ColorSync Utility vs ColorThink
ColorSync Utility
support.apple.comColorThink
chromix.comSide by side
| Figure | ColorSync Utility | ColorThink |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 10 |
| Spec score · Color Management Software | 5.6 (#19) | 7.7 (#10) |
Plans
ColorThink
- ColorThink 4 Photo$249, paid once
- ColorThink 4 Photo XPlat Bundle$334, paid once
- ColorThink 4 Photo + MeasPack Bundle$448, paid once
- ColorThink 4 Pro$449, paid once
- ColorThink 4 Photo + MeasPack XPlat Bundle$601, paid once
- ColorThink 4 Pro XPlat Bundle$602, paid once
- ColorThink 4 Pro + MeasPack Bundle$628, paid once
- ColorThink 4 Pro + PrePress Bundle$673, paid once
- ColorThink 4 Pro + MeasPack XPlat Bundle$842, paid once
- ColorThink 4 Pro + MeasPack + PrePress Bundle$897, paid once
In their own words
ColorSync Utility
ColorSync Utility is Apple software for managing ICC color profiles on macOS. It is free and includes a free plan, with no listed paid tier or subscription. The documented function is profile management, so it addresses handling ICC profiles rather than calibration procedures. The available platform is macOS only. The listed capabilities do not include display calibration, printer profiling, camera profiling, or HDR calibration. That makes its scope specific: Mac users can use it for ICC profile work, but the provided facts do not describe tools for calibrating a display, printer, camera, or HDR setup. Anyone choosing ColorSync Utility should match that profile-management focus to the task.
ColorThink
ColorThink is a color graphing and analytics tool for calibrating printing systems, checking accuracy, and preparing measurements for ICC profiling or color references. ColorThink 4 measures directly from connected instruments and sends results to a worksheet or graph. Color Assets organizes installed profiles and other color assets, with metadata filtering and sorting. Pro licensing adds gamut comparison by subtraction or addition and calculates a Gamut Comparison Index. Image animation is available across license levels, showing transitions between normal display and Lab color values in the grapher. PrePressPack adds nColor and color-list handling, device-link and ColorCast profile creation, white-point editing and remapping, and patch tuning. Listed instruments span X-Rite, Barbieri, Konica Minolta, Techkon, and Color Sentinel. The software runs on macOS and Windows; version 4.2 is listed for both. Photo licensing starts at $249, paid once.