Comparison

HyperRef vs Sanzo Palette

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Sanzo Palette

Explore hundreds of harmonious color palettes inspired by a renowned color dictionary. Extract colors from images, save favorites, and share combinations with original book layouts. Works offline for designers, artists, and color enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Curated color combinations
  • Search by name or ID
  • Extract palettes from pictures
  • Save favorite colors
  • Offline functionality
  • Share color data
Features
Read full description

Find a color you love. Discover what it can become. Sanzo Palette brings both volumes of Wada Sanzo’s Dictionary of Color Combinations to your iPhone. Explore 171 colors and 581 combinations, from simple pairings to palettes arranged around the twelve months and different areas of design. Browse by color count, month, or design category. Search by color name, see each shade’s HEX, RGB, and CMYK values, and save the colors and combinations you want to revisit. You can also create palettes from a photo or your camera and share colors and combinations as images. The full catalog is available offline, so inspiration is always close at hand. Made for designers, artists, and anyone who enjoys seeing colors together.

Screenshots

HyperRef4 screens
Sanzo Palette4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sanzo Palette at none against HyperRef's 1. Sanzo Palette also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). HyperRef's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. HyperRef sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sanzo Palette asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sanzo Palette holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
HyperRef versus Sanzo Palette: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHyperRefSanzo Palette
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeth Kenneth BerggrenERIK SEBASTIAN DE ERICE JEREZ

Customer experience

HyperRef

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Sanzo Palette

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

HyperRef

One-time1
  • HyperRef Pro$4.99
None

Sanzo Palette

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HyperRef free?
HyperRef is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sanzo Palette free?
Sanzo Palette is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HyperRef or Sanzo Palette?
Sanzo Palette is rated higher. HyperRef averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Sanzo Palette averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do HyperRef or Sanzo Palette have ads?
Neither HyperRef nor Sanzo Palette shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HyperRef or Sanzo Palette?
HyperRef ships an update every 2 months, and Sanzo Palette every 2 months. Most recently, HyperRef was updated on November 4, 2026 and Sanzo Palette on October 30, 2026.

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