# Gathered vs RefCanvas

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Gathered | RefCanvas |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.9 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gathered-design-inspiration/id1302737642/reviews)** | [2.3 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refcanvas/id6447381089/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **17** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | **47.1% of reviews** | 42.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 17 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 11 MB | 131 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nikola Kirev](https://appshunter.io/developer/418759284) | [youcef boukit](https://appshunter.io/developer/1681171051) |

## What reviewers say

### Gathered

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gathered-design-inspiration/id1302737642)

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:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gathered Pro | $24.99 | one-time |


### RefCanvas

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refcanvas/id6447381089)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro version | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pro version | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*