RefCanvas vs Lurk
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RefCanvas
This app helps artists and designers organize visual references for their projects. Import images and GIFs, arrange them on a canvas, add notes, and export your creations.
- Import images and GIFs
- Add text notes
- Move, scale, and rotate references
- Group references with nodes
- Supports split screen and pop-up view
- Export boards as SVG or images
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RefCanvas is an intuitive tool for artists and designers who need a comprehensive reference app to bring their creative vision to life. Key Features: - Import images and gifs. - Notes - Add text notes. - Move, scale and rotate references to create the perfect layout. - Multi selection - edit multiple references at one. - Nodes - Useful for grouping references. - Drag and drop - Drag and drop files from others apps like the gallery. - Paste files from the clipboard. - Supports split screen and pop-up view: Use it as a companion app with your favorite drawing app like Ibis Paint or Infinite Painter. - Save your progress as boards for future use. - Auto set thumbnails for boards after saving. - Eye dropper - Tap and hold to pick a color from your references as a hex code. - Drawing. Animated GIF support: - Reference your favorite animated gifs. - Pause animation and play frame by frame to better understand referenced animations. - Animation timeline gives you an interactive visual breakdown of all the frames. Easy to use reference tools: - Grayscale toggle. - Flip horizontally and vertically. - Add link - allows you to visit the source of your reference. Export: Export boards to share. Export board as SVG. Export Images/Gifs as files. Using RefCanvas to make reference boards & mood boards is easy, simply import your images or gifs, and move them around the canvas to arrange them in the layout that works best for your project. You can adjust their size, rotation and position to your liking, giving you maximum control over your creative process.
Lurk
Create a personalized website without coding, adding interactive elements and custom designs. Connect with friends, explore other personal sites, and share your creations online. It's a fun and safe space for users 13 and older.
- Build websites without code
- Add images, audio, and video
- Interactive blocks and playful elements
- Create pages and subpages
- Explore and connect with friends
- Publish sites at name.lurk.me
- Safe design for ages 13+
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Lurk is a website builder and social town for personal sites. Build a home that feels like you, publish it at name.lurk.me, and hang out with friends. BUILD WITHOUT CODE Start with a blank page or template. Write, add images, audio, YouTube, Spotify, buttons, dividers, and playful interactive blocks. Arrange everything with a weightless editor built for iPhone. MAKE IT YOURS Create pages and subpages, choose colors and fonts, add a status, mailbox, chat, games, a page pet, plants, stamps, and more. STEP OUTSIDE Explore Town, find personal sites, add friends, join a Street, leave pins, and stay in touch through mailbox letters and chat. YOUR SITE LIVES ON THE WEB Every Lurk is a real site at name.lurk.me. Share it anywhere. Visitors can explore public pages without installing the app or creating an account. SAFE BY DESIGN Lurk is for people 13 and older. Report content, block accounts, control page visibility, and mark adult-only pages. Community Guidelines and human review help keep shared spaces safe. LURK PLUS Optional monthly and yearly subscriptions add cosmetic and customization benefits. Core site-building and social features remain free. Purchases use your Apple Account and can be restored in the app. Terms: https://lurk.me/terms Privacy: https://lurk.me/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Lurk at 100% against RefCanvas's 43%. Lurk also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.3) and update cadence (weekly vs every 17 months). RefCanvas's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. RefCanvas sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Lurk sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Lurk holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RefCanvas has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of RefCanvas's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lurk's.
RefCanvas ships an update every 17 months, Lurk weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RefCanvas | Lurk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.3 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 131 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | youcef boukit | Inicial, Co. |
Customer experience
RefCanvas
Lurk
In-app purchases
RefCanvas
- Pro version$2.99
- Pro version2 variants$3.99
Lurk
- Lurk Plus Monthly$5.991 Month
- Lurk Plus Yearly$59.991 Year









