# Art Tools vs Drawing from References

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Art Tools | Drawing from References |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.4 (253 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/art-tools/id407578464/reviews) | **[3.5 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-from-references/id1505312666/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **253** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | **62.1% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#188** | — |
| Size | 15 MB | 73 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Accurasee](https://appshunter.io/developer/406065392) | [fnx.io](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441645733) |

## What reviewers say

### Art Tools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/art-tools/id407578464)

**Currently charting:** #188 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Art Tools Pro | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for drawing
- 👍 Useful for artists
- 👍 Great for proportions
- 👍 Useful for plein air
- 👍 Good value tool

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Not user-friendly
- 👎 Grid customization tricky
- 👎 Difficult to figure out
- 👎 No instructions
- 👎 Poor replacement for value viewer

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot update to paid version
- Shop not open
- App abandoned by developers
- No support or help
- Bugs in updated version

**Requested features**

- New app will be better
- Make grid intro clearer
- Vertical plumb lines
- Option for square paintings
- Option for horizontal paintings


### Drawing from References

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-from-references/id1505312666)

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.

**Highlights:** 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)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to PRO | $0.99 | per month |
| Upgrade to PRO | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Art Tools free?

Art Tools costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Drawing from References free?

Drawing from References is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Art Tools or Drawing from References?

Drawing from References is rated higher. Art Tools averages 3.4 out of 5 from 253 ratings, while Drawing from References averages 3.5 from 10 ratings.

### Do Art Tools or Drawing from References have ads?

Drawing from References shows ads; Art Tools does not.

### Which is updated more often, Art Tools or Drawing from References?

Art Tools ships an update every 8 months, and Drawing from References every 2 months. Most recently, Art Tools was updated on September 19, 2026 and Drawing from References on August 18, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*