Comparison

Gathered vs RefCanvas

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Gathered

This app helps you curate a digital library of inspiring images for your creative projects. Easily collect visuals from photos, your camera roll, or other apps, and organize them into custom collections with notes and color palettes. Sync your library across devices via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Collect images from various sources
  • Organize into custom collections
  • Extract color palettes
  • Add notes and edit image details
  • Sync across devices with iCloud
  • Drag & Drop functionality
Features
Read full description

Gathered is a calm, beautiful home for the images, screenshots and links you want to keep. Collect what inspires you and organize it your way — into collections, with notes, tags, colors and locations. Everything syncs automatically across iPhone, iPad and Mac with iCloud. • Collections — group images and links however you like • Smart Filters — instantly browse Recents, Places, Screenshots, 3D Models and more • Rich metadata — color palettes, locations on a map, notes and tags • Links — save webpages alongside your images • Share Card — turn any image into a stylish card with its colour palette and location • Quick import — Share Extension, drag & drop, camera, scanner and paste • Home Screen widget — a daily dose of inspiration from your library • Private by design — your library lives in your own iCloud, with no account required

About

RefCanvas

This app helps artists and designers organize visual references for their projects. Import images and GIFs, arrange them on a canvas, add notes, and export your creations.

Highlights
  • Import images and GIFs
  • Add text notes
  • Move, scale, and rotate references
  • Group references with nodes
  • Supports split screen and pop-up view
  • Export boards as SVG or images
Features
Read full description

RefCanvas is an intuitive tool for artists and designers who need a comprehensive reference app to bring their creative vision to life. Key Features: - Import images and gifs. - Notes - Add text notes. - Move, scale and rotate references to create the perfect layout. - Multi selection - edit multiple references at one. - Nodes - Useful for grouping references. - Drag and drop - Drag and drop files from others apps like the gallery. - Paste files from the clipboard. - Supports split screen and pop-up view: Use it as a companion app with your favorite drawing app like Ibis Paint or Infinite Painter. - Save your progress as boards for future use. - Auto set thumbnails for boards after saving. - Eye dropper - Tap and hold to pick a color from your references as a hex code. - Drawing. Animated GIF support: - Reference your favorite animated gifs. - Pause animation and play frame by frame to better understand referenced animations. - Animation timeline gives you an interactive visual breakdown of all the frames. Easy to use reference tools: - Grayscale toggle. - Flip horizontally and vertically. - Add link - allows you to visit the source of your reference. Export: Export boards to share. Export board as SVG. Export Images/Gifs as files. Using RefCanvas to make reference boards & mood boards is easy, simply import your images or gifs, and move them around the canvas to arrange them in the layout that works best for your project. You can adjust their size, rotation and position to your liking, giving you maximum control over your creative process.

Screenshots

Gathered4 screens
RefCanvas4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Gathered at 3.9 against RefCanvas's 2.3. Gathered also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 17 months). RefCanvas's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Gathered sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and RefCanvas sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Gathered holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Gathered's written reviews are positive against 43% of RefCanvas's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gathered ships an update monthly, RefCanvas every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Gathered versus RefCanvas: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGatheredRefCanvas
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (17 ratings) — better2.3 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews47.1% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better7
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 17 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB131 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNikola Kirevyoucef boukit

Customer experience

Gathered

All ratings17 ratings
Positive70.6%
Neutral11.8%
Negative17.6%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive47.1%
Neutral29.4%
Negative23.5%

RefCanvas

All ratings7 ratings
Positive28.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative57.1%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative57.1%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Gathered

One-time1
  • Gathered Pro$24.99
2 purchases

RefCanvas

One-time2
  • Pro version$2.99
  • Pro version2 variants$3.99

Questions

Is Gathered free?
Gathered is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RefCanvas free?
RefCanvas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Gathered or RefCanvas?
Gathered is rated higher. Gathered averages 3.9 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while RefCanvas averages 2.3 from 7 ratings.
Do Gathered or RefCanvas have ads?
Neither Gathered nor RefCanvas shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gathered or RefCanvas?
Gathered ships an update monthly, and RefCanvas every 17 months. Most recently, Gathered was updated on November 4, 2026 and RefCanvas on November 3, 2026.

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