Paint by Numbers vs Diamond Painting: Which Should You Choose?

Last updated: 12 August 2026 · Written by Marcus Richardson, founder of Paint A Moment

Choose paint by numbers if you want a piece that looks like a painting and you enjoy variety in the work. Choose diamond painting if you want something repetitive and calming with no drying time, no mess and easy mistakes to undo. Diamond painting is more forgiving; paint by numbers looks more like art on a wall.

We sell paint by numbers kits, so it would be easy to write a piece that concludes paint by numbers wins everything. It does not. Diamond painting genuinely beats it on several measures, and if those measures matter most to you, buy a diamond painting kit. Here is the honest comparison.

What is the actual difference between the two crafts?

Both give you a printed canvas divided into numbered or coded regions. With paint by numbers you fill each region with acrylic paint using a brush. With diamond painting you pick up tiny resin gems, called drills, with a wax-tipped pen and press them onto a pre-glued canvas. One is painting; the other is closer to mosaic work.

The physical experience is quite different. Paint by numbers involves loading a brush, judging edges, waiting for adjacent areas to dry, and rinsing between colours. Diamond painting is one repeated motion: pick up a drill, place it, repeat. That repetition is the whole appeal for a lot of people, and the whole problem for others.

The finished objects differ too. A completed paint by numbers is a painted canvas with visible brush texture. A completed diamond painting is a flat, sparkling, faceted surface that catches light and changes as you move past it. Neither is objectively better. They are different things hanging on a wall.

Which takes longer to finish?

Diamond painting takes considerably longer for the same canvas size. A 40x50cm full-coverage square-drill canvas uses drills 2.5mm across, which works out at roughly 160 columns by 200 rows, or about 32,000 individual drills. Even at one drill per second with no breaks, that is nearly nine hours. Most people take far longer.

A 40x50cm paint by numbers is typically an 8 to 20 hour project depending on how detailed it is, which our guide on how long paint by numbers takes breaks down properly. A comparable diamond painting is commonly a 25 to 50 hour project. Round drills are faster than square drills because placement is more forgiving, but they leave visible gaps between gems.

Whether that is a drawback depends on what you want. If you want a finished picture in a fortnight of evenings, paint by numbers gets you there. If you want something to work at slowly for two months in front of the television, diamond painting is better value per hour and never demands your full attention.

Which is messier and easier to pack away?

Diamond painting is much cleaner. There is no water, no paint, no palette and nothing to wash up. Paint by numbers means a water pot, wet brushes, acrylic on fingers, and paint pots that skin over if you leave the lids off. If you paint at a dining table that has to be clear by dinner, that matters.

Portability tips the other way, though not by much. A diamond painting canvas is sticky under a release film, so it needs to lie flat and cannot be rolled up mid-project without risk. Loose drills spill easily, and finding a 2.5mm resin gem in a carpet is not a good use of an evening. Paint by numbers can simply be lifted off the table once wet edges have dried, and acrylic dries in minutes.

For travel, both are awkward. Neither is a train hobby. Paint by numbers on a canvas board is the more transportable of the two because there is nothing to fall off it.

How do the two compare across the things people actually ask about?

Diamond painting wins on mess, forgiveness of mistakes, drying time and pure repetitive calm. Paint by numbers wins on skill development, speed to a finished piece, how the result reads as art, and long-term durability on a wall. Cost and child-friendliness are close. The table sets it out.

Which is more forgiving if you get something wrong?

Diamond painting, clearly. Place a drill in the wrong square and you lift it with tweezers and put it back correctly. Nothing is lost. With paint by numbers, a stray brushstroke over a dried neighbouring colour has to be painted over, which means waiting for it to dry and matching the covering colour.

That said, paint by numbers is far more recoverable than people expect. Acrylic is opaque, so two coats hide almost any error, and the printed lines guide you back. Our beginner's guide covers the standard fixes. But it is a recovery process rather than an undo button, and if the fear of ruining something is what has stopped you starting a craft, diamond painting removes that fear entirely.

Which is better for relaxation and focus?

They relax you differently. Diamond painting is rhythmic and almost meditative, close to knitting, and can be done while half-watching a programme. Paint by numbers demands more attention, which some people find more absorbing and genuinely distracting from a stressful week, and others find tiring.

If you want something to do with your hands while your mind is elsewhere, diamond painting is the better choice and it is not close. If you want the kind of absorption where you look up and two hours have gone, paint by numbers tends to deliver that more reliably, particularly on a detailed 48-colour design from our advanced range.

Which one should you choose?

Pick based on what you want from the finished piece and how you like to spend the time. Below are the clear verdicts by reader type. If two apply to you, weight the one about the finished object, because that is the part you live with for years.

