Vallejo offers better value per ml, a larger colour range, and dropper bottle precision that reduces waste. Citadel (now rebranded as Warhammer Color) offers tighter integration with Games Workshop tutorials, an unmatched wash and Contrast paint system, and the most beginner-friendly ecosystem if you are specifically painting Warhammer miniatures. Most experienced painters end up using both. Beginners painting Warhammer specifically should start with Citadel; everyone else should start with Vallejo.

Which is cheaper, Vallejo or Citadel?

Vallejo is significantly cheaper per millilitre. At Wheels & Wings, Vallejo Game Color is $4.50 for 18ml ($0.25/ml) compared to Citadel Base and Layer paints at $4.95 for 12ml ($0.41/ml). Citadel costs 65% more per ml for comparable paint types. Over the course of building a full palette, that difference adds up quickly.

The comparison is closest on Contrast vs Xpress: Citadel Contrast is $8.95 for 18ml ($0.50/ml) while Vallejo Xpress Color is $5.89 for 18ml ($0.33/ml). Even at the specialty one-coat level, Vallejo wins on value. For Canadian painters in particular, Citadel's premium pricing is compounded by the fact that Games Workshop sets its own retail prices — there is no discounting.

Are Vallejo paints better quality than Citadel?

For straight opaque colours, Vallejo and Citadel are comparable in quality. Both are well-pigmented, both dry matte, and both adhere well to primed plastic and resin. Most experienced painters could not reliably distinguish a finished model painted in one vs the other.

Where Citadel genuinely pulls ahead is in its Shade and Contrast ranges. Citadel Shades (Nuln Oil, Reikland Fleshshade, Agrax Earthshade) are the most widely used washes in the hobby for good reason — they flow into recesses consistently and produce reliable results with minimal technique. Contrast paints, which allow near-complete models to be painted in one thinned coat over a specific primer, are Citadel's most significant product innovation and nothing in Vallejo's range matches them directly. Vallejo Xpress Color is a close analogue but Contrast has deeper integration with GW tutorials and a wider selection of purpose-built colours.

Where Vallejo pulls ahead is in the Metal Color range for metallics, in consistency of the dropper bottle format, and in the breadth of the Model Color range for historical and non-fantasy subjects.

Can you mix Vallejo and Citadel paints?

Yes, without issue. Both are water-based acrylics with compatible binder chemistry. You can mix them on the palette, layer one over the other, and thin both with the same water or acrylic medium. Most experienced painters use both ranges on the same model without a second thought.

A common workflow is to use Citadel Shades over Vallejo base colours, since the washes flow well over any matte acrylic surface. The reverse — Vallejo over Citadel — works equally well. There is no chemical incompatibility between the two ranges.

Why did Citadel rename to Warhammer Color?

In March 2026, Games Workshop announced that the Citadel Colour paint line would be rebranded as Warhammer Color. The paints themselves are unchanged — same formulas, same SKUs, same colours. The name change is purely a branding decision, part of GW's broader push to align all of its products under the Warhammer name. Their stores became Warhammer Stores years ago; the paints are simply the last major holdout. GW's official announcement is here.

The stated reasoning was to make the connection between the paints and Warhammer miniatures obvious to newcomers who might not know what "Citadel" means. Community reaction ranged from indifferent to nostalgic — the Citadel name had been part of the hobby for decades and carried genuine history.

For practical purposes: if a tutorial calls for a Citadel paint, the Warhammer Color equivalent is the same product with a new label. No reformulation. No range changes. If you see both names in this guide that is why.

Which is better for airbrushing, Vallejo or Citadel?

Vallejo is better for airbrushing. The dropper bottle format makes precise measurement and thinning significantly easier than decanting from a Citadel pot. Vallejo also produces the Model Air range which is pre-thinned specifically for airbrushing and requires minimal preparation.

Citadel paints can be airbrushed but they require more thinning, the pot format makes consistent measurement harder, and the range was not designed with airbrushing as a primary use case. GW produces a dedicated Air range which performs better than standard Citadel through an airbrush, but Vallejo's airbrush ecosystem is deeper and more established.

Which is better for beginners?

It depends entirely on what you are painting. If you are painting Warhammer miniatures, start with Citadel. The entire GW tutorial ecosystem — their YouTube channel, Warhammer TV, their app, in-store staff — is built around Citadel paints by name. Contrast paints in particular make painting a table-ready army significantly faster and more forgiving for beginners. Following along is much easier when the tutorial says "base with Mephiston Red" and you have exactly that paint in front of you.

If you are painting anything else — historical models, other miniature games, terrain, scale models — start with Vallejo. The value per ml means mistakes are cheaper, the dropper bottle wastes less paint, and the range is broader for non-GW colour requirements. For painters who want to do both, a small Citadel Shade selection (Nuln Oil, Agrax Earthshade, Reikland Fleshshade) alongside a Vallejo Game Color palette is a very strong starting combination.

Pot vs dropper bottle: which is better?

Dropper bottles are better for almost every use case, and the hobby as a whole has voted with its wallets. Dropper bottles are by far the more popular container format among experienced painters. Vallejo's dropper format lets you dispense exactly the amount you need onto a palette with no waste, no skin forming on the paint surface, and no risk of the paint drying out. The twist cap seals completely between sessions.

Citadel's clamshell pot is pressure-shut rather than twist-shut, which means it relies on a friction seal rather than a mechanical one. In practice this means the lid can pop open in a bag or storage case, and the seal degrades over time. The wide mouth that makes drybrushing convenient is also why the paint dries out faster — more surface area exposed to air means more evaporation per session.

At Wheels & Wings, the most common complaint we hear about Citadel paints is the pot, with price coming second. The frustration is common enough that we stock empty 17ml dropper bottles specifically so painters can decant their Citadel paints into a better container. If you are going to paint with Citadel long-term, seriously consider transferring your paints — it extends their lifespan significantly and eliminates most of the day-to-day frustrations with the format.

If you have older Citadel pots that have already dried out, a few drops of water and a thorough stir will usually revive them. But it is a problem dropper bottle users rarely encounter.

Citadel Contrast vs Vallejo Xpress Color: one-coat paints compared

Both Citadel Contrast and Vallejo Xpress Color are one-coat paints designed to be applied over a light primer and do most of the work for you — they thin out over raised areas and pool in recesses to create automatic shading in a single pass. The concept is the same; the execution differs.

Citadel Contrast is the original and the more fully developed product. It was designed to work specifically with Citadel's Contrast primers (Grey Seer and Wraithbone) and the results on those primers are noticeably better than on generic white. The range includes over 80 colours covering almost every Army Painter requirement, and GW's tutorial ecosystem is built around specific Contrast recipes for every faction. At $8.95 for 18ml ($0.50/ml) it is the most expensive paint type in this comparison.

Vallejo Xpress Color is the direct competitor at $5.89 for 18ml ($0.33/ml) — 34% cheaper per ml than Contrast. The range is smaller but covers the core fantasy and sci-fi palette. It works over any light primer and the formula is comparable in flow and recess pooling. The main limitation is that tutorials referencing specific Contrast colours cannot be followed directly, and the range has fewer faction-specific colour options than Citadel.

Bottom line: If you follow GW tutorials closely or need a specific Contrast colour match, buy Contrast. If you are building your own colour recipes or want better value on one-coat paints, Xpress Color delivers the same technique at a lower cost.

Citadel Shades vs Vallejo washes: which are better?

Citadel Shades are the gold standard for miniature washes. Nuln Oil, Agrax Earthshade, and Reikland Fleshshade are among the most widely used products in the entire hobby and are referenced in almost every beginner painting tutorial. They flow reliably into recesses, dry to a consistent satin finish, and work well over any matte acrylic surface including Vallejo. If you only buy one Citadel product, buy the Shades.

Vallejo produces washes across several ranges including the Wash FX and Game Wash lines. These are competent products and work well, but they do not match the consistency or breadth of Citadel's Shade range. Most experienced painters who primarily use Vallejo still keep Citadel Shades on their desk. The two ranges are fully compatible — Citadel Shades work perfectly over Vallejo base coats, which is arguably the most common combination in the hobby.

Bottom line: Do not try to replace Citadel Shades with Vallejo equivalents. Buy the Citadel Shades. Use them over any paint from any brand.

When to choose which

Both Vallejo and Citadel / Warhammer Color are stocked in full at Wheels & Wings Hobbies in Toronto and available online with Canada-wide shipping.