HEAVYPAINT Classic vs DarkRef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HEAVYPAINT Classic
A streamlined painting application focused on pure colors and shapes. It offers essential tools for artists, including improved smudge and blur, layers, masking, and erasing. Ideal for quick sketches, studies, and plein air work.
- Improved Smudge tool
- Improved Blur tool
- Layers
- Masking
- Clipping
- Erase tool
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HEAVYPAINT ClassicA simple yet secretly powerful painting app! Focus on pure colors and shapes with a streamlined interface. Ideal for plein air painting, color notes, sketches and studies. + Improved Smudge + Improved Blur + Layers + Masking + Erase + Clipping 30 day trial with full functionality.
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
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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: HEAVYPAINT Classic at 4.1 against DarkRef's 2.8. HEAVYPAINT Classic also leads on review sentiment (52% vs 25%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. HEAVYPAINT Classic sells 2 one-off in-app purchases 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.
HEAVYPAINT Classic holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HEAVYPAINT Classic has 179 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of HEAVYPAINT Classic's written reviews are positive against 25% of DarkRef's.
HEAVYPAINT Classic ships an update every 5 days, DarkRef every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HEAVYPAINT Classic | DarkRef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (179 ratings) — better | 2.8 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 52.2% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 179 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HEAVYPOLY, Inc. | Timothy Patrick Dommett |
Customer experience
HEAVYPAINT Classic
DarkRef
Bugs and requests
HEAVYPAINT Classic
Reported bugs
18 issues- App crashes frequently, causing work loss
- Auto-save feature unreliable despite crashes
- Canvas flips upside down randomly
- Transform tool deletes paintings
- Undo button requires multiple taps
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- Zoom functionality buggy and destabilizes canvas
- Canvas resize not working
- Image corruption with layer duplication
- Eye dropper functionality haphazard
- Fill tool doesn't work with selected colors
- Pressure setting eliminates mark-making
- Brush size settings change across all tools
- Some brush textures cannot be changed
- Random blobs appear on export
- App crashes when switching between drawings
- Trial period not clearing for paid users
- Incompatibility with SE2 and older devices
- Speaker popping on undo action
Requested features
15 requests- Gesture controls (2-finger undo, 3-finger redo)
- Pressure sensitivity for brush size
- Lasso tool for moving selections
- Redo button functionality
- Canvas zoom capability
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- Resizable/collapsible UI elements
- Ability to move canvas with single finger
- Line work capabilities
- Better brush texture preset selection
- Canvas size input field
- Eraser tool
- Moveable UI panels
- Tutorial or onboarding guide
- Better save/export documentation
- Pressure control for size on all tools
DarkRef
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
HEAVYPAINT Classic
- Seurat Texture Brushes$4.99
- HEAVYPAINT Pro$9.99
DarkRef
- Sync Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
- Sync Annual$9.991 Year
Questions
Is HEAVYPAINT Classic free?
Is DarkRef free?
Which has better reviews, HEAVYPAINT Classic or DarkRef?
Do HEAVYPAINT Classic or DarkRef have ads?
Which is updated more often, HEAVYPAINT Classic or DarkRef?
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