Comparison

VizRef vs HEAVYPAINT

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

Head to head
About

VizRef

This app allows artists and animators to create visual reference boards using images and GIFs from various sources. It integrates with popular drawing applications, offering tools to organize and refine inspiration for creative projects.

Highlights
  • Create visual reference boards
  • Import images and GIFs from web, cloud, photos
  • Companion app for Procreate, Adobe Fresco, etc.
  • Organize inspiration with thumbnails
  • Animated GIF support with frame-by-frame playback
  • Image editing tools: crop, greyscale, flip, rotate
  • Drag and drop from web, batch import
Read full description

VizRef for iPad enables creatives to finally take their inspiration anywhere. It becomes the perfect companion app for Procreate® or paired with your favorite drawing/animation application by utilizing iPad IOS multitasking features. Clear up your hard to find hidden layers in your drawing app and easily organize your inspiration on the go. Make visual reference boards with any images or gifs from web browsers, cloud storage, photos, screen captures and more. The first mood board creation app made by artists for artists, that brings comprehensive referencing tools to animators and visual artists/en. We are dedicated to bringing creatives what they need most in being inspired everywhere they go. HIGHLIGHTS -Perfect companion app paired with Procreate® Adobe Fresco ® Clip Studio Paint® Infinite Painter® etc. by utilizing iPad IOS multitasking features -Supports many image types including GIF -Drag and drop from web -Batch Import from Photos app -Batch Export images from boards to cloud storage using Files app - *Multi-Select and auto pack images for a quicker workflow * -Import High-Resolution images with HD toggle _*Focus on whats importing with Focus mode. ( rotate imageboard ) -Batch Import from iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive with split-screen -Quick and responsive visual reference board experience -Easy to use/ minimal UI -Light mode and Dark mode -Set thumbnails for reference boards to visually organize your inspiration ANIMATED GIF SUPPORT -Reference your favorite animated gifs -Pause animation and play frame by frame to better understand referenced animations -Advanced animation timeline gives you an interactive visual breakdown of all frames EASY TO USE REFERENCE TOOLS -Crop images to optimize screen space and view more references -Greyscale toggle for images for value reference -Flip horizontally and vertically -Rotate Images -Copy-paste images into other apps Artwork and animation credits @_Artazi @_baomii @_Deadslug_ @amnesiapancake @barachan @belgeist @criisalys @ergo.josh @evan_monteiro @gloomwastaken @mrbeezul @onemegawatt @rocketboiART @samuelyounart @cobalt_requin VizRef was created by Max Gonzalez and RoboWorld Entertainment with supporting development from Valere Labs

About

HEAVYPAINT

This app offers a raw digital painting experience with unique tools for creating textured art and quick studies. It's designed for artists who embrace digital chaos and seek a streamlined, mobile art studio.

Highlights
  • Unique digital brushes
  • Color Jitter for texture
  • Fast color blocking tools
  • Line Blend for gradients
  • Liquify tool
  • Minimalist interface
  • Gallery for creations
Features
Read full description

Raw digital painting with unique brushes & color chaos. The painter's painting app that celebrates digital chaos. HEAVYPAINT is unapologetically digital and a bit unhinged. It’s a celebration of digital impressionism. Whether you're sketching on the train, painting outdoors, or creating quick color studies, this is your pocket art studio. Unique Digital Tools Color Jitter: Unleash beautiful digital chaos and texture Fan Fill and Lasso Fill for fast color blockins, textured foliage, notan, organic shapes. Rake tool for softening up edges in a graphic way Line Blend for instant gradients
Liquify to adjust proportions and shapes Built for Speed & Mobility Perfect pochade box replacement for pleinair painting. Great for quick paintings on public transit, many will finger paint on their phones. Streamlined interface.Focus on pure color and shape without digital clutter. Streamlined Experience Minimalist interface puts painting first Customizable tools that adapt to your style Strong shape design tools for bold, crisp artwork Gallery to review and organize your creations + Plein air painters who want to ditch heavy supplies + Quick color studies and concept sketches + Figure painting and gesture drawing + Artists wanting to rediscover digital painting joy + Anyone seeking a uniquely digital aesthetic HEAVYPAINT balances professional capabilities with unhinged creativity. Embrace procedural randomness / crunchiness / glitchiness that digital enables. Touch grass. Ideal for pleinair painting and quick studies This app is subject to Apple's standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

HEAVYPAINT4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HEAVYPAINT at Free against VizRef's $3.99. HEAVYPAINT also leads on device support (3 vs 1). VizRef's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (70% vs 58%). On rating, update cadence 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

HEAVYPAINT is free to download; VizRef costs $3.99 up front. HEAVYPAINT sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. VizRef asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for VizRef against 4.0 for HEAVYPAINT. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 291 and 66 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of VizRef's written reviews are positive against 58% of HEAVYPAINT's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VizRef ships an update every 3 months, HEAVYPAINT every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
VizRef versus HEAVYPAINT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVizRefHEAVYPAINT
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (291 ratings) — better4.0 (66 ratings)
Positive reviews69.8% of reviews — better58.4% of reviews
Number of ratings291 — better66
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.2 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStudio PixanohHEAVYPOLY, Inc.

Customer experience

VizRef

All ratings291 ratings
Positive73.9%
Neutral12.4%
Negative13.7%
Written reviews189 reviews
Positive69.8%
Neutral13.2%
Negative16.9%

HEAVYPAINT

All ratings66 ratings
Positive68.2%
Neutral13.6%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews77 reviews
Positive58.4%
Neutral15.6%
Negative26.0%

User reviews

VizRef

From 291 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
  • 🚀 Smooth and fast performance
  • 🎨 Helpful for organizing references
  • 💡 Useful for artists and creatives
  • 🔍 Convenient for gathering inspiration

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔒 Lack of backup/sync options
  • 🖌️ No annotation or note-taking features
  • 🔀 Difficulty rearranging/moving images
  • 💾 Limited image storage capacity

HEAVYPAINT

From 66 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful brushes and tools
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Unique and distilled painting experience
  • 👍 Responsive and dedicated developer
  • 👍 Great community support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🐛 Issues with saving and restoring purchases
  • 🐛 Inconsistent UI and missing features

Bugs and requests

VizRef

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashing when opening new boards
  • Issues with exporting boards and images
  • Losing images from boards unexpectedly
  • Limits on number of images per board

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add text/drawing tools for annotations
  • Implement cloud sync and backup options
  • Allow multi-select and batch operations
  • Provide more flexible image manipulation
  • Add folders/organization for boards

HEAVYPAINT

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Gallery crashes
  • Artwork files not saving properly
  • Eyedropper tool not working as expected

Requested features

3 requests
  • Improved layer management
  • More customization options
  • Better color controls and eyedropper tool

In-app purchases

None

VizRef

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

HEAVYPAINT

Subscriptions2
  • Gallery Sync Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Gallery Sync Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock Full Version$9.99

Questions

Is VizRef free?
VizRef costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is HEAVYPAINT free?
HEAVYPAINT is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, VizRef or HEAVYPAINT?
VizRef is rated higher. VizRef averages 4.1 out of 5 from 291 ratings, while HEAVYPAINT averages 4.0 from 66 ratings.
Do VizRef or HEAVYPAINT have ads?
Neither VizRef nor HEAVYPAINT shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VizRef or HEAVYPAINT?
VizRef ships an update every 3 months, and HEAVYPAINT every 6 weeks. Most recently, VizRef was updated on October 5, 2026 and HEAVYPAINT on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons