Top 6 compared
The best acrylic paint sets
Bright, quick-drying colour for a first canvas, a pile of painted pebbles or a wooden sign.
27 checked · 6 made the cut
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How this works
The top 6 at a glance
Acrylic paint dries fast, cleans off brushes with water while it’s still wet and grips most surfaces, from canvas and card to wood, stone and ceramics, which makes it an easy paint to start with. Sets range from craft paints in flip-top bottles to student ranges in tubes made for mixing; artist grade, a step up, packs in more pigment.
Some sets come with brushes and some don’t; a simple flat brush and a small round one are all a beginner needs to get started. Finishes vary between glossy and satin, and pebbles or pots that will live in the garden are best finished with a coat of weatherproof varnish.
What matters
- Larger tubes or bottles if you’ll be covering big canvases.
- “Multi-surface” on the label for stones, wood or ceramics.
- The EN71-3 toy-safety mark, if children will be painting.
#1Artecho Acrylic Paint Set (18 × 59ml, with brushes)
£10–£20
- Large 59ml bottles
- Ten brushes included
- Paints wood, stone and ceramics
Generous 59ml flip-top bottles in rich, glossy colours for canvas, wood, stone and ceramics, with ten brushes in the box. The paint is thick and creamy, with strong pigment that covers big areas and fine detail alike, and the colours mix well into extra shades.
What owners say: Owners rate the spread of colours and the quality, and find the paint easy to use, quick to dry, good at covering and durable once it’s on.
A closer look: Squeeze out a little at a time from the flip-top bottles onto an old plate, since quick-drying acrylic skins over fast. Rinse brushes before a break rather than after, as dried acrylic won’t wash out. Start big areas with the flat brushes from the set and save the small rounds for detail.
Best for: Flip-open caps
- Colours
- 18
- Paint per colour
- 59ml bottles
- Brushes included
- 10 brushes
- Finish
- Glossy
#2KOLOR KINGDOM Acrylic Paint Set (24 colours)
Under £10
- EN71-3 toy-safety mark
- Paints fabric, wood and ceramics
- Three brushes included
- Small 12ml tubes
Twenty-four colours in 12ml tubes plus three brushes, for trying acrylics on canvas, card, wood or fabric before spending more on bigger tubes. It carries the EN71-3 toy-safety mark, so it’s a set children can paint with too.
What owners say: Owners like the strong pigment and the spread of shades, and find it a good introduction to acrylics that gives hours of fun. Drying time divides them.
A closer look: Small 12ml tubes mean white is always the first to run out, so a larger tube of white alongside makes the set last far longer. The paints take to cardboard, fabric and MDF as well as canvas, which makes the set handy for school projects and crafts.
Best for: Cost friendly
- Colours
- 24
- Paint per colour
- 12ml
- Brushes included
- 3 brushes
- Finish
- Glossy
#3Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Set (10 × 60ml)
£20–£30
- Large 60ml tubes
- Warm and cool reds included
- No brushes included
Winsor & Newton has made artists’ paint in London since 1832 and was granted a Royal Warrant in 1841. Galeria is its student range: big on colour and easy to mix.
What owners say: Owners find the paint strongly pigmented and easy to mix, with good coverage, and say it suits beginners and practised painters alike. Drying time splits them: some like how fast it dries, others find it dries too quickly.
A closer look: Rather than a box of ready-made shades, the ten tubes form a proper mixing palette: one yellow, a warm and a cool red, a blue, a green, three earth colours, black and white. The buttery paint holds brush marks and dries to a satin finish, and it sits happily alongside artist-grade tubes if you move up later.
Best for: Mixing your own colours
- Colours
- 10
- Paint per colour
- 60ml tubes
- Brushes included
- No
- Finish
- Satin
#4Artecho Acrylic Paint Set (12 × 500ml bottles)
£30–£50
- Six litres of paint
- Paints fabric, leather and ceramics
- No brushes included
Twelve colours in big 500ml bottles, six litres of paint in all, for anyone who gets through acrylic quickly on large canvases, wood or fabric. The colours are made to mix into a wider range of shades.
What owners say: Owners praise the quality and pigment, find the colours mix well, and like the coverage, the thick consistency and the size of the bottles.
