PoseTime vs HyperRef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PoseTime
This app provides a timed sequence of images for artistic practice, allowing users to set custom durations for drawing studies. It supports custom image selections from galleries or cloud storage, with audio cues for timing. Premium features unlock extended timer options and a reference library.
- Flexible timer settings (10s to 60min)
- Custom image sources (gallery, cloud, folders)
- Ordered or shuffled playback
- Pinch to zoom and drag functionality
- Audio cues for timer alerts
- Split-view support for iPad
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Whether you’re sketching quick 10-second gestures or diving into detailed 60-minute studies, this app turns your device into a powerful tool for artistic growth. It’s designed for fine art students, but could be useful for anyone who wants to have images display in a predictable, timed sequence. To begin, tap on the box on the left that says “Tap Here To Begin” or the text below it “Now Showing”. This brings up the album view. Select your album, and you can press the Load This Album button to begin with the first photo or select an image from the thumbnails to jump straight to that image. To the right of Now Showing is a button to toggle Shuffled mode on and off. At the top is the timer, with a ‘play’ button. Tapping anywhere on the timer will fade out the sidebar and begin the clock. Tapping the timer again will pause and bring the sidebar back up. In the free mode the app will load individual albums from your Photos gallery, so you can place your images in an album such as “Active Poses” or something recognizable and it will show up within PoseTime. All of your albums will load. If you buy the Premium license it unlocks the ability to load image files by selecting folders stored on your device or even in the cloud. It will download the cloud files to your device for you if they are not already local. Halfway through the timer will play a sound, if you have it enabled, to let you know it is halfway through. There is an ending tick sound as well playing at 3, 2, and 1 seconds remaining before the image smoothly transitions to the next image. There is also a fairly extensive reference Built In Albums library for Premium which includes hundreds of action and passive poses, basic forms, drapery, portraiture, still life. The timer in the free mode is set to 10 seconds which is perfect for gesture studies. There are buttons to adjust the timer to 1 minute to 60 minutes (with intermediary steps of 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 minutes) for more advanced timed studies. These are restricted to Premium. Key Features: Flexible timer: 10 seconds in the free mode, up to to 60 minutes per image in Premium mode Custom timer: Select your own times and remove the defaults if you prefer. Custom image sources: your own photo gallery albums in free mode, or local and cloud files and built-in albums in Premium mode Ordered or shuffled playback for variety in all modes Pinch to zoom, drag to move Audio cues for halfway and near-end alerts with options to select a variety of built in sounds. Fully supports split-view for use while drawing on the iPad.
HyperRef
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.
- 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
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HyperRef provides a focused, distraction-free environment with no infinite scrolling or algorithms deciding what you see. Use your own curated reference library to accelerate your drawing and painting study. Features: - Powerful Web Import: Bulk-save multiple images instantly from almost any website or app. Select exactly what you need for fast, organized importing. - Advanced Study Filters: Isolate value, contrast, and color for a deeper understanding of lighting and composition. Essential for serious art study. - Timed Practice Mode: Use customizable, distraction-free slideshows for quick figure drawing or anatomy study sessions. - Study Mode: Attach your own sketches and studies directly to reference images to track your progress over time. - Biometric Protection: Lock sensitive collections with Face ID or Touch ID for maximum privacy. - Smart Collections: Organize thousands of visual references with a gorgeous, efficient layout. - Offline First with iCloud Sync: Access your entire visual library instantly, anywhere on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Whether you're studying anatomy, lighting, composition, or preparing a detailed mood board, HyperRef keeps your visual library organized, secure, and always accessible. Start your reference library with 5 collections and 50 images free. Unlock unlimited storage and all Pro features with a single, one-time upgrade. No subscriptions, ever.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: HyperRef at 100% against PoseTime's 0%. HyperRef also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). PoseTime's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. PoseTime sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and HyperRef sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
HyperRef holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of PoseTime's written reviews are positive against 100% of HyperRef's.
PoseTime ships an update every 5 weeks, HyperRef every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PoseTime | HyperRef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (1 ratings) | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 145 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Matthew Porreca | Seth Kenneth Berggren |
Customer experience
PoseTime
HyperRef
In-app purchases
PoseTime
- Premium Access$1.99
HyperRef
- HyperRef Pro$4.99









