Flowpaper vs ImgRef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Flowpaper
This digital sketchbook allows users to create dynamic still or animated drawings with physics-based brushes. It offers tools for fluid art generation, drawing on existing images, and precise color selection, suitable for both beginners and professionals.
- Create flowing still or animated drawings
- Master generative, physics-based brushes
- Design fluid artwork for backgrounds
- Draw on photos and existing artwork
- Precise color picker and palette builder
- Export high-resolution sketches
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Transform your ideas into mesmerizing art with Flowpaper, the unique digital sketchbook that brings your drawings to life. Experience the magic of fluid, physics-based brushes that respond naturally to your touch, enjoyed by both digital art beginners and professional artists alike. Key Features: • Create stunning still or animated drawings that flow and evolve • Master unique generative brushes that make digital sketching effortless • Design fluid artwork perfect for backgrounds and sharing • Draw on photos or other artwork • Draw using rotational symmetry • Pick the perfect color with our precise color picker and palette builder • Explore endless creative possibilities with physics-based tools like gossamer, silk-like webs • Export your sketches seamlessly in high-resolution to continue in other art apps Whether you’re looking to sketch a quick idea, create mesmerizing animations, or explore new forms of digital art, Flowpaper’s intuitive tools invite endless creative possibilities. Turn your device into an infinite canvas for your imagination. Perfect for: • Digital sketching and artwork creation • Relaxing artistic exploration • Animated drawing and design • Illustration projects • Creative fluid art generation Download Flowpaper today and discover a new dimension of digital art where your creativity flows freely. PRIVACY POLICY: Our privacy policy is available at: https://flowpaper.io/privacy-policy TERMS OF SERVICE: Apple’s Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
ImgRef
This app is a professional reference and inspiration tool for creatives. It combines mood boards, image management, color picking, and free-form collaging across devices. Streamline your workflow with features like unlimited canvases, batch processing, and image editing.
- Unlimited Canvas
- Multi-Select Batch Processing
- Professional Workflow with Keyboard Shortcuts
- Image Editing Tools
- Dynamic Eyedropper Color Picker
- Video Processing for Storyboards
- Magnetic Guides for Layouts
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「App Store Editor's Choice」 「98% 5-Star Ratings」 「Cross-Platform for iPhone/iPad/MacOS」 Redefine your creative workflow - an all-in-one tool combining mood boards, reference images, smart asset management, precise color picking, and free-form collaging across devices. Designed for UI/brand/illustration/photography/architecture/video storyboard and other creative scenarios, this is your professional reference image and inspiration board on iPhone / iPad / macOS. Core Features: 1. Unlimited Canvas: Smart caching and image management for large long-term libraries and smooth browsing. 2. Multi-Select Batch Processing: Select multiple images for adaptive scaling, smart layout, uniform size, copy, and alignment. 3. Professional Workflow: Full keyboard shortcuts (Mac / iPad keyboard) for faster frequent actions. 4. Image Editing: Rotate, crop, desaturate, flip, adjust opacity, layers, scale, and more. 5. Dynamic Eyedropper: Pick any canvas color in real time and get common color codes. 6. Video Processing: MP4 playback and 4K still extraction for faster storyboards, covers, and video references. 7. Stylized Text: Built-in fonts and styles make notes, titles, and labels clearer on the canvas. 8. Magnetic Guides: Alignment hints and smart snapping for precise layouts. 9. GIF Decomposition: Break animations into frames for clearer detail references. 10. Import & Backup: Clipboard, photos, folders, drag & drop, export, full backup. 11. Web Drag & Drop: Drag images from Pinterest / ArtStation / Midjourney / Pixiv / Instagram and more. 12. Multiple Modes: View, lock, and edit modes keep browsing and editing separate. 13. Brush Tools: Annotate and highlight key areas for more intuitive communication. 14. File Management: Grid/list views with multiple sorting options. 15. Canvas Zoom: Smooth zoom and pan for comfortable detail viewing. Enhanced Features: 1. Image/GIF/Video Notes: Add notes to capture ideas and key points. 2. Preview Mode: Switch to a clean preview for focused viewing and presentations. 3. Advanced Crop: Fit different aspect ratios and compositions faster for cleaner output. 