Acrylic Paints Price Comparison
Compare 753 acrylic paints from Vallejo, Winsor & Newton and more — find the best price across dozens of UK retailers in one place.
Acrylic Paints price comparison UK
Acrylic paints occupy a fascinating corner of the art and hobby market: they're used by everyone from Warhammer miniature painters to professional fine artists, yet the price range stretches from 0 £ for a single 17 ml bottle to well over 0 £ for professional studio sets. Understanding who makes what — and for whom — is half the battle when navigating a catalogue of 753 products.
Vallejo dominates this category almost completely, accounting for the vast majority of listings. Their Model Color and Model Air ranges have become the de facto standard for miniature and scale modelling enthusiasts, and for good reason: the dropper-bottle format, consistent viscosity, and extensive colour coding make batch work genuinely easier. That said, Vallejo's dominance can obscure some strong alternatives. Water-based paints from Winsor & Newton and Royal Talens sit at a noticeably higher average price point, but they're targeting a different audience entirely — fine artists who need ASTM I lightfastness ratings and archival-quality pigments rather than a tidy basecoat for a Space Marine.
Games Workshop's Citadel range is worth a mention precisely because it polarises opinion. The pots are small, the price per millilitre is steep, and yet the paints are formulated specifically for plastic miniatures with adhesion and opacity that genuinely suits the substrate. Revell sits at the opposite end of the value spectrum — straightforward, affordable, and perfectly adequate for scale model kits where you're not chasing gallery-quality results.
One thing our price data makes clear: the median sits around 0 £, which means most purchases in this category are modest, single-bottle buys. The jump to 0 £ and beyond typically signals sets, large-format bottles, or professional artist-grade products from Daler-Rowney and Royal Talens. Checking prices across retailers — Currys, Amazon.co.uk, and specialist hobby shops all stock these ranges — can save a meaningful amount, especially on Vallejo sets where merchant pricing varies considerably. Use paint applicators and accessories alongside your paints, and don't overlook varnishes to protect finished work — particularly important for lightfast pigments exposed to natural light.
How to Choose the Right Acrylic Paint
With 753 products spanning hobby miniature paints, fine art acrylics, and everything in between, picking the wrong range is an easy mistake. The key is matching the paint's formulation to your actual use — a miniature painter and a canvas artist have almost nothing in common in terms of what they need from a bottle of acrylic.
Intended use: miniatures, canvas, or craft?
This is the single most important question to answer before spending anything. Miniature and scale modelling paints (Vallejo Model Color, Games Workshop Citadel) are formulated for thin layers, high opacity on small surfaces, and adhesion to plastic and resin. Fine art acrylics (Winsor & Newton, Royal Talens, Daler-Rowney) prioritise lightfastness, pigment concentration, and archival permanence — qualities irrelevant to a hobbyist but critical to an artist. Craft acrylics (Marabu, Revell) sit in the middle: versatile, affordable, and good enough for most non-archival projects. Buying fine art acrylics for miniatures is wasteful; buying craft acrylics for gallery work is a false economy.
Viscosity: fluid, standard, or heavy body?
Viscosity determines how paint behaves on the brush and on the surface. Fluid/thin formulations — including Vallejo's airbrush-ready ranges — flow easily, self-level, and are ideal for detail work or airbrushing without additional thinning. Standard viscosity covers most hobby and student-grade acrylics and works well for general brushwork. Heavy body acrylics retain brushstroke texture and are suited to impasto techniques where you want visible relief on the surface. Buying the wrong viscosity for your technique means either fighting the paint or over-thinning it, which degrades adhesion and coverage.
Lightfastness rating for anything permanent
If your work is intended to last — whether framed art, a painted prop, or a display piece — lightfastness matters enormously. Look for ASTM I or II ratings on the label. Winsor & Newton and Royal Talens publish these ratings clearly; many budget craft paints do not. Paints rated ASTM IV or V will visibly fade within years under normal light exposure. For purely decorative or temporary projects, this is less critical, but for anything you want to keep or sell, it's non-negotiable.
Bottle size and cost per millilitre
The price on the shelf is rarely the whole story. A 17 ml Vallejo bottle at around 0 £ looks cheap, but the cost per millilitre is higher than a 250 ml craft bottle. For hobbyists painting a handful of miniatures, small bottles make sense — you won't use a large format before it dries out. For production work, murals, or large canvases, buying in bulk dramatically reduces unit cost. Always calculate cost per ml when comparing across formats, especially when prices range from 0 £ to 0 £ in this category.
Opacity: how many coats will you need?
Opacity is often underestimated until you're three coats deep and still seeing the undercoat. Opaque and very opaque formulations cover in one or two coats; transparent and semi-transparent paints are designed for glazing and layering effects, not base coverage. Most hobby paints (Vallejo, Citadel) label opacity clearly. Fine art ranges use terms like 'transparent', 'semi-opaque', or 'opaque' on the tube. If you're painting over dark surfaces or priming directly onto plastic, prioritise opacity — it saves time and material.
Safety and toxicity — especially for younger users
Most acrylic paints marketed for craft and hobby use carry AP (Approved Product) non-toxic certification, making them safe for general use including by older children under supervision. However, some professional artist-grade pigments — particularly cadmium and cobalt colours — carry health warnings and should be handled carefully. Marabu and Revell's ranges are generally non-toxic and low-VOC, making them suitable for classroom or family use. Always check the label if you're buying for children or working in a poorly ventilated space.
- Entry-level hobby paints (From 0 £ to 0 £) : Single bottles from Vallejo's Model Color range and Games Workshop Citadel pots sit firmly here. Perfectly functional for miniature painting and scale modelling. Don't expect archival quality, but for the intended use — small surfaces, plastic substrates, layered techniques — these deliver. Games Workshop's pots are notably small for the price, so check volume before buying.
