# ImgRef — user reviews

> 43 indexed App Store user reviews of ImgRef by 文荣 李, rated 4.70/5 from 124 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imgref/id6742316732/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imgref/id6742316732.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 110 · 4★ 4 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 8

## What do users think of ImgRef?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Great alternative to Vizref
- 👍 Simple and intuitive
- 👍 Lots of features Vizref doesn't have
- 👍 Satisfying image compilation
- 👍 Lovely app and intuitive
- 👍 Very good and easy to understand
- 👍 Best reference image software

**Cons**

- 👎 Monotonous image selection and movement
- 👎 Unappealing UI

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Trouble importing images from other apps

**Most requested features**

- Add cropping functionality
- Implement doodle/text feature for notes
- Add GIF frame reading function

## Newest reviews (12 of 43)

### 4/5 — This App is Really amazing! I would give it 5 stars if two features were included

*2026-03-11*

I really like how smooth the app works!! The only two features I wish it did have is the ability to search through your different folders to find your Refboards easier. The other feature that would be handy is the ability to possibly copy and paste easier when using the iPad by itself. Possibly dedicated buttons for copy and pasting. Amazing app otherwise.

**Developer response:** Thank you very much for your liking.

### 5/5 — So far better than Visref

*2026-01-21*

I’ve used Visref for years, and don’t get me wrong it’s an amazing app for artists, however in recent years it has become extremely glitchy and development for it seems to have been halted for a long time, with no noticeable updates, even bug fixes, as far as I can remember since I got it. Imgref has basically taken the gripes I had with Visref and fixed them. Even as of only having installed the app for a couple days ago, I open the appstore to see that it has an update. The dev team seems active, and dedicated to their app and seems to be actually listening to users positives and criticisms and acting accordingly. So far it has handled my large boards for illustration references without crashing or bugs, and unlike Visref, hasn’t corrupted entire boards making them unusable. The app seems stable, well designed, and has features that take it a step further that other reference apps i’ve used. So far 5/5!

**Developer response:** Thank you very much for your appreciation. We will strive to provide the best products. If you have any good suggestions, please feel free to contact us via email. Email: xunhuaref@163.com

### 5/5 — yep definitely worth it

*2025-12-07*

after buying this app I don’t know how I put up with procreate or ibispaint’s built in reference modes for this long. extremely robust, so many options, very much worth its price tag.

**Developer response:** Thank you for like it. If possible, we’d appreciate your help in promoting it on social media platforms.

### 4/5 — LOVE

*2025-12-06*

Has made art 10x easier, wish there was a cloud option and maybe some in-app photo editing, but still fantastic and absolutely worth the price

**Developer response:** Thank you very much for your favourite.

### 5/5 — Thank you very much

*2025-11-19*

Thanks you, for fixing the issues that I previously have reported

**Developer response:** Hello, the new version 3.1.40 has been adapted to ipad26. Please update it. I'm sorry to keep you waiting.

### 5/5 — Home button issue.

*2025-11-17*

Thanks for fixing performance issue with procreate. But there is another issue with home button. It closes menu instantly. Developers, please, fix that

**Developer response:** hello,It has been determined that it is a system compatibility problem of ios26.1 or above, and the development team is trying to find a way to deal with it.

### 5/5 — 앱 이름은 imgref인데..

*2025-11-15*

앱 설치하면 아이콘 아래 이름이 Runner 로 뜸.  

버그 : 홈 아이콘 클릭하면 풀다운 메뉴가 내려가다가..  클릭하기도 전에 닫혀서..  아틀라스 리스트로 나갈수 없음.

부탁 : 아틀라스 간의 이미지 이동, 복사 기능이 있었으면 합니다.  가능하다면…

**Developer response:** 질문 1: 일부 국가에서 앱 이름이 잘못 표시되는 문제는 곧 수정될 예정입니다.
질문 2: 안녕하세요, 새로운 버전 3.1.40이 ipad26에 적용되었습니다. 업데이트해 주세요. 기다리게 해서 죄송합니다.
질문 3: 아틀라스 간 이동 및 복사 기능은 팀 내부에서 구현 난이도를 논의한 후, 요구 사항 풀에 반영하도록 하겠습니다.

### 4/5 — Performance issue

*2025-11-04*

There are something wrong with performance  with side view with procreate. I can feel how my brushes becomes bit laggy until imgref is working. Even optimise update didn’t fix that.

**Developer response:** Hello, the new version has solved this problem. Please update it. If you have more suggestions, please contact us by email~~

### 5/5 — Best work with ref on iPad

*2025-10-18*

A

**Developer response:** Thank you very much for your liking. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact us by email~~

### 5/5 — Best Reference App There Is

*2025-10-11*

No complaints!! No ads, easy and intuitive, and super effective. One of my favorite art tools.

