These two get lumped together because they're both the green, low-VOC darlings of the paint world — but they're built for different jobs, mate.
COAT is the modern operator. 137 colours, with genuinely strong Neutrals (31), Whites (27) and Greens (24), and an LRV range from 4.1 right up to 99.3 — so you've got proper deep tones and barely-there whites to play with. The finishes are smooth, the coverage is reliable, and the whole thing is built around an easy ordering experience with peel-and-stick samples. Mindful is a cracking soft neutral and Duvet Day is one of the better warm off-whites going. If you're doing a contemporary living room, a kitchen-diner or anything where you want a clean, current palette, COAT is the easier shout.
Earthborn is the breathable specialist. 85 colours, clay-based, and genuinely microporous — which matters enormously in older, solid-wall properties where you need the wall to let moisture move rather than trap it behind a plasticky film. Their Claypaint is the go-to for lime plaster and heritage walls. Whites are their strongest family (28 of them), and they're rightly trusted in nurseries because of the low-odour, child-safe credentials. White Clay is a lovely soft chalky white and Flutterby brings a gentle character that suits period rooms.
The honest "but what about" question: wipeability. COAT's washable finishes hold up better to scrubbing in hallways and kitchens. Earthborn Claypaint, by its chalky breathable nature, is more delicate — they do a Lifestyle range that's more wipeable, but if you've got sticky-fingered kids and want to sponge marks off, COAT wins.
So: old house with solid or lime-plastered walls, or a nursery? Earthborn. Modern home, broader colour choice, want it to wipe clean? COAT.
Practical tip — don't slap Earthborn Claypaint over fresh modern emulsion or vinyl; it needs the right breathable substrate to do its thing. And whichever you choose, order the proper samples and live with them for a couple of days before committing.