Comparison

ImgRef vs Live Helper

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

Head to head
About

ImgRef

This app is an all-in-one creative tool for mood boards, reference images, and collaging. It offers smart asset management, precise color picking, and free-form layout capabilities across multiple devices. Designed for various creative professionals, it streamlines workflows with advanced editing and import/export features.

Highlights
  • Unlimited canvas with smart caching
  • Multi-select batch processing
  • Professional workflow with keyboard shortcuts
  • Image editing and adjustments
  • Dynamic color picker
  • Cross-platform support (iOS/macOS)
  • Video frame extraction
  • GIF decomposition
Features
Read full description

「App Store Editor's Choice」 「98% 5-Star Ratings」 「Cross-Platform for iPhone/iPad/MacOS」 Redefine your creative workflow - an all-in-one tool combining mood boards, reference images, smart asset management, precise color picking, and free-form collaging across devices. Designed for UI/brand/illustration/photography/architecture/video storyboard and other creative scenarios, this is your professional reference image and inspiration board on iPhone / iPad / macOS. Core Features: 1. Unlimited Canvas: Smart caching and image management for large long-term libraries and smooth browsing. 2. Multi-Select Batch Processing: Select multiple images for adaptive scaling, smart layout, uniform size, copy, and alignment. 3. Professional Workflow: Full keyboard shortcuts (Mac / iPad keyboard) for faster frequent actions. 4. Image Editing: Rotate, crop, desaturate, flip, adjust opacity, layers, scale, and more. 5. Dynamic Color Picker: Pick any canvas color in real time and get common color codes. 6. Video Processing: MP4 playback and 4K still extraction for faster storyboards, covers, and video references. 7. Stylized Text: Built-in fonts and styles make notes, titles, and labels clearer on the canvas. 8. Magnetic Guides: Alignment hints and smart snapping for precise layouts. 9. GIF Decomposition: Break animations into frames for clearer detail references. 10. Import Methods: Clipboard, photo library, folders, camera, drag & drop (iPad / Mac). 11. Export Methods: Scene export and image group export for sharing and delivery. 12. Web Drag & Drop: Drag images from Pinterest / ArtStation / Midjourney / Pixiv / Instagram and more. 13. Multiple Modes: View, lock, and edit modes keep browsing and editing separate. 14. Brush Tools: Annotate and highlight key areas for more intuitive communication. 15. File Management: Grid/list views with multiple sorting options. 16. Canvas Zoom: Smooth zoom and pan for comfortable detail viewing. 17. Multi-Select Quick Alignment: Quick alignment/distribution after multi-select. 18. Backup & Import: Full backup and package import for migration and recovery. Pro Enhancements: 1. Image/GIF/Video Notes: Add notes to capture ideas and key points. 2. Preview Mode: Switch to a clean preview for focused viewing and presentations. 3. Advanced Crop: Fit different aspect ratios and compositions faster for cleaner output. 4. Image Blur: Blur images for privacy protection and richer visual layering. 5. High-Resolution Scene Export (PNG): Export full scenes as HD PNG for sharing and delivery. 6. File Favorites: Save frequent files for quick access to key references. 7. Category Tags: Tag files by use, project, or status for faster filtering. 8. Dotted Background: Toggle a dotted background for clearer edge contrast. 9. Canvas Grayscale: Focus on tone and composition with grayscale view. 10. Image Color Analysis: Extract dominant colors to understand palette relationships. 11. Layer Panel: Preview names, reorder, and quick select for efficient layer management. 12. Scheduled Playback: Timed switching, playback controls, and countdown. 13. Layer Search: Filter by type and keyword to quickly locate target content among many layers. 14. Brush Presets: Switch stroke width, color, and opacity for annotation, highlighting, and sketching. 15. Canvas RGB Single-Channel Preview: View R/G/B channels separately to analyze color distribution, tone, and detail. 16. Link Cards: Turn webpages into cover cards pinned on the canvas; one tap to open You can subscribe to ImgRef Pro. Charged to your iTunes account on confirmation. Auto-renews unless canceled 24+ hours before period end. Manage in iTunes Store. Privacy Policy: https://xunhuaref.cn/index.php/privacypolicy/ Terms of Use: https://xunhuaref.cn/index.php/privacypolicy/eula-en/ Download now and experience the smoothest creative tool in the Apple ecosystem! Thank you for reading. Contact us: Email: imgref@163.com

About

Live Helper

Easily transform videos into personalized live wallpapers with a single click. This app offers batch processing, recommended live wallpaper downloads, and advanced editing tools for a seamless experience.

