I used to draw Zentangle for a while to relieve my anxiety; whenever I was focused on my drawing, I felt very calm. Later, when I was busy traveling for work, every time I sat exhausted on trains and buses, I would always think back to that afternoon when I was absorbed in drawing.
So I picked up my pen again—not on paper, but on my phone. I discovered some new “games”—some coloring apps.
Why I choose coloring games to relax
When I face a coloring game, I’m not making art. I’m not solving world problems. I’m tapping a number, watching a tiny square fill in, and repeating it 400 times until suddenly the page looks like something.
That repetition is the point.
It’s the same feeling as washing dishes, folding laundry, or repotting a plant. Little visible progress. No decisions that matter. No losing streak. No leaderboard judging you.
I am still actively creating the artwork, but I don't have to plan the composition, figure out where the shadows go, or select every color on my own. As I focused on the repetitive act of filling in colors with my brush, I rediscovered some of the painting experiences I once had.
Plus, I don’t need to set aside paper and a pen or an uninterrupted afternoon—I can keep drawing while waiting for a bus, while waiting at the airport, or while traveling. That’s the real reason I chose this.
Which coloring apps don’t require WiFi do I recommend?
The best relaxing apps remove choice anxiety. You don’t open them wondering. You open them, pick the first pretty thing, and start.
The problem is: a lot of these apps quietly sabotage that calm with ads, paywalls, and “daily streaks” that make relaxation feel like a part-time job.
So I wasn’t just looking at libraries and graphics.
Color by Number: Coloring Games — Best for Making Coloring Personal
Color by Number Coloring Games is the one I’d recommend to someone who says, “I want something like Happy Color, but I want to color my own stuff.”
What it does well
The library is huge. Tens of thousands of templates—animals, mandalas, landscapes, pop-culture-ish art, seasonal packs, silly little objects.
For me, the standout feature isn’t the library. It’s the photo import.
You can take a photo from your camera roll—your dog, your kid, a sunset from last summer—and the app turns it into a color-by-number template. You can create your own images by hand.
Other nice touches:
• Magic Wand / Color Splash tools that auto-fill big areas
• Smooth zoom and edge detection, so you’re not fighting tiny pixels
• Custom palettes—you don’t have to use the “correct” colors
• Time-lapse export, so you can watch the whole thing fill in like a speedpaint
Where it gets in its own way
The monetization is aggressive. Free users get video ads between pictures. But if you use it offline, there are no ads at all.
Paint.ly - Zen Color By Number — Best for Simple, Themed Coloring
Paint.ly - Zen Color By Number focuses on simplicity. It offers beautiful templates, such as flowers and animals, within a relaxing and easy-to-use interface. To help you unwind, the app features smooth animations and optional background audio, including classical music and nature sounds.
Small things I liked
• Clean interface, almost no learning curve
• Zoom is smooth, even on detailed pieces
• Time-lapse videos are easy to save and send to a friend
• Hint system helps when a tiny number is hiding in a corner
• Works offline for pictures you’ve already opened
Where it gets in its own way
The ads. I still recommend using it offline. Some recent updates also changed the gray contrast, making empty areas harder to see. I've already left a message requesting improvements, and I hope they'll update it soon.
Colorwood Words - Cryptogram — When You Want add a Puzzle
Colorwood Words - Cryptogram does not center on traditional paint-by-number pages. It's a little brain teaser I play when I get tired of coloring apps.
So why include it?
Sometimes you color just to do something simple and organized instead of staring at your phone. Word puzzles are a great alternative because they give your brain a different way to relax.
The appeal of solving something
• No timer pressure
• No reflexes required
• The difficulty ramps slowly
• Daily challenges keep it fresh without screaming for attention
• Tiered hints mean you’re never fully stuck
Where it frustrates
Around the higher levels, the difficulty curve gets jumpy. This is also a challenge.
Pic-a-Pix: Nonogram Color — Solve puzzles to reveal the full picture
This one surprised me the most.
Pic-a-Pix: Nonogram Color is a nonogram. You get a grid and number clues along the rows and columns. You paint squares based on those clues. When you’re done, a pixel picture appears.
Things I like:
• No ads. At all. Seriously.
• Hand-made puzzles with unique solutions
• Up to 155 free puzzles in color and black-and-white
• A new bonus puzzle every week
• Unlimited hints, undos, redos, and error checks
• Dark mode
• Ruler locks, fingertip cursor, zoom controls—built for actually finishing big grids
• Progress backup to the cloud
Compared to the other three, Pic-a-Pix feels like it was designed by people who like puzzles, not just people trying to hit retention metrics.
The catch
There’s a learning curve. But once it clicks, it sticks.
This is also the app I recommend the most.
Apps like Happy Color with custom photos: What Can You Actually Change?
Most “coloring app” reviews fixate on library size. But the thing that keeps me coming back is agency.
• Can I change the palette?
• Can I import my own photo?
• Can I mess up safely and undo it?
• Can I make the app look the way I want?
By that standard:
• Color by Number wins on personalization
• Paint.ly wins on atmosphere
• Pic-a-Pix wins on control
• Colorwood Words wins on mental texture
If you only ever pay for one in this category, make it Pic-a-Pix. The rest you can enjoy in moderation without opening your wallet.
Final thoughts: coloring apps aren’t about art
Coloring apps may not be as creative as Zen doodling, but with my life and work leaving me little breathing room, I find it hard to create anything else—which is probably why coloring apps are a better fit for where I am right now.
If you're interested, why not give it a try? The download link is already in the article. My personal pick would depend on the day.