**Developer response:** Thank you very much for your liking. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact us by email~~

### 5/5 — VizRef代替有力候補

*2025-07-10*

ライブラリがアプリ内に保存されるのが惜しい。端末間で同期する機能があれば最高。常にiCloud Driveに読み書きしたい。VoxelMaxやObsidianのように。

**Developer response:** ご愛顧いただきありがとうございます。現在、当アプリではデータを共有機能を利用してiCloudに保存することが可能です。お客様がご指摘の『アプリデータを直接iCloudに保存する』機能については、すでに要望リストに追加されており、検討後に開発予定です。気に入っていただけましたら、ぜひお友達にもシェアしてくださいね～♪

### 5/5 — GREAT!!!! NEVER going back to Vizref!!

*2025-06-26*

I was tearing my hair out over Vizref (a much pricier reference program!) consistently crashing when I tried to open projects, so in a fit I bought another reference program. Best decision ever. Not only is it simple, but there are SO many different possibilities that vizref just doesn’t have. You can draw and write notes on images!? You can color pick images!? The program shows how you can snap your compilation of images in a satisfying way!?!? It’s honestly incredible. 

I only have two notes:

1. Its’s very annoying that you have to click your finger away when selecting and moving an image to select another image. If I select and move the first image, I should be able to select and drag the second image when I click on it. It’s very monotonous because of that.

2.My other note is that the ui isn’t very pleasing to look at. Vizref buttons had very clear and pleasing contrast in their selection buttons, so I recommend a bolder style for buttons and colors.

Besides that, wonderful. 5/5

**Developer response:** Thank you so much for your kind words! Regarding the operational logic and UI issues you mentioned, we'll promptly develop optimization solutions. More powerful features are currently in development，stay tuned～～

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Greed

*2026-07-25*

Purchased this app and everything has been going great. Until I opened up the app and began to get pop ups for a pro subscription. Of course you’re not forced to have it. It’s the fact that even if you purchase the app, in order to use certain features, you need to purchase an annual subscription. Disappointing.

Also, the developers responses to people criticizing their implementation of a subscription service is concerning. You have to pay to download this app, that should be considered pro. There shouldn’t be tiers behind a PAID app. Are the basic features still there? Yes, but it’s the principle. You have limited options. For example, in order to organize your boards into folders, you have to pay an annual subscription fee.

**Developer response:** The functions of the basic version have not changed and are still being updated. Pro provides a large number of functions that far exceed that of competitors in the industry. You can try to experience it.

### 1/5 — This app’s interface is buggy

*2026-07-08*

I love the app at first but with every subsequent update the app is getting worst and worst for paying customers. I wish there was an option to hide all the features with the crown symbols.

**Developer response:** The functions of the basic version have not changed and are still being updated. Pro provides a large number of functions that far exceed that of competitors in the industry. You can try to experience it.

### 1/5 — The last update

*2026-07-01*

I will change my review.
They did not take my feature away but made it more annoying to access and littered the screen with features locked behind a subscription.
This developer is the only one that does this and bullies their early adopters.
Sadly I cannot recommend this software to anybody who is using this app professionally. 
My workflow is disrupted with their unethical behavior, and I am beyond angry at how they handle the app. 
The app is terrible to use now. Add a hide premium feature option to keep the ui more usable.

**Developer response:** Pro provides a large number of functions far beyond competitors in the industry. You can try it.

### 1/5 — Wow this is a bit terrible

*2026-06-03*

Whelp there goes my whole project. I tried to use this app for my work and I can’t export, i can’t access layers without paying 54 a year. That’s right folks, an art app where the layers are locked behind a subscription. This is a one star app I would advise for you folks to stay away. Totally not safe to use as a matrix for your references. The app will lock you out of your projects and you will have to pay yearly to work.

**Developer response:** The basic version can be exported. Pro provides a large number of functions far beyond competitors in the industry. You can try it.

### 2/5 — The last update

*2026-06-04*

This mood boots is lagging a lot more and I had to restart from scratch. 
Please fix it.

**Developer response:** It is expected that version 4.9.3 will correct this problem. Please pay attention to the recent updates.

### 2/5 — Greed

*2026-05-11*

Purchased this app and everything has been going great. Until I opened up the app and began to get pop ups for a pro subscription. Of course you’re not forced to have it. It’s the fact that even if you purchase the app, in order to use certain features, you need to purchase an annual subscription. Disappointing.

**Developer response:** The functions of the basic version have not changed and are still being updated. Pro provides a large number of functions that far exceed that of competitors in the industry. You can try to experience it.

### 2/5 — No cropping

*2025-06-05*

Only tried this app for a few minutes and noticed some functionality that I want. Most important is cropping. If I import a photo, I normally just want a piece of it; not the whole thing. So I need to crop first, then import, which reduces the value of this app. The first image I tried to drag in from another app, pixiv, didn’t work. When it comes to layer management, I can only move to the very top or bottom. 
Definitely going to try to return this as it’s just doing what I need it to do. Would consider buying again if the features were added in the future.

