What is the difference between Tonebook and Palette Hunt?

Both are iPhone AI color analysis apps that read a selfie and return a season plus a personal palette. Palette Hunt charges a one-time fee (its website states pricing from $19, no subscription) and markets a 16-season system with AI-generated preview photos. Tonebook offers a one-time report option alongside subscriptions, uses a 12-sub-season system, and publishes a runner-up season with a confidence delta.

Is Palette Hunt a subscription?

No. Palette Hunt's website states it is a one-time payment with no subscription, starting from $19. Tonebook also offers a one-time report option, plus weekly, annual, and lifetime choices if you prefer.

Does Palette Hunt or Tonebook use more color seasons?

Palette Hunt's website markets a 16-season system; Tonebook uses a 12-sub-season system. More buckets is not automatically more accurate — what matters is how confidently borderline coloring is handled. Tonebook addresses that by publishing a runner-up season and confidence delta rather than a single absolute answer.

Tonebook / Color Guide

Tonebook vs Palette Hunt

Two iPhone AI color analysis apps with one-time pricing — compared on the things that actually differ.

The short version: Tonebook and Palette Hunt both read a selfie on iPhone and return a season plus a personal palette, and both let you pay once instead of subscribing. They differ on the color framework and on how the result is reported. Palette Hunt markets a 16-season system and one-time pricing (from $19 per its website) with AI-generated preview photos. Tonebook uses a 12-sub-season system and publishes a runner-up season with a confidence delta, plus subscription and lifetime options beyond the one-time report. Everything below is verified against each app's public App Store listing and website (June 2026).

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What they have in common

Both are AI color analysis apps for iPhone that read a single selfie
Both return a season placement and a personal color palette
Both offer a one-time purchase rather than forcing a subscription
Both preview colors on your own photo

Where Palette Hunt is strong

One-time payment, no subscription (its website states pricing from $19)
Markets a 16-season system — a finer gradient than the standard 12
AI-generated preview photos showing hair, makeup, and outfit colors on your face

Where Tonebook differs

Honest-accuracy stance. Tonebook publishes your runner-up season and a confidence delta. More season buckets do not make a borderline result more certain; showing the runner-up does.
Flexible pricing beyond one-time. Tonebook offers a one-time report and also weekly, annual, and lifetime options, so you can match the price to how you will use it.
Photo handling, stated plainly. Live AI is the default: your selfie is resized and sent over an encrypted connection to Tonebook's function and on to OpenAI for inference. Tonebook does not keep it, and OpenAI may retain API inputs for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring before deleting them. You can switch Live AI off in Settings to keep every analysis on-device. No facial recognition, no face embeddings, never used for model training. Full detail in the privacy policy.

Competitor details below were read from each app's own live App Store listing on 2026-09-12. Features and pricing change without notice — confirm on the current listing before you buy. Tonebook is our app, so our bias is disclosed.

Side-by-side

Feature	Tonebook	Palette Hunt
Platform	iPhone	iPhone
Season system	12 sub-seasons	16 seasons (per its site)
One-time purchase option	✓	✓ (from $19)
Subscription / lifetime options	✓	— (one-time)
Reports runner-up season + confidence	✓	—

Pricing and feature details verified from each app's public App Store listing and website in June 2026; prices change, so check the current listing before buying.

See your season — runner-up and all

Tonebook scans a single selfie, places you in a 12-sub-season palette, and shows your runner-up season with a confidence delta. The free preview includes your season and up to 10 colors.