Comparison

Value Study vs Art Grid Drawing

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

Head to head
About

Value Study

This app helps artists improve their skills by analyzing light and shadow in reference images. It allows users to break down tones step-by-step, from simple black and white to more complex value ranges, aiding in the understanding of depth and form. It's a tool to enhance traditional art studies.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step tone breakdown
  • Highlighting areas of same value
  • Focus on light, shadow, and form
  • Greyscale value studies
  • Works with reference images
Features
Read full description

In art, value (or tone) refers to how light or dark a colour is. If you're learning to paint or draw, doing value studies is one of the best ways to improve. These small, loose sketches in greyscale help you understand where shadows fall and highlights appear—essential for capturing depth and form. Value Study is a simple, focused tool designed to help you see values more clearly in your reference images. Instead of just converting a photo to black and white, this app lets you break down tones step by step. Start with just black and white to map out the biggest shapes, then gradually add more values to refine your understanding. You can also highlight all areas of an image that share the same value, making it easier to see subtle shifts in tone. This is especially useful in complex references, like portraits, where different parts of the image might have the same level of shadow but look completely different in colour. Value Study isn’t here to replace traditional studies—it’s here to enhance them. Whether you're sketching, painting, or working digitally, this tool makes it easier to focus on the fundamentals of light, shadow, and form. Try it for free with all features enabled on sample images from Unsplash before deciding to unlock the full app with a low-cost yearly or lifetime purchase. All Value Study Pro upgrades count as lifetime purchase. Either option will unlock Value Study across iPhone, iPad and Mac. Annual: Auto-renews yearly. Lifetime: One-time payment, no fees. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Art Grid Drawing

Easily transfer photos or sketches to your canvas with customizable drawing grids. Zoom in on details for precision and apply filters to simplify references. Spend less time measuring and more time creating art.

Highlights
  • Create accurate drawing grids from photos
  • Customizable grid colors and spacing
  • Zoom for detail and precision
  • Crop and apply filters to references
  • Calculates exact spacing for any canvas size
Features
Read full description

Draw with accuracy. Create with confidence. Art Grid Drawing makes it easy to transfer any photo or sketch to your canvas—so you spend less time measuring and more time making art. How it works: 1 - Pick a photo or drawing. 2 - Choose your canvas size (or use a preset). 3 - Customize your grid (color, spacing, diagonals). 4 - Zoom into each square for perfect detail. 5 - Start drawing! Why artists love Art Grid Drawing: - Instantly create accurate grids - Customize grid colors and styles to suit your workflow - Zoom in on details for precision - Crop and apply filters (blur, edges, posterize) to simplify references - Calculates exact spacing for any canvas or paper size Spend less time setting up and more time creating artwork you’re proud of.

Screenshots

Value Study4 screens
Art Grid Drawing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Value Study at Free against Art Grid Drawing's $2.99. Value Study also leads on ratings volume (3.3K vs 52) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Art Grid Drawing's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and chart position (#36 vs unranked). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Value Study is free to download; Art Grid Drawing costs $2.99 up front. Value Study sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Art Grid Drawing asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Value Study against 4.9 for Art Grid Drawing. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Value Study has 3.3K ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Value Study's written reviews are positive against 80% of Art Grid Drawing's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Value Study ships an update weekly, Art Grid Drawing every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Value Study versus Art Grid Drawing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterValue StudyArt Grid Drawing
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.8 (3.3K ratings)4.9 (52 ratings) — better
Positive reviews91.9% of reviews — better80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3.3K — better52
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#36 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDiem LimitedDAVID CROOKS SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIMITED

Customer experience

Value Study

All ratings3,268 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews198 reviews
Positive91.9%
Neutral1.5%
Negative6.6%

Art Grid Drawing

All ratings52 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral1.9%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative10.0%

Bugs and requests

Value Study

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes or fails to launch on some devices
  • Occasional issues with image processing

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to adjust value midpoint
  • Include color study/color adjustment options
  • Provide side-by-side comparison of original and simplified images
  • Add customizable grid overlay

Art Grid Drawing

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Value Study

Subscriptions1
  • Value Study Pro$3.991 Year
One-time4
  • Appreciation$2.99
  • Value Study Pro (Lifetime)$9.99
  • Generous boost$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Amazing supporter$24.99
None

Art Grid Drawing

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Value Study free?
Value Study is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Art Grid Drawing free?
Art Grid Drawing costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Value Study or Art Grid Drawing?
Art Grid Drawing is rated higher. Value Study averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Art Grid Drawing averages 4.9 from 52 ratings.
Do Value Study or Art Grid Drawing have ads?
Neither Value Study nor Art Grid Drawing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Value Study or Art Grid Drawing?
Value Study ships an update weekly, and Art Grid Drawing every 3 weeks. Most recently, Value Study was updated on September 26, 2026 and Art Grid Drawing on September 23, 2026.

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