**Developer response:** 1.Cropping feature in development，will be released in the next version.
2. ImgRef supports dragging and dropping images. (This feature requires another application to support image drag and drop. You can use the file manager to split the screen and drag and drop for testing.)

### 3/5 — Would be 5 star if you could delete selected images

*2025-11-20*

You can upload as many images, videos, and gifs to a folder, but not delete individual images? Horrible

**Developer response:** Hello, there is this function. After selecting the image, the menu in the lower right corner can be scrolled and swiped left and right. There is a deletion function in it~~ There are more powerful functions for you to discover.

### 3/5 — 컴퓨터 안에 파일열기

*2025-06-20*

클라우드 안에 pur 파일 열기는 안되나요?

**Developer response:** pur 파일이 암호화되어 가져올 수 없습니다.그림/gif/비디오와 같은 에셋이나 Imgref 파일 형식(imgr)을 가져올 수 있습니다.

### 4/5 — スワイプの挙動を改善してほしい

*2026-03-20*

指を離すとスワイプがピタッと止まる。もっと滑らかに動いてほしい。理由としては、キャンパス内の移動に何度もスワイプする必要があり、指が疲れるため。VizRefは滑らかな挙動であるため、そこが改善されればこちらのアプリを使うだろう。

**Developer response:** こんにちは、ご好評いただきありがとうございます。ただ、「もっと滑らかに動いてほしい」というご指摘の意味が理解できませんでしたので、メールで詳細をご教示いただけますと幸いです。メールアドレス：xunhuaref@163.com

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — 手軽で良い

*2026-08-17*

似たアプリとして純正のフリーボードを使っていましたが、こちらのアプリでは写真をまとめて読み込むと自動で綺麗に並べてくれるのがかなり楽です！動作もこちらの方が軽い気がします。
おかげで気軽に資料作りが出来るようになりました。

**Developer response:** お気に入りいただき、ありがとうございます。

### 5/5 — 神アプリ

*2026-08-16*

これは使える

**Developer response:** お気に入りいただき、ありがとうございます。

### 5/5 — 便利

*2026-08-14*

ありがとう

**Developer response:** お気に入りいただき、ありがとうございます。

### 5/5 — ホンマにあり

*2026-08-01*

痒いところに手が届くというのはこの事。私は集中力が無いんじゃなくて、絵を描くために必要な資料をカメラロールやら画像検索アプリから見つけ出して資料ごとに変えることにリソースを取られていたのだなと気づきました。本当にありがとうございます。

**Developer response:** ご愛用いただき、誠にありがとうございます。

### 5/5 — 別端末で同期したい

*2026-07-31*

すごく使いやすいです！
アカウントの項目が無いので、別端末(iPadとiPhoneなど)でも同じアカウントを用いて、同じボードを見れるようにしてほしいです。それ以外は完璧です！何卒よろしくお願いします。

**Developer response:** ご愛用いただき、誠にありがとうございます。いただいたご要望は、開発チームに共有いたします。

### 5/5 — とても使いやすい！端末間で自動的に同期する機能が欲しい

*2026-07-30*

バックアップとインポートが手動なのが手間が掛かる

**Developer response:** ご愛用いただき、誠にありがとうございます。いただいたご要望は、開発チームに共有いたします。

### 5/5 — 使いやすいが改善点あり

*2026-07-08*

とても使いやすいです！

ただ、動画の確認がしにくいです。再生バーのつまみを指で移動させている間は動画が一時停止してしまうので、移動させている間もコマ送りみたいに動きを確認できるようにして欲しいです。

また、私はiPadで画面分割して細くして見ているので、表示モードにしたとき名称と目と鍵のアイコンがある部分が大きくて少し邪魔です。小さく設定できるようにするか、画面を触っていない間は表示が消えるようにするか、スワイプやダブルタップ、三点リーダーか何かで表示・非表示にできたら嬉しいです。

**Developer response:** ご指摘の内容は開発チームに共有済みです。動画機能については、引き続き改善の可否を調査します。プレビューモードの表示領域の問題は、主に iOS 26 の左上にある閉じるボタン領域が原因です。現在、チームでも業界における回避方法を調査しています。ご意見ありがとうございます。ほかにご不明点がございましたら、いつでもメールでお問い合わせください。

### 5/5 — ビューの移動に慣性が欲しい

*2026-06-09*

精力的な更新ありがとうございます

**Developer response:** ご関心をお寄せいただき、誠にありがとうございます。慣性システムに関する実現可能性調査は、今後実施する予定です。

### 5/5 — 진짜 좋네요 쓸수록

*2026-05-16*

Vizref보다 너무 좋아요 정리도 편하고 기능도 좋고 업데도 자주 하고 앞으로 좋은 기능도 기대됩니다

**Developer response:** 좋아해 주셔서 대단히 감사합니다. 팀 계획에 따르면, 색상 분석 등 강화 기능이 곧 출시될 예정입니다~~

### 5/5 — W update great ref board application

*2026-04-25*

Phenomenal

**Developer response:** Thank you very much for your liking.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-03.*