ImgRef vs Kakineta
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
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「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 Eyedropper: 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 & Backup: Clipboard, photos, folders, drag & drop, export, full backup. 11. Web Drag & Drop: Drag images from Pinterest / ArtStation / Midjourney / Pixiv / Instagram and more. 12. Multiple Modes: View, lock, and edit modes keep browsing and editing separate. 13. Brush Tools: Annotate and highlight key areas for more intuitive communication. 14. File Management: Grid/list views with multiple sorting options. 15. Canvas Zoom: Smooth zoom and pan for comfortable detail viewing. 16. Multi-Select Quick Alignment: Quick alignment/distribution after multi-select. Enhanced Features: 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 17. Image OCR: One tap reads the text in an image and creates text beside it, so titles, copy, and labels on posters, interfaces, and screenshots can be lifted without retyping. 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
Kakineta
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Keep your drawing ideas close, choose what to work on, and see your progress grow. Kakineta is a creative companion for planning illustration projects and building a drawing habit. Save work made on paper or in your favorite drawing app, together with notes about what you learned. COLLECT AND CONNECT IDEAS Save characters, motifs, and compositions with notes and reference images. Organize them into categories. Connect words in a mind map with automatic layout, so you can focus on developing the idea. FIND YOUR NEXT PROMPT Combine 125 built-in prompts for people, backgrounds, situations, emotions, and props, or mix them with your saved subjects. Keep a prompt fixed while rerolling the other slots. Start before adding your own subjects, draw with the timer, and carry the combination into your artwork record notes. The free version supports up to two roulette slots; Full Version supports up to six. TRACK GOALS AND CREATIVE TIME Use quests for drawing counts, textbook progress, repeated practice, group artwork, and more. See and stop your active work timer from any screen. Add or edit work time manually, then return to an unfinished quest or artwork with Continue Working. KEEP A CREATIVE JOURNAL Save finished pieces and works in progress to your gallery. Record what went well and what was difficult. Keep original character settings, references, and artwork together. Share an image with your record to X or other apps. STUDY THE DIFFERENCES — FULL VERSION Compare a reference with your own artwork. Move, scale, rotate, crop, adjust opacity, add notes, and draw redlines. CONTINUE ON IPHONE AND IPAD Use iCloud with the same Apple Account to sync subjects, artwork records, quests, and mind maps. Mind maps sync while the app is open. Comparison Study data is stored separately on each device. Export and import backups. Importing keeps your current data and adds missing items. Update all your devices to the latest version before importing across devices. START FOR FREE The free version includes up to 20 subjects, one reference image per subject, one active quest, and three mind maps. A one-time Full Version purchase expands these limits and unlocks Comparison Study. No ads. No tracking. From a small idea to your next finished piece, keep creating at your own pace.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kakineta at none against ImgRef's 2. ImgRef's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, 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. Kakineta asks for nothing beyond the download.
ImgRef ships an update every 3 days, Kakineta every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ImgRef | Kakineta |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (126 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 126 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 文荣 李 | Yuki Inoue |
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
Kakineta
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ImgRef
- pro_monthly$0.991 Month
- ImgRef Annual Subscription$5.991 Year
Kakineta
No in-app purchases









