Comparison

Abstractor vs Proref

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

Head to head
About

Abstractor

This drawing app uses generative magic and dynamic flow brushes to create unique, animated artwork. Explore infinite possibilities with brushes that respond to your gestures, imported images, and algorithmic patterns.

Highlights
  • Generative flow brushes
  • Image-driven velocity maps
  • Algorithmic particle behavior
  • Color shifting based on stroke
  • Layer support
  • Color source layers
Features
Read full description

ABSTRACTOR: PAINT WITH GENERATIVE MAGIC Unleash your vision with Abstractor, a poetic drawing app for iPad and iPhone, crafted for artist explorers and playful creators. Paint with infinite possibilities, where every stroke pulses with generative magic. FLOW BRUSHES: THE HEART OF CREATION Dive into the soul of Abstractor with flow brushes, where particles swirl like living liquids, leaving hypnotic trails across your canvas. These dynamic tools respond to three unique velocity maps: • Stroke Paths: Your gestures carve flowing rivers, guiding particles along vibrant trails. • Image-Driven Flow: Import an image to shape a velocity field, infusing brushes with textured, directional energy. • Algorithmic Soul: Add generated noise or patterns to give particles a distinct character—turbulent storms or gentle ripples. Tune particle behaviors in real time, sculpting their essence like a visual composer. Blend these maps to create mesmerizing, emergent patterns that surprise and inspire, making every stroke a performance. Colors shift with stroke angle, pressure, or speed, weaving emotion into every line. Use familiar layers or bind tools to them for tailored magic. Paint over a color source layer, pulling hues from imported images to craft radiant distortions—flow brushes shine here, warping visuals into dreamlike abstractions. Abstractor is your canvas for boundless wonder. Download now and let your art flow eternal.

About

Proref

Features
Read full description

Proref is where your references live while you draw — and where the finished piece goes afterwards. GATHER YOUR REFERENCES Drop everything you're looking at onto one huge canvas and arrange it into a board. Import from Photos, your camera, Files, a web link, the share sheet, or by dragging straight in from Safari. Zoom from 2% to 25,600%, so the board grows with the project. WORK BESIDE THEM Proref is built for Split View: your references on one side, your drawing app on the other. Sketch and annotate over them with Apple Pencil, with pressure. Tune brightness, contrast and saturation, or crop non-destructively — the original is always recoverable. A minimap shows where you are, and saved views jump you back to any spot in one tap. KEEP THE PIECE, AND THE LESSON When something's finished, keep it. Attach a piece to the board it came from, open it full screen, and see everything you've made on a dated timeline — as a gallery to swipe or a list to scan. Note what worked and what didn't while it's fresh, star the things to carry forward, and those notes sit in a pane on the board while you draw the next one. If you'd rather Proref stayed purely a reference app, turn the art journey off in Settings and it does. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No accounts. No sign-in. No server. No tracking, no analytics, no ads. Your boards, your artworks and your critique notes stay on your device. FREE, WITH A ONE-TIME UNLOCK Proref is free to use with 2 boards, 10 images per board, 3 saved views, 5 finished artworks, and 3 focused critique notes per piece. Proref Pro removes those limits and unlocks every feature — a single one-time purchase, not a subscription. Buy it once and restore it on your other devices.

Screenshots

Abstractor4 screens
Proref4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Proref at 15.0 against Abstractor's 18.0. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Abstractor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Proref sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Abstractor ships an update every 5 days, Proref every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Abstractor versus Proref: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAbstractorProref
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DevelopersuperdiagonalJohn Oliver Atienza

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Abstractor

Subscriptions2
  • All Access · 1 Month$0.991 Month
  • Premium · 1 Year14 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • All-Access$9.99
1 purchases

Proref

One-time1
  • Proref Pro$7.99

Questions

Is Abstractor free?
Abstractor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Proref free?
Proref is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Abstractor or Proref have ads?
Neither Abstractor nor Proref shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Abstractor or Proref?
Abstractor ships an update every 5 days, and Proref every 6 days. Most recently, Abstractor was updated on October 1, 2026 and Proref on October 3, 2026.

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