A closer look: Big bottles are easiest to use by decanting a little into a small squeezy bottle or a jar with a lid, rather than pouring onto the palette each time. Close the caps tightly so paint near the top doesn’t skin over. There are no brushes in the box, so budget for a few.
Best for: Biggest bottles
- Colours
- 12
- Paint per colour
- 500ml bottles
- Brushes included
- No
- Finish
- Glossy
#5Shuttle Art Acrylic Paint Set (36 × 60ml)
£20–£30
- Thirty-six 60ml tubes
- 12 brushes and a palette
- EN71-3 toy-safety mark
Thirty-six big tubes plus twelve brushes and a palette: everything for a new hobby in one box. The thick paint takes to glass, clay, wood and fabric as well as canvas, though the maker says it isn’t made to stand up to outdoor weather.
What owners say: The colour range wins owners over, and they find it suits beginners and mandala painting. Drying time divides them, with some finding it quick and others saying it takes a while.
A closer look: The sturdy box it arrives in keeps the tubes organised between sessions, which beats rummaging through a drawer for the right blue. Wipe the threads before screwing each cap back on, or dried paint can glue it shut. To lighten a shade, add a dab of colour to white rather than white to colour: it uses far less paint.
Best for: Lots of colours
- Colours
- 36
- Paint per colour
- 60ml tubes
- Brushes included
- 12 brushes and a palette
- Finish
- Glossy
#6ARTKUNST Acrylic Paint Set (24 colours, 10 brushes)
£10–£20
- Ten brushes in nine shapes
- Zipped brush pouch
- Paints wood, ceramics and fabric
- Small 12ml tubes
Comes with ten brushes in different shapes and a zipped pouch, so it’s a proper starter kit. Besides a flat and a round there’s a filbert, an angled brush, a rake and a comb.
What owners say: Owners like the colour selection and say it’s simple to use, a good first set. The paint’s consistency is the complaint, with several finding it very watery.
A closer look: The fan brush is the quick way to grass, leaves and clouds: dab it lightly rather than dragging it. The liner handles signatures and fine branches, so thin the paint with a drop of water first. Wash each brush with soap and water after use and reshape the bristles before laying it flat to dry.
Best for: Different brush shapes
- Colours
- 24
- Paint per colour
- 12ml tubes
- Brushes included
- 10 brushes and a pouch
- Finish
- Satin
Side by side
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Artecho 18 × 59ml | #2KOLOR KINGDOM 24 | #3Winsor & Newton Galeria | #4Artecho 12 × 500ml | #5Shuttle Art 36 | #6ARTKUNST 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | |||||
| Picked Rating | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.1 | 9.1 |
| Price | £10–£20 | Under £10 | £20–£30 | £30–£50 | £20–£30 | £10–£20 |
| Colours | 18 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 36 | 24 |
| Paint per colour | 59ml bottles | 12ml | 60ml tubes | 500ml bottles | 60ml tubes | 12ml tubes |
| Brushes included | 10 brushes | 3 brushes | No | No | 12 brushes and a palette | 10 brushes and a pouch |
| Finish | Glossy | Glossy | Satin | Glossy | Glossy | Satin |
| Best for | Flip-open caps | Cost friendly | Mixing your own colours | Biggest bottles | Lots of colours | Different brush shapes |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
How we checked these
How 27 became 6
We found 27 acrylic paint set listings. Five were the same paints again in a bigger or smaller set, or without brushes, and nine had too few ratings to compete. That left 13, which we narrowed down step by step:
- Ratings, reviews and salesFor the 13, we then checked the ratings and reviews further, and how many people buy each one. Owners talked most about drying time and how thick the paint is, then how well it covers.
- Features weighed upThe 13 were compared on the number of colours, how much paint comes in each colour, whether brushes are included and the finish. Once everything was weighed up together, we dropped seven more. The #1 has every feature you’d expect from an acrylic paint set.6 made the cut
- Value for moneyEvery acrylic paint set here is worth what it costs. A dearer one is only here if it gives you more.
- Safe to buyWe searched the safety recall records for Artecho, Winsor & Newton and Shuttle Art by name. None of the three has a recall.
Spotted a mistake or something out of date? Tell usBack to top