4. Image Blur: Blur images for privacy protection and richer visual layering. 5. High-Resolution Scene Export (PNG): Export full scenes as HD PNG for sharing and delivery. 6. File Favorites: Save frequent files for quick access to key references. 7. Category Tags: Tag files by use, project, or status for faster filtering. 8. Dotted Background: Toggle a dotted background for clearer edge contrast. 9. Canvas Grayscale: Focus on tone and composition with grayscale view. 10. Image Color Analysis: Extract dominant colors to understand palette relationships. 11. Layer Panel: Preview names, reorder, and quick select for efficient layer management. 12. Scheduled Playback: Timed switching, playback controls, and countdown. 13. Layer Search: Filter by type and keyword to quickly locate target content among many layers. 14. Brush Presets: Switch stroke width, color, and opacity for annotation, highlighting, and sketching. 15. Canvas RGB Single-Channel Preview: View R/G/B channels separately to analyze color distribution, tone, and detail. 16. Link Cards: Turn webpages into cover cards pinned on the canvas; one tap to open 17. Image OCR: One tap reads the text in an image and creates text beside it, so titles, copy, and labels can be lifted without retyping. 18. Classify/Find by Color: Basic, nearby, and fine families. Group canvas images by color family, or find from an image’s color family, for clearer palette comparison. You can subscribe to ImgRef Pro. Charged to your iTunes account on confirmation. Auto-renews unless canceled 24+ hours before period end. Manage in iTunes Store. Privacy Policy: https://xunhuaref.cn/index.php/privacypolicy/ Terms of Use: https://xunhuaref.cn/index.php/privacypolicy/eula-en/ Download now and experience the smoothest creative tool in the Apple ecosystem! Thank you for reading. Contact us: Email: imgref@163.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: ImgRef at every 2 days against Flowpaper's every 8 days. ImgRef also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Flowpaper sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and ImgRef 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 — 4.7 for Flowpaper against 4.7 for ImgRef. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 326 and 127 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Flowpaper's written reviews are positive against 79% of ImgRef's.
Flowpaper ships an update every 8 days, ImgRef every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Flowpaper | ImgRef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (326 ratings) | 4.7 (127 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.5% of reviews | 79.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 326 — better | 127 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 68 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Botto Studio LLC | 文荣 李 |
Customer experience
Flowpaper
ImgRef
User reviews
Flowpaper
From 326 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Beautiful and mesmerizing visuals
- 🎨 Unique and creative drawing experience
- 🎨 Great for making wallpapers and abstract art
- 🎨 Relaxing and meditative to use
- 🎨 Fun for all ages
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes when trying to save images
- 🐛 Controls and settings not always responsive
- 🔒 Limited features without paid upgrade
- 🔒 Lack of customization options
- 🔒 Outdated for newer devices
ImgRef
From 127 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great alternative to Vizref
- 👍 Simple and intuitive
- 👍 Lots of features Vizref doesn't have
- 👍 Satisfying image compilation
- 👍 Lovely app and intuitive
Room to improve
- 👎 Monotonous image selection and movement
- 👎 Unappealing UI
Bugs and requests
Flowpaper
Reported bugs
4 issues- Saving high-quality images causes crashes
- Settings menu not functioning properly
- Incompatibility issues with newer iPads
- Drawing controls not responsive at times
Requested features
5 requests- Add undo/redo functionality
- Implement a color picker and custom brush options
- Allow importing of background images
- Optimize for latest iOS devices and screen sizes
- Provide more brush styles and drawing tools
ImgRef
Reported bugs
1 issue- Trouble importing images from other apps
Requested features
3 requests- Add cropping functionality
- Implement doodle/text feature for notes
- Add GIF frame reading function
In-app purchases
Flowpaper
- Flowpaper Plus Weekly$1.997 Days
- Flowpaper Plus Monthly$3.991 Month
- Flowpaper Plus Annual$5.991 Year
- Flowpaper Plus Lifetime$7.99
ImgRef
- pro_monthly$0.991 Month
- ImgRef Annual Subscription$5.991 Year
Questions
Is Flowpaper free?
Is ImgRef free?
Which has better reviews, Flowpaper or ImgRef?
Do Flowpaper or ImgRef have ads?
Which is updated more often, Flowpaper or ImgRef?
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