Question 1

What is True Colours?

Accepted Answer

True Colours is a web app built by Ylfa & Freek for people who colour by number with pens. It takes the manual swatching out of the process: instead of testing pen after pen to find the right colour, True Colours gives you the closest match from your own pen set, digitally. You can browse colour codes that others have made, save your favourite pages, create your own codes with the Code Maker, and share your finished results with the community.

Question 2

What is a colour code?

Accepted Answer

A colour code maps the numbered areas on a colouring page to specific pen colours. So for each number on the page, you know exactly which pen to pick up. There are two types. A classic code maps to the colours in a specific pen set, so it’s the closest match you can get with the pens you own. A modified code is a freestyle version where you pick any colours you like, without being tied to a specific set.

Question 3

Which pen sets does True Colours support?

Accepted Answer

Every pen set in the app has been scanned and digitised by us, so the colours you see on screen are as close to the real thing as possible. We currently support sets from Languo, Guangna, and Artly. If your set isn’t listed yet, let us know. We add new sets when the community asks for them.

Question 4

Will I find my colouring book in the app?

Accepted Answer

There’s a good chance! We have a growing catalogue of colour-by-number books — from popular collections like the Disney series by Hachette to pages by independent artists who sell through channels like Telegram. If your book or page isn’t listed yet, you can add it yourself through the Artists tab in your Library. From there you can create colour codes with the Code Maker and share your finished results with the community.

Question 5

How does it work?

Accepted Answer

Browse the feed to find a page you’d like to colour. If someone has already shared a colour code for it, you can see which pens to use for each numbered area. Just grab your pens and follow along. If there’s no code yet (or you want to create your own combination), open the Code Maker, pick your pen set, and assign colours yourself. When you’re done colouring, you can photograph your result and share it.

Question 6

How does the free trial work?

Accepted Answer

When you sign up, you get 14 days with every pen set active at once, so the Code Maker matches across all your pens and every colour code shows in full. No payment details needed to start. After 14 days you move to Free: you keep the Code Maker and match against one pen set at a time. Codes that use pens from your other sets show those pens locked. Switch your active set once a month, or subscribe to keep every set active (from €3.50/month).

Question 7

What are books and artist pages?

Accepted Answer

Most colouring pages in True Colours belong to a book — for example, a Disney colour-by-number collection by Hachette. You can browse books in your Library and add individual pages to your collection. Some pages aren’t part of a book. These are artist pages — individual designs by independent artists, often sold through channels like Telegram or Etsy. You’ll find them under the Artists tab in your Library instead of under a book.

Question 8

How do pen sets work?

Accepted Answer

A pen set in True Colours is a digital version of a real marker set. We’ve scanned every colour so the app can match them as closely as possible to what you see on paper. When you create a classic code, it automatically picks the closest pen from the sets you own. You can manage your pen sets in the Library under the Pens tab. Just add the sets you have at home, and your codes will use those colours.

Question 9

What is the Code Maker?

Accepted Answer

The Code Maker is where you build your own colour codes. Pick a page, choose one of your pen sets, and assign a colour to each numbered area. You can work from a reference image to match specific colours, or start from scratch and create your own combination.

Question 10

Can I share my finished page?

Accepted Answer

Yes! When you’ve finished colouring a page, you can photograph it and upload it as a result — that’s what we call your colour code paired with the finished artwork. Your results appear in the community feed so others can discover your codes and get inspired.

Question 11

How much does True Colours cost?

Accepted Answer

€3.50 per month, or save with quarterly (€8.99) or annual (€29.99) billing. New accounts get 14 days with every pen set active, no payment details needed. After that you can stay on Free (one active pen set, switch monthly) or subscribe to keep every set active at once. See the Pricing page for the full comparison.

Question 12

What if I change my mind?

Accepted Answer

Every payment comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. That applies to your first payment and every renewal. No questions asked. Just email help@truecolours.app and we’ll sort it out. You can also read the full refund policy at truecolours.app/refunds.

Question 13

How do I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings → Billing and click "Cancel Subscription." That opens your billing portal where you can cancel in a few clicks. Your access continues until the end of your current billing period. You’ve already paid for it, so you keep it.

Question 14

What can I still do after I cancel?

Accepted Answer

Not a lot, unfortunately. After your subscription ends, you can still browse the feed and view pages, but the Code Maker and your Library are only available with an active subscription. Your codes and saved pages aren’t deleted though. If you resubscribe later, everything is still there.

Question 15

Can I use True Colours on my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes! It works in any browser on any device. On your phone, you can add it to your home screen for an app-like experience — no app store download needed. Go to Settings → Mobile app to add it manually.

Question 16

Does it work offline?

Accepted Answer

No. True Colours needs an internet connection to browse pages, create codes, and sync your collection.

Question 17

Why doesn’t a pen look exactly like the real thing on my screen?

Accepted Answer

A couple of reasons, and neither means the match is wrong. First, no screen can show every colour. Some pens — especially bright yellows and oranges — are more vivid in real life than any screen can display, so the swatch can look a little flatter than the marker in your hand. Second, a classic code gives you the closest pen in your set to the colour the page asks for. Sometimes your set just doesn’t have an exact match, so we get you as close as possible and you finish by eye. Either way: treat the colours on screen as a guide, and trust your real pens for the final result. The pen number is the answer — your markers do the last little bit.

Question 18

How do I get in touch?

Accepted Answer

Drop us an email at help@truecolours.app. We’re Ylfa & Freek, building this in our spare time, but we read everything and get back to you as quickly as we can.

Frequently Asked Questions

About True Colours

Getting Started

Library & Collection

The Code Maker

Billing & Account

Technical