Highlights
  • Video to live wallpaper conversion
  • Batch video processing
  • Recommended live wallpaper library
  • Live Photo editing tools
  • Supports all iPhone media formats
  • Lossless HD video conversion
Features
Read full description

Live Helper – Generate personalized live wallpapers/live photos with one click Live Helper supports quick conversion of videos into live wallpapers with one click, and can also handle batch processing. Additionally, it allows users to download recommended live wallpapers, making the creation of live wallpapers more efficient and convenient. With Live Assistant, converting videos into live wallpapers has never been easier! ======Main functions====== • Quickly convert batch videos into live wallpapers: Support for converting multiple videos or live photos at once, saving time and effort, and enhancing efficiency • One-click conversion to live wallpapers: Quickly convert videos or live photos into live wallpapers without requiring complex editing • Recommended live wallpapers: Daily updates of various types of high-definition live wallpapers, quickly generating usable wallpapers • Advanced Live Photo editing: Utilize practical tools such as doodling, cropping, text addition, filters, and brightness adjustments to edit Live Photos A better experience starts here: • Compatible with all media formats on iPhone • Support for extracting video clips of different lengths, allowing for more flexibility in creating live wallpapers • Optimized the canvas aspect ratio for creating vertical videos (aspect ratio 9:16) • The application is small in size, requiring only a few megabytes of phone storage space • No complicated operations required, even novices can easily get started and become wallpaper experts in seconds • Fast conversion speed, efficient processing, no need for long waiting • Convert lossless HD video to live streaming without compressing the image quality • Continuous optimization and upgrading, delivering a better user experience and more practical functions With just a few steps, you can easily create your own dynamic lock screen! Subscription Terms: The subscription fee will be automatically deducted from your iTunes account upon successful purchase. If you cancel the renewal service within 24 hours before the end of the current period, the subscription will be canceled; otherwise, the next period's renewal fee will be automatically deducted from iTunes within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Automatic renewal can be canceled at any time. You can cancel automatic renewal on the account settings page, but canceling the subscription during the current period is not allowed. User Terms: Live Helper User Terms https://kdocs.cn/l/clblAcwl2flW Privacy Agreement: Live Helper Privacy Agreement https://kdocs.cn/l/ctUaIfLSnq4D Vip Agreement:Live Helper Vip Agreement https://www.kdocs.cn/l/cr0FKpeJrefq

Screenshots

ImgRef4 screens
Live Helper3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ImgRef at every 5 days against Live Helper's every 5 weeks. ImgRef also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium) and ratings volume (124 vs 24). Live Helper's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. ImgRef sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Live Helper sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Live Helper holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ImgRef has 124 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 79% and 79% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ImgRef ships an update every 5 days, Live Helper every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ImgRef versus Live Helper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterImgRefLive Helper
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (124 ratings)5.0 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.1% of reviews — better78.6% of reviews
Number of ratings124 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer文荣 李娇 李

Customer experience

ImgRef

All ratings124 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral0.8%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive79.1%
Neutral4.7%
Negative16.3%

Live Helper

All ratings24 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative14.3%

Bugs and requests

ImgRef

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Trouble importing images from other apps

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add cropping functionality
  • Implement doodle/text feature for notes
  • Add GIF frame reading function

Live Helper

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ImgRef

Subscriptions2
  • pro_monthly$0.991 Month
  • ImgRef Annual Subscription$5.991 Year
3 purchases

Live Helper

Subscriptions2
  • 月会员$2.991 Month
  • 年会员$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • 永久会员$7.99

Questions

Is ImgRef free?
ImgRef is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Live Helper free?
Live Helper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ImgRef or Live Helper?
Live Helper is rated higher. ImgRef averages 4.7 out of 5 from 124 ratings, while Live Helper averages 5.0 from 24 ratings.
Do ImgRef or Live Helper have ads?
Neither ImgRef nor Live Helper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ImgRef or Live Helper?
ImgRef ships an update every 5 days, and Live Helper every 5 weeks. Most recently, ImgRef was updated on September 21, 2026 and Live Helper on September 25, 2026.

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