# How to Draw vs DrawRef

The clearest difference is review sentiment: DrawRef at 92% against How to Draw's 46%. DrawRef also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). How to Draw's advantage is ratings volume (4.5K vs 70) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. How to Draw sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. DrawRef asks for nothing beyond the download.

DrawRef holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: How to Draw has 4.5K ratings behind it against 70, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of How to Draw's written reviews are positive against 92% of DrawRef's.

How to Draw ships an update every 6 months, DrawRef every 9 months. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | How to Draw | DrawRef |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/how-to-draw-drawing-guide/id1428780100/reviews) | **[4.7 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawref/id1446586198/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.5K** | 70 |
| Positive reviews | 46.2% of reviews | **91.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 months** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 106 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gorasiya Vishal Nanjibhai](https://appshunter.io/developer/1287086933) | [Vasilii Sverchkov](https://appshunter.io/developer/638740211) |

## What reviewers say

### How to Draw

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/how-to-draw-drawing-guide/id1428780100)

Learn to draw and trace with step-by-step tutorials. This app acts as your drawing teacher, offering endless ideas and easy-to-follow illustrations to help you create amazing art. Practice designs with various tools and explore a vast collection of drawings.

**Highlights:** Step-by-step drawing tutorials, Tracing functionality, Drawing tools (pencil, color, eraser), Zoom and move features, Browse and search art collections, Bookmark favorite designs, Share creations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Unlock | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly Unlock | $14.99 | per year |
| Yearly Unlock | $24.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Unlock | $44.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to follow instructions
- 🚀 Helpful for improving drawing skills
- 💡 Wide variety of drawing topics
- 😊 Fun and engaging app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 💰 Too many ads and paywalls
- 🔍 Difficult to find specific drawings
- 🎨 Limited drawing tools and customization

**Reported bugs**

- Blank screens and loading issues
- Incorrect or mismatched drawing titles
- Drawings not loading properly

**Requested features**

- Add more realistic human drawing options
- Improve translation accuracy of drawing titles
- Implement video tutorials for better guidance
- Reduce frequency of ads and provide ad-free option


### DrawRef

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawref/id1446586198)

This utility app helps artists by displaying drawing references in a picture-in-picture mode. It allows you to easily access your gallery, select an image, and overlay it on your screen while using your preferred drawing application. You can resize, reposition, and even hide the reference image to optimize your workspace.

**Highlights:** Picture-in-picture reference display, Instant gallery access, Selectable reference image parts, Adjustable reference image position, Scalable reference image

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is How to Draw free?

How to Draw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is DrawRef free?

DrawRef is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, How to Draw or DrawRef?

DrawRef is rated higher. How to Draw averages 4.4 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while DrawRef averages 4.7 from 70 ratings.

### Do How to Draw or DrawRef have ads?

Neither How to Draw nor DrawRef shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, How to Draw or DrawRef?

How to Draw ships an update every 6 months, and DrawRef every 9 months. Most recently, How to Draw was updated on November 2, 2026 and DrawRef on November 2, 2026.

---

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