ImgRef vs ArtDeck
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
ArtDeck
Organize visual inspiration and study images with this app. Create moodboards by collecting images, videos, links, and notes, then analyze their composition, color, and values. Seamlessly sync your boards across all your Apple devices for easy access.
- Collect images, videos, and links
- Create moodboards and reference boards
- Analyze image values, color, and composition
- Sync boards across Apple devices
- Offline access to boards
- Annotate and draw on images
- Organize with infinite canvas
Read full descriptionHide full description
ArtDeck is a reference board for iPad, iPhone, and Mac. Collect images, videos, links, and notes, then arrange and zoom them on an infinite canvas. Make a moodboard or open the built-in tools when you want to analyze value, color, composition, or motion. You can also keep references next to Procreate on iPad or your creative apps on Mac. iCloud sync is optional. CAPTURE NOW, USE IT ANYWHERE See a texture, a color combination, or a striking composition while you're out? Take a photo right inside ArtDeck and drop it on a board. Because your boards sync, it's there on your Mac and iPad, ready next to your design, 3D, or drawing tools. COLLECT FROM ANYWHERE • Shoot photos and video on iPhone and iPad; on Mac, take the photo with the webcam or your iPhone • Import from Photos or Files • Scan a document on iPhone or iPad, or use Continuity Camera on Mac • Save any link as a card, or paste a link to an image, video, or PDF to import it • Drag and drop, paste, or use the Share menu from any other app • Opens all common image formats, plus WebP, AVIF, JXL, HDR, EXR, and SVG. Video, GIFs, and PDFs up to 300 pages • HDR images and video at full brightness on capable screens, for the whole app or per board STUDY WHAT YOU COLLECT Study any image or video frame through the ToolBox's five lenses, without touching the original: • Values: grayscale, a value ladder, and Notan to read your darks and lights • Color: pull a palette from any image, or see its temperature and saturation zones • Composition: overlay grids, test new framings, or check the symmetry • Read: simplify to the big shapes, find where detail piles up, follow the edge hierarchy • Measure: drop plumb lines, read an angle off a snapping guide, and compare two lengths The Analysis panel shows value range, a histogram, hue, saturation, and color distribution. Export a study, or keep a copy on your board. Step through GIFs and video frame by frame, with onion skin and a GIF filmstrip ANNOTATE AND DRAW • Mark up an image, or draw directly: pen, highlighter, and shapes • Draw a stroke, then hold at the end to straighten it ARRANGE IT YOUR WAY • An infinite canvas to drag, scale, rotate, and zoom • Snap to objects and grid; align, distribute, and tidy up • Group and nest, reorder, lock, with undo and redo YOUR BOARDS, EVERYWHERE • The same boards on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, synced through your iCloud • Works fully offline: sync catches up when you're back online • Choose which boards sync • Split View and Stage Manager on iPad • Keep your window on top of the others on Mac YOUR GALLERY • Carousel and grid views of every board • Labels and multi-label filtering • Favorite, archive, rename, or duplicate any board MAKE IT YOURS • Dark, light, and high-contrast themes • Set one theme for the whole app, or one per board • An editor to fine-tune the colors and create your own themes • Import and export themes by file or link ACCESSIBILITY • VoiceOver support across the app, including items on the canvas • Respects Dynamic Type and Reduce Motion • A theme editor that checks color contrast and flags colors that are hard to tell apart EXPORT AND HAND OFF • Export a whole board or just a selection • PNG, JPEG, HEIC, or PDF, up to 8K, with a transparent background where the format allows • Save a whole board as one .artdeck file to back up or hand off TRY IT FREE, KEEP IT FOR LIFE Start with a free, individual 7-Day Trial. It does not renew. Lifetime Access is a one-time in-app purchase, not a subscription. No separate ArtDeck account is required. Keep what catches your eye.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ArtDeck at none against ImgRef's 2. ArtDeck also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 77%). ImgRef's advantage is ratings volume (126 vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence and 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
Both are free to download. ImgRef sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. ArtDeck asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for ImgRef against 4.8 for ArtDeck. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ImgRef has 126 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of ImgRef's written reviews are positive against 100% of ArtDeck's.
ImgRef ships an update every 5 days, ArtDeck weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ImgRef | ArtDeck |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (126 ratings) | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 126 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 75 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 文荣 李 | Alexandre Alves |
Customer experience
ImgRef
ArtDeck
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
ArtDeck
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ImgRef
- pro_monthly$0.991 Month
- ImgRef Annual Subscription$5.991 Year
ArtDeck
No in-app purchases









