Comparison

Handy Art Reference Tool vs 9VAeDangla

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

Head to head
About

Handy Art Reference Tool

This app provides artists with rotatable 3D models of hands, heads, and feet for drawing reference. Customize poses and lighting to achieve realistic results for your artwork. Additional packs for animal skulls and foot rigs are available for purchase.

Highlights
  • Rotatable 3D limb models
  • Customizable poses
  • Adjustable 3-point lighting
  • 3D head busts
  • Animal skull reference pack
  • Material editing
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"Thanks to this useful app, drawing realistic hands can become a whole lot easier" - ImagineFX "Pencillers, inkers, and colorists should all give this a look!" - Tony Moore, co-creator of The Walking Dead If you're an artist and ever wanted just quick and easy drawing reference for hands, heads, or even feet (IAP) without having to awkwardly pose your limbs in front of a mirror, this app is for you! HANDY® is an artist's reference tool, consisting of several rotatable 3D limbs with a variety of poses useful for drawing. You can also customize and edit your own poses for hands, feet, and skulls. Fully adjustable 3-point lighting means you can get easy lighting reference when using any of the 10+ included 3D head busts. Handy if you’re painting and need to know what shadows the head casts from a certain angle! Also available is the Animal Skulls pack. With over 10 different animal species, it's great for anatomical reference or creature design inspiration. [Foot rigs and Animal Skull pack require additional purchase] NEW in Handy v5: Edit the materials of models! Selectively turn off their textures, adjust their specularity, or tint them a certain color. Perfect for comic book artists, painters, or just casual sketchers! Featured in ImagineFX's Top 10 Must-Have Apps! Check out the video demo: https://www.youtube.com/@handyarttool Sign up for the HANDY newsletter for information about new upcoming updates! http://www.handyarttool.com/newsletter Follow HANDY on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/handyarttool.bsky.social

About

9VAeDangla

Features
Read full description

9VAeDangla is a collaboration app of 9VAe and Dangla. By using a black background, you can use AR/VR/MR display when you use it for "Dangla". https://dangla.jp/ (Dangla) - 9VAe gives you powerful tools to create smooth 2D vector morphing animation. - You can make "1 Picture Animation" with only one drawing picture. - Import SVG / WMF graphics and export SVG / GIF /APNG keyframe animation. - You can add texts, photos, animation objects in your animation. - 9VAe provides Hand-draw Writing, Blur, Shadow, Transparent Gradation, Multi layer, Path Animation, Time curve. - The Output folder is "Internal > 9VAe". Put Sound (MP3/WAV), Animation, Illustration (SVG / WMF / EVA) here, you can import them. - Product page https://dangla.jp/ - Official Blog https://9vaelab.blogspot.com

Screenshots

Handy Art Reference Tool4 screens
9VAeDangla4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: 9VAeDangla at Free against Handy Art Reference Tool's $1.99. 9VAeDangla also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). Handy Art Reference Tool's advantage is chart position (#65 vs unranked). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

9VAeDangla is free to download; Handy Art Reference Tool costs $1.99 up front. Handy Art Reference Tool sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. 9VAeDangla asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Handy Art Reference Tool ships an update every 5 months, 9VAeDangla every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Handy Art Reference Tool versus 9VAeDangla: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHandy Art Reference Tool9VAeDangla
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.2K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#65 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size361 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBelief EngineHologram Co.,Ltd.

Bugs and requests

Handy Art Reference Tool

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on launch for some users
  • Purchased content not unlocking
  • Positioning and movement issues

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add full body models and poses
  • Include more facial expressions and emotions
  • Allow for custom hand and finger posing
  • Implement ability to save custom poses
  • Add more diverse skin tones and ethnicities
Show 1 more
  • Improve lighting controls and options

9VAeDangla

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Handy Art Reference Tool

One-time2
  • Feet Models$1.99
  • Animal Skull Pack$1.99
None

9VAeDangla

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Handy Art Reference Tool free?
Handy Art Reference Tool costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is 9VAeDangla free?
9VAeDangla is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Handy Art Reference Tool or 9VAeDangla have ads?
Neither Handy Art Reference Tool nor 9VAeDangla shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Handy Art Reference Tool or 9VAeDangla?
Handy Art Reference Tool ships an update every 5 months, and 9VAeDangla every 2 months. Most recently, Handy Art Reference Tool was updated on September 29, 2026 and 9VAeDangla on September 8, 2026.

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