• You want something you would genuinely hang in a living room. Paint by numbers. A painted canvas in a decent frame passes as art. Sparkle is divisive.
• You want the calmest, most repetitive activity possible. Diamond painting. Nothing else in craft is quite as steadily soothing.
• You have hand tremor or reduced grip strength. Diamond painting, because mistakes lift off and go back. Use a wide-barrel pen and a light pad.
• You have low vision. Paint by numbers, in the largest size you can, with a 24-colour design from the easy range. Larger regions and printed numbers beat 2.5mm symbol charts.
• You are making a gift from a personal photo. Paint by numbers. A personalised kit from a photograph, painted by hand, is a different sort of present.
• You are buying for a child aged 6 to 8. Paint by numbers, supervised, on a small canvas board. Diamond painting drills are too small.
• You want a long project that lasts months. Diamond painting, or a 60x80cm 48-colour paint by numbers if you would rather build a skill while you do it.
• You have limited table space and no washing-up tolerance. Diamond painting. No water, no brushes, no cleaning.
• You want to get better at something. Paint by numbers. Brush control, colour mixing and edge work all transfer to free painting. Diamond painting does not build a transferable skill.

Can you do both?

Yes, and plenty of people alternate. A common pattern is a diamond painting on the go for undemanding evenings and a paint by numbers for when you want to concentrate. The two hobbies use different parts of your attention, so they do not compete in the way two similar crafts might.

If you are starting from scratch and want to try painting first, a 30x40cm kit at the 24-colour tier is the low-risk entry point. Our best sellers are mostly at that level, and every kit comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so trying it costs you nothing but the evening.

Frequently asked questions

Is diamond painting easier than paint by numbers?

Yes, in the sense that it requires no artistic skill and mistakes can be lifted off and corrected. It is not easier in terms of time, since a 40x50cm diamond painting typically takes two to three times longer than the same size paint by numbers. Easier per action, longer overall.

Which is cheaper, paint by numbers or diamond painting?

Diamond painting kits are usually a little cheaper at entry level, commonly £10 to £35 in the UK. Paint by numbers kits start at around £21.99 for a standard design. Per hour of activity, diamond painting works out cheaper because the projects take much longer to complete.

Which looks better framed on a wall?

Paint by numbers generally looks more like conventional art, since it is acrylic paint on canvas with real brush texture. Diamond paintings sparkle and read as decorative craft, which suits some rooms and not others. Diamond paintings usually need glazing or sealing, while a painted canvas can be float framed without glass.

Is diamond painting better for arthritis or shaky hands?

Often yes. The wax pen requires less grip strength than a fine brush, and any drill placed incorrectly can be lifted with tweezers and repositioned. Wide-barrel ergonomic pens are widely available. Paint by numbers can still work well if you choose a large canvas with big colour regions.

Which is better for children?

Paint by numbers suits younger children, from roughly age six with supervision, especially on a small canvas board. Diamond painting kits are generally recommended for age eight and above because the 2.5mm resin drills are a choking hazard and require finer placement than most young children manage comfortably.

Do diamond paintings fall apart over time?

They can. The canvas adhesive weakens over years, and individual drills sometimes lift, particularly in warm or humid rooms. Sealing the finished piece with a diamond painting sealant and framing it under glazing greatly reduces the risk. A varnished acrylic painting on canvas is the more durable of the two.

How many drills are in a 40x50cm diamond painting?

At the standard 2.5mm square drill size, a full-coverage 40x50cm canvas works out at roughly 160 drills across by 200 down, so about 32,000 in total. Round drills are slightly larger at around 2.8mm, giving a lower count but leaving small visible gaps between gems.

Can you turn a photo into a diamond painting like you can with paint by numbers?

Yes, custom diamond painting kits exist and work in much the same way. Custom paint by numbers kits from a photograph start at £25.99 and are processed after checkout. Which suits your photo depends on the subject, since fine facial detail generally reproduces better in paint than in 2.5mm gems.

Which hobby is more relaxing?

Diamond painting is more repetitive and rhythmic, so it suits people who want a calm activity while watching television. Paint by numbers demands more attention, which many people find more absorbing and better at pushing other thoughts out. Both are commonly used for winding down in the evening.

Do you need to seal a diamond painting like you seal a paint by numbers?

Sealing is optional for both but recommended for both. A diamond painting sealant locks drills in place and keeps dust out of the gaps. Varnish on a paint by numbers protects the acrylic and evens out the finish. Sealing before framing is the sensible default in each case.

Ready to try painting? Browse kits made for adults, step up to the intermediate range, or create a custom kit from your own photo.