tarikjn

  - Pantone recently removed its color libraries from Adobe products to make them an additional subscription of $14.99/month
  - Pantone colors are always a subscription on color readers/spectrometers unless you buy X-Rite's high end readers. RAL is available for free on most color readers.
  - NCS is a bit between RAL and Pantone in that regard, they sell an affordable color reader (for its full spectrum capabilities) that includes the NCS library, but it is a paid subscription for other readers, albeit cheaper than Pantone.

  - you can get yourself a fan of RAL Classic colors for $16, which are solid colors that include enough grays, whites and colors to get started and cover all basic needs, and that most industrial/finishing shops already have
  - most shops now also accept Pantone PMS C (coated), which cost $260, but Pantone comes from printing and so has no whites, you need to add FHI TPG+TCX (another $260) to get whites. Pantone recommends replacing the fans every 12-18 months before their die age
  - Munsell is a "full" color space so as such it is inherently more expensive (even more so that it is now owned by X-Rite), with a rich history in USDA standards, food QA, science and artists. NCS and RAL "Design" also feature "full" color space, most certainly a lot cheaper than Munsell

  - RAL Classic (216) $16, RAL Effect (490) $70
  - Pantone PMS (2,390), Pantone FHI (2,625) each $260
  - RAL P1 Classic plastics (100 colors + textures): $2,100 
  - RAL P2 Effect plastics (200 colors + textures): $2,700
  - Pantone plastics (1,755): $9,078

  - Munsell (1,600): $1,525 - $1,625 (Munsell book of colors matte - glossy), cheaper subselections of colors based around neutral, soil, plant & rock colors
  - NCS (2,050): $210, used a lot in architecture/interior design, from Sweden
  - RAL Design (1,825): $160, all its colors are additional to/not in Classic/Design