Gathered vs DarkRef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
DarkRef
Organize your visual inspiration with images, GIFs, and notes. This app offers a free, intuitive platform for artists to manage references across all devices, with optional cloud sync for seamless backup and access.
- Unlimited boards and images
- Image and GIF support
- Notes and annotations
- Folder organization
- Offline access
- Cross-device sync
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your own library of art references, organised and on all your devices. DarkRef is a powerful reference board designed for digital artists. Organize your inspiration with images, GIFs, notes, videos and folders; all in one beautiful, minimalist library and use canvases to plan your next big artwork. 100% FREE TO USE All core features are completely free including your reference library, automatic image tagging, canvases and more. Create unlimited boards, add unlimited images and GIFs, take notes, and organize with folders. The only features requiring a paid plan are for syncing your files across devices and for live collaboration boards where you can work with your team together on a shared board. All the core features are completely free. WORKS OFFLINE All your references are stored locally on your device. Work anywhere, even without internet. With a DarkRef paid plan, your changes sync automatically when you're back online. WHY DARKREF? Unlike other reference board apps, DarkRef truly works everywhere. Whether you're sketching on your iPad at a coffee shop, at the office on your Mac or working at home, your references are always with you. Perfect for: • Digital artists and illustrators • Concept artists • Character designers • Environment artists • Animators • Game artists • Anyone who needs organized visual references Download DarkRef for free today and never lose track of your inspiration again.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Gathered at 3.9 against DarkRef's 2.8. Gathered also leads on review sentiment (47% vs 25%) and ratings volume (17 vs 4). DarkRef's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Gathered sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and DarkRef sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Gathered holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Gathered's written reviews are positive against 25% of DarkRef's.
Gathered ships an update monthly, DarkRef every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Gathered | DarkRef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (17 ratings) — better | 2.8 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 47.1% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nikola Kirev | Timothy Patrick Dommett |
Customer experience
Gathered
DarkRef
In-app purchases
Gathered
- Gathered Pro$24.99
DarkRef
- Sync Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
- Sync Annual$9.991 Year








