# Values at Play vs Art Reference

The clearest difference is update cadence: Art Reference at every 11 days against Values at Play's every 5 months. Art Reference also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Values at Play's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Values at Play sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Art Reference sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Values at Play holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Values at Play ships an update every 5 months, Art Reference every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Values at Play | Art Reference |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/values-at-play/id6449201350/reviews)** | [4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/art-reference-easel-assistant/id6752580673/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 8 MB | 182 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Neil Daly](https://appshunter.io/developer/1139826443) | [Gil Osborne](https://appshunter.io/developer/1135987694) |

## What reviewers say

### Values at Play

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/values-at-play/id6449201350)

This app helps users practice identifying and analyzing values in art. It offers tools to create value studies, inspect specific color values, and find areas matching a chosen value. Users can import their own images for practice.

**Highlights:** Create value studies from images, Import custom images, Inspect Denman Ross and RGB values, Find points matching selected values, Colorized value studies, Full-screen value study viewing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Values at Play Unlimited | $4.99 | one-time |


### Art Reference

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/art-reference-easel-assistant/id6752580673)

This app provides digital reference tools for traditional artists working with physical media. It offers features like value studies, gridlines, side-by-side comparison, and composition adjustments to aid in creating accurate and balanced artwork.

**Highlights:** Value study mode, Gridlines for accurate sketching, Side-by-side reference and canvas view, Crop and frame reference images, Curated starter project collections, Color harmony experimentation, Offline functionality

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Full Access | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Values at Play free?

Values at Play is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Art Reference free?

Art Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Values at Play or Art Reference?

Values at Play is rated higher. Values at Play averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Art Reference averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Values at Play or Art Reference have ads?

Neither Values at Play nor Art Reference shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Values at Play or Art Reference?

Values at Play ships an update every 5 months, and Art Reference every 11 days. Most recently, Values at Play was updated on September 16, 2026 and Art Reference on September 9, 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.*