# Pastela vs HyperRef

The clearest difference is ads: HyperRef at none against Pastela's shown. HyperRef also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 87%) and device support (3 vs 1). Pastela's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (98 vs 3). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pastela sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and HyperRef sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Pastela against 4.7 for HyperRef. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pastela has 98 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Pastela's written reviews are positive against 100% of HyperRef's.

Pastela ships an update every 2 weeks, HyperRef every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 23, 2026 and June 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pastela | HyperRef |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastela/id6478907270/reviews) | **[4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hyperref/id6743102705/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **98** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 86.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 209 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [pixiv Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/337248566) | [Seth Kenneth Berggren](https://appshunter.io/developer/1801346715) |

## What reviewers say

### Pastela

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastela/id6478907270)

This app offers a seamless drawing and illustration experience with a spacious canvas and a variety of brushes. It features cloud-based autosave, iPad-specific customization, and integration with pixiv for easy sharing. Enhance your creative process with powerful tools and flexible options.

**Highlights:** Spacious canvas, Variety of brushes, Cloud-based autosave, iPad customization, pixiv integration, Layer management, Filters

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Light plan | $3.99 | per month |
| Standard plan | $7.99 | per month |
| Advanced plan | $15.99 | per month |
| Deluxe plan | $23.99 | per month |


### HyperRef

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hyperref/id6743102705)

Create and organize your personal art reference library with powerful import and study tools. Analyze images by value, contrast, and color, and track your artistic progress with attached studies. Secure your sensitive collections with biometric protection.

**Highlights:** Web import for bulk image saving, Analyze images by value, contrast, color, Timed practice and study modes, Attach sketches to references, Biometric collection protection, Smart collections and organization, Offline access with iCloud sync

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HyperRef Pro | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pastela free?

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

### Is HyperRef free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pastela or HyperRef?

HyperRef is rated higher. Pastela averages 4.6 out of 5 from 98 ratings, while HyperRef averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Pastela or HyperRef have ads?

Pastela shows ads; HyperRef does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pastela or HyperRef?

Pastela ships an update every 2 weeks, and HyperRef every 2 months. Most recently, Pastela was updated on August 23, 2026 and HyperRef on June 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.*