Handy Art Reference Tool vs h2Re
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Rotatable 3D limb models
- Customizable poses
- Adjustable 3-point lighting
- 3D head busts
- Animal skull reference pack
- Material editing
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"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
h2Re
This app enhances a physical book on rendering fundamentals by linking trigger images to over 10 hours of online video tutorials. It uses augmented reality tracking to connect printed material with digital educational content, keeping the information current.
- Augmented Reality tracking
- Links to online video tutorials
- Enhances book learning experience
- Over 10 hours of video content
- Connects print to digital content
- Keeps information current
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This is the companion app for the new Design Studio Press book: How to Render. The second hit title in the Design Studio Press' "h2" series, building on fundamentals introduced in How to Draw, How to Render deals with the fundamentals of light, shadow and reflectivity. Enhancing the learning experience, this app has been created to allow readers to use trigger images on pages to link directly to online tutorials via their tablets and phones. Using advanced video techniques, this app connects the printed matter to online digital educational content as never before, and insures that the book remains as current as the rapidly advancing techniques presented in How to Render. Over 10 hours of video content have been created to accompany the book. A physical copy of How to Render is required to get the most out of the h2Re app. Access to your camera is required to allow the app's Augmented Reality tracking to work. Additionally, an internet connection is required to view the video content. You can get your copy of the How to Render book by visiting: http://designstudiopress.com For downloadable examples of the Trackers and for a demo video, please visit: http://scottrobertsonworkshops.com/h2re/trackers/ For our Privacy Policy, please visit: https://designstudiopress.com/policies/privacy-policy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: h2Re at Free against Handy Art Reference Tool's $1.99. h2Re also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Handy Art Reference Tool's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (85% vs 50%). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
h2Re is free to download; Handy Art Reference Tool costs $1.99 up front. Handy Art Reference Tool sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. h2Re asks for nothing beyond the download.
Handy Art Reference Tool holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Handy Art Reference Tool has 1.2K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Handy Art Reference Tool's written reviews are positive against 50% of h2Re's.
Handy Art Reference Tool ships an update every 5 months, h2Re every 20 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Handy Art Reference Tool | h2Re |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better | 3.8 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 20 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #45 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 361 MB | 122 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Belief Engine | Design Studio Press |
Customer experience
Handy Art Reference Tool
h2Re
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
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- Improve lighting controls and options
h2Re
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Handy Art Reference Tool
- Feet Models$1.99
- Animal Skull Pack$1.99
h2Re
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Handy Art Reference Tool free?
Is h2Re free?
Which has better reviews, Handy Art Reference Tool or h2Re?
Do Handy Art Reference Tool or h2Re have ads?
Which is updated more often, Handy Art Reference Tool or h2Re?
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