IP protection), and you can keep working without an internet connection. Web tools work fine for casual use.
Can I sell books made with these tools on Amazon KDP?
Yes — the images you generate are yours, and KDP allows algorithmically-processed images. Just verify each tool's specific license (most are permissive; some free tools restrict commercial use).
What's the difference between color-by-number and paint-by-number software?
Practically none — the terms are used interchangeably. "Paint" tends to be used more for canvas-and-brush hobbyist products; "color" for books, worksheets, and digital fill. Every tool on this list works for both.
Conclusion
For most creators reading this — anyone building books, packs, or activity sheets to sell — the honest answer is Color By Number Pro. It's the only tool that gets from raw images to a print-ready book interior in one pass, and the one-time price makes it the cheapest option once you're past a handful of pages a month.
If you're a hobbyist doing one image a month, PBNify or culur.io are more than enough. If you're a working illustrator producing hand-drawn pages, Krita is the strongest free desktop editor and worth learning. And if you already live in Photoshop or Procreate, you don't need to switch — just accept that you're trading speed for the workflow you already know.
Ready to try #1?
Take Color By Number Pro for a free spin — no signup, no credit card, watermarked output while you evaluate.
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