Comparison

ImgRef vs Image Actions

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

Image Actions

Features
Read full description

Image Actions is a fast, simple way to transform your images using Shortcuts. Create powerful image workflows you can run with a tap, a widget, or an automation. Instead of opening an editor every time, let Image Actions handle the repetitive work for you. Use Image Actions to change the following EXIF properties of your photos: - Add a user comment to a photo - Read a user comment from a photo - Remove a user comment from a photo - Add a location tag to a photo - Read a location tag from a photo - Remove a location tag from a photo - Check if a photo has a location tag - Add a location tag to a photo based on your current location - Add a location tag to a photo based on the latitude and longitude of a location - Mark a photo as screenshot Designed for Shortcuts Image Actions is built specifically to work inside Apples Shortcuts app. Add its actions to your existing shortcuts or build new ones from scratch. Once set up, you can run your image flows from: - The Shortcuts app - Share sheet - Automations, such as after taking a photo or saving a file Examples of what you can automate - After taking a screenshot, add a location tag and save it to a specific folder - Read location data from a photo and add it to the filename Why use Image Actions - Save time on repetitive edits - Keep full control by defining your own workflows - Avoid large file sizes when sharing by mail or chat - Get consistent results across all your images Image Actions turns simple Shortcuts into powerful tools for managing your images, so you spend less time editing and more time creating and sharing.

Screenshots

ImgRef4 screens
Image Actions2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ImgRef at Free against Image Actions's $3.99. ImgRef also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and device support (4 vs 2). Image Actions's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads 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

ImgRef is free to download; Image Actions costs $3.99 up front. ImgRef sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Image Actions asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ImgRef ships an update every 5 days, Image Actions monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ImgRef versus Image Actions: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterImgRefImage Actions
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.7 (126 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings126 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer文荣 李Wesley de Groot

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

Image Actions

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
None

Image Actions

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ImgRef free?
ImgRef is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Image Actions free?
Image Actions costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do ImgRef or Image Actions have ads?
Neither ImgRef nor Image Actions shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ImgRef or Image Actions?
ImgRef ships an update every 5 days, and Image Actions monthly. Most recently, ImgRef was updated on October 12, 2026 and Image Actions on October 8, 2026.

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