Head Study vs Poly Poser
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Head Study
This app provides artists with a 3D reference for understanding human anatomy and facial forms. It features simplified planes, a skull model, and adjustable lighting to aid in portraiture studies. Enhance your knowledge of the human form by exploring what lies beneath the surface.
- Simplified planes of the head model
- Anatomically correct male skull model
- 360-degree 3D model manipulation
- Adjustable lighting
- Switchable anatomical views
- Informational overlay with structural insights
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Artists have always needed a quick and easy reference to help them understand the anatomy & forms of their portrait models. The Head Study App, is that resource. These portrait models were created to make the study of portraiture easier, but also to enhance your knowledge of the human form. The appearance of the face can be understood best by studying what is underneath the surface. The simplified planar head and the skull in this app are made with the same proportion to make this comparison as clear as possible. FEATURES: + Simplified “planes of the head” model + Anatomically correct male skull model + Tumble and zoom the 3D model from 360 degrees + Adjust the position & strength of multiple lighting situations + Switch between simplified planes, skull, and muscular views + Toggle an informational overlay indicating, key structural features, or anatomical insights + Adjustable background value This app was developed to go along with the lessons on my Patreon page. If you have interest in learning to draw and paint portraits better you can find all of my lessons at: patreon.com/StephenBaumanArtwork Any questions? Contact us at: stephenbaumanartwork@gmail.com
Poly Poser
This app provides 3D anatomical reference for artists, allowing you to study figure drawing from any angle. It features animated and static poses, muscle and skeletal layers, and precise camera controls to aid in understanding anatomy.
- Animated pose reference
- Pose scrubbing
- Muscle/skeletal layer toggles
- Study mode with custom curriculum
- Progress tracking
- Isolate muscle groups
- High precision camera controls
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Can't get your anatomy drawings to look right? Poly Poser gives you 3D anatomical reference from any angle, no live models, no endless searching, no flat 2D images with missing information. This is built for artists who want to study figure drawing properly. Poly Poser takes care of the reference, so you can focus on what matters: your art & progression. Features: ANIMATED POSE REFERENCE - Select from a growing library of animated poses - Pose scrubbing. Scrub to the exact frame that you want in a full animated pose to get the precision you need - Toggle on/off muscle/skeletal layers of the anatomy while the model is posed to get a better understanding of the anatomy underneath - Study pre-made static poses as reference STUDY MODE - Simulate figure drawing sessions with the Study Mode feature - Set your own curriculum, the amount of poses and time per study session - Track your last 90 days of drawing progress with the built-in session history feature ISOLATE MUSCLE GROUPS - Zero in on a single muscle group or bone structure - Study with more precision and less visual noise HIGH PRECISION CAMERA CONTROLS - Orbit, pan, tilt, and zoom with sub-pixel precision - Lock the camera when needed - Change the camera lens - Explore the model between two camera modes: Model-Centric and Unconstrained MODEL CONTROLS - Shift between several different shaders and skins for the model - Adjust the model lighting to your artist needs Poly Poser is actively developed with new content and features added regularly. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://polyposer.com/privacy-policy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Poly Poser at Free against Head Study's $7.99. Poly Poser also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%). Head Study's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and chart position (#163 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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
Poly Poser is free to download; Head Study costs $7.99 up front. Head Study sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Poly Poser sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Head Study holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Head Study has 34 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Head Study's written reviews are positive against 100% of Poly Poser's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
| Parameter | Head Study | Poly Poser |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (34 ratings) — better | 4.5 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 34 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #163 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 342 MB | 326 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Stephen Bauman Artwork | Nozuki Academy |
Customer experience
Head Study
Poly Poser
In-app purchases
Head Study
- Female Planes + Skull$4.99
Poly Poser
- Poly Poser Pro - Yearly$9.991 Year
- Poly Poser Pro - Lifetime Access2 variants$24.99