- The sweet spot for most buyers (From 0 £ to 0 £) : The bulk of Vallejo's catalogue, Revell's model paints, and Marabu's craft range live in this bracket. Good coverage, reliable consistency, and wide colour availability. Ideal for hobbyists, craft projects, and anyone who paints regularly but doesn't need fine art permanence. This is where we'd point most buyers first.
- Student and semi-professional artist grades (From 0 £ to 0 £) : Daler-Rowney's System3 range and entry-level Winsor & Newton sets appear here, alongside larger-format craft bottles. Noticeably better pigment concentration and lightfastness than budget options. Worth the step up if you're working on canvas or mixed media where longevity matters. Primo sets also feature in this range.
- Professional and fine art acrylics (Over 0 £) : Royal Talens (Amsterdam and Rembrandt lines), Winsor & Newton Professional, and large studio sets from Daler-Rowney occupy this tier. ASTM I lightfastness, high pigment load, and archival permanence justify the premium for serious artists. Not for hobbyists — the cost per ml is significant, and the formulation is overkill for miniature work or casual crafts.
Top products
- Vallejo 73.801 acrylic paint 40 ml Brown Bottle (Vallejo) : The most-compared product in the category and a reliable workhorse for texture and basing work. At 40 ml it offers better value per ml than Vallejo's 17 ml bottles — a sensible buy if you use earth tones regularly. Not a premium paint, but consistent and practical.
- Vallejo 73.807 acrylic paint 40 ml Brown Bottle (Vallejo) : Another 40 ml Vallejo texture paint with strong merchant competition keeping the price sharp. A good companion to the 73.801 for basing and weathering. Functional rather than exciting — exactly what the format is designed to be.
- Securit PNT-BL-SM acrylic paint 250 ml Black Bottle Tube (Securit) : The outlier in this top list — a 250 ml format aimed at chalkboard and signage applications rather than fine art or miniatures. Excellent if that's your use case; completely wrong if you're looking for a painting acrylic. Check the application before buying.
- Vallejo Model Air acrylic paint 17 ml Brown Bottle (Vallejo) : The best entry point into Vallejo's airbrush-optimised range. Pre-thinned to the right consistency for most airbrushes without any adjustment. If you're new to airbrushing scale models, start here rather than trying to thin standard acrylics yourself.
- Vallejo 70.840 acrylic paint 17 ml Turquoise Bottle (Vallejo) : A Model Color staple — turquoise is a notoriously tricky colour to get right in acrylics, and Vallejo's formulation is well-regarded for consistency and coverage. Good opacity for a mid-tone. Solid choice for miniature painters who need a reliable, repeatable colour.
Related categories
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Vallejo Model Color and Model Air?
Model Color is a standard-viscosity acrylic designed for brush application on miniatures and scale models, whilst Model Air is a thinner, airbrush-optimised formulation that flows through an airbrush nozzle without clogging. You can thin Model Color for airbrushing, but Model Air saves the effort and produces more consistent results straight from the bottle. If you don't own an airbrush, Model Color is the right choice.
Are Games Workshop Citadel paints worth the price?
For painting Warhammer and similar plastic miniatures, yes — but only just. Citadel paints are formulated specifically for Games Workshop's plastic kits, with excellent adhesion and opacity on that substrate. The problem is the pot format: they dry out faster than dropper bottles, and the volume is small for the price. If you're painting GW models exclusively, they're convenient. If you're open to alternatives, Vallejo's equivalent colours offer better value and the dropper bottle format is far more practical.
Can I use acrylic craft paints for fine art on canvas?
You can, but the results won't last. Craft acrylics from brands like Marabu or Revell typically use lower-grade pigments with poor lightfastness ratings — colours will fade noticeably within a few years when exposed to light. For anything intended to be permanent or displayed, invest in student-grade or professional acrylics from Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, or Royal Talens, which carry ASTM lightfastness ratings on the label.
What acrylic paints are best for beginners in 2026?
Vallejo Model Color is the best starting point for miniature painters, whilst Daler-Rowney System3 or Winsor & Newton Galeria are the go-to recommendations for canvas and general art use. Both are widely available from UK retailers including Amazon.co.uk and Hobbycraft, priced accessibly, and forgiving enough for beginners to learn with. Avoid buying large sets until you know which colours you actually use — single bottles are a smarter first purchase.
Do acrylic paints need a primer before application?
On porous surfaces like canvas or wood, a primer isn't strictly necessary but significantly improves adhesion and colour vibrancy. On non-porous surfaces — plastic, metal, resin — priming is essential. Without it, acrylic paint will flex and peel as the substrate moves. A dedicated acrylic primer or gesso creates the mechanical tooth the paint needs to bond properly. Skipping this step is the most common cause of paint failure on model kits.
What's the risk of buying cheap, unbranded acrylic paints?
The main risks are batch inconsistency and poor lightfastness. Unknown brands often lack published ASTM ratings, meaning you have no guarantee the colour you buy today will match the next bottle, or that it won't fade within months. For craft projects where permanence doesn't matter, this is acceptable. For anything you want to keep, display, or sell, stick to established brands — the price difference between budget and mid-range is small, but the quality gap is significant.
How should I store acrylic paints to prevent them drying out?
Store acrylics upright, tightly sealed, at room temperature away from direct sunlight and frost. Dropper bottles (Vallejo's format) seal more reliably than wide-mouth pots (Games Workshop's format), which are more prone to skinning and drying around the lid. If a paint thickens, a few drops of water or acrylic medium can restore workable consistency — but heavily dried paint is generally unrecoverable. Avoid leaving lids off during painting sessions, even briefly.