Art Tools vs Drawing from References
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Art Tools
This app helps artists plan their compositions and analyze subjects before painting. It allows you to import photos, apply grids, adjust values, and manipulate images to achieve the desired proportions and layout for your artwork.
- Import photos or use camera
- Apply various grids (e.g., golden ratio)
- Adjust image values and color
- Resize, rotate, and move photo
- Value checker tool
- Save and email projects
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Are you ever in such a hurry to get started painting that you forget to design your canvas or analyze your subject matter? "Take time to save time." Use Accurasee Art Tools to get your composition and your proportions right from the start. 1. Take a photo of desired subject. Or choose reference from the camera roll. 2. Choose the window opening to match your canvas 3. Choose from a selection of grids including the golden ratio or use no grid at all. 4. Alter size relationships, change value, color or thickness of frame and grid. 5. Using 2 finger method, enlarge, shrink, rotate and move your photo for desired compositional effect. 6. Quickly change photo to B/W and color 7. Use the value checker tool to check for proper values. 8. Save and store your project for future reference or email to yourself. We hope that you enjoy Art Tools. If you like Art Tools, please give us a review and share it with your friends. We'd really appreciate any feedback you might have. Thanks and keep drawing!
Drawing from References
This app provides a vast library of curated portraits and poses for artists to practice and learn realistic drawing. It offers AI-powered portrait generation, customizable drawing aids like grids and filters, and access to additional reference collections.
- Vast library of portraits and poses
- AI-powered custom portrait generation
- Customizable grid overlay
- Blur and grayscale filters
- Searchable Unsplash database
- Additional reference collections (hands, feet)
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* No more "I don't know what to draw" Blank page anxiety is real. "Drawing from References" fixes it with thousands of curated portraits and poses you can actually use — no endless scrolling, no copyright headaches, just reference photos picked for artists who want to get better. * The tools that actually help - A huge library that keeps growing. Portraits, full-body poses, hands, feet, even still life setups. - AI portraits on demand (Premium) Need a specific look that doesn't exist yet? Generate one. Pick the gender, age, expression, hair, vibe — get a custom reference built for exactly what you're practicing. * Built-in drawing aids that don't get in your way - Grid overlay Nail your proportions without guessing. Adjustable, so it fits your style. - Blur filter See the big shapes first. Details can wait. - Grayscale filter Kill the color noise and train your eye on values — the thing that actually makes shading look right. * More than portraits Hands, feet, still life, and a direct line into Unsplash's massive photo library when you want something specific. * Practice with a plan, not just vibes Likeness, proportion, values — the stuff that trips everyone up. Drawing References gives you the reference and the tools to actually fix it, session after session. Download it. Open the app. Start drawing. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.drawingreferencesapp.com/privacy-policy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Drawing from References at Free against Art Tools's $2.99. Drawing from References also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). Art Tools's advantage is review sentiment (62% vs 25%) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, 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
Drawing from References is free to download; Art Tools costs $2.99 up front. Art Tools sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Drawing from References sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.4 for Art Tools against 3.5 for Drawing from References. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Art Tools has 253 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Art Tools's written reviews are positive against 25% of Drawing from References's.
Art Tools ships an update every 8 months, Drawing from References every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and August 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Art Tools | Drawing from References |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.4 (253 ratings) | 3.5 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.1% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 253 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #188 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 73 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Accurasee | fnx.io |
Customer experience
Art Tools
Drawing from References
Bugs and requests
Art Tools
Reported bugs
20 issues- Cannot update to paid version
- Shop not open
- App abandoned by developers
- No support or help
- Bugs in updated version
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Split view stuttery
- Difficulty seeing options
- Importing photos doesn't work
- Editing feature blank screen
- App freezes when opening photos
- App crashes when uploading photos
- App crashes when turning photos
- App crashes when saving photos
- App crashes on iPad
- App crashes on iPhone
- App crashes on iPad mini
- App needs Adobe Flash
- Buttons don't always work
- App keeps crashing
- Cannot download content
Requested features
29 requests- New app will be better
- Make grid intro clearer
- Vertical plumb lines
- Option for square paintings
- Option for horizontal paintings
Show 24 moreShow fewer
- Rotate photos by 90 degrees
- Fit to frame button
- Golden ratio harmonics
- Spiral grid
- Print project with grid
- Implement user suggestions
- Rectangular grid options
- Fibonacci curve
- Moveable grid instead of picture
- More plumb lines
- Slider for grid squares
- Comparison tool for painting progress
- Color picker
- Color scheme helper
- Update value viewer app
- Manual frame size adjustment
- Landscape option for frame
- More stable two-finger sizing
- Separate vertical/horizontal/diagonal sizing
- Support for iPad
- Fix bugs on iPad mini
- Fix bugs on iPhone
- Fix bugs on iPad
- Fix crashing when uploading/turning/saving photos
Drawing from References
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Art Tools
- Art Tools Pro$2.99
Drawing from References
- Upgrade to PRO7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Upgrade to PRO7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Questions
Is Art Tools free?
Is Drawing from References free?
Which has better reviews, Art Tools or Drawing from References?
Do Art Tools or Drawing from References have ads?
Which is updated more often, Art Tools or Drawing from References?
Other comparisons
