# Art Reference vs Artist Tools

The clearest difference is monetization model: Art Reference at free against Artist Tools's freemium. Artist Tools's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Art Reference sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Artist Tools sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Art Reference against 4.7 for Artist Tools. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Art Reference ships an update every 2 weeks, Artist Tools every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Art Reference | Artist Tools |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/art-reference-easel-assistant/id6752580673/reviews)** | [4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artist-tools/id6756378078/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 172 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gil Osborne](https://appshunter.io/developer/1135987694) | [Hessam Emami](https://appshunter.io/developer/1860351783) |

## What reviewers say

### Art Reference

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/art-reference-easel-assistant/id6752580673)

This app provides digital reference tools for traditional artists working with physical media. It offers features like value studies, gridlines, side-by-side comparison, and composition adjustments to aid in creating accurate and balanced artwork.

**Highlights:** Value study mode, Gridlines for accurate sketching, Side-by-side reference and canvas view, Crop and frame reference images, Curated starter project collections, Color harmony experimentation, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Full Access | $9.99 | one-time |


### Artist Tools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artist-tools/id6756378078)

This app provides objective tools to analyze reference images for drawing. It helps artists improve tonal accuracy, check proportions, and understand value structures using traditional art school techniques. Features include value studies, color simplification, and various drawing guides.

**Highlights:** Value study analysis, Color simplification, Black mirror tool, Invert and flip reference, Line and plumb line guides, Grid overlay (rule of thirds, golden ratio), Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Monthly Premium - Promo | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription - Promo | $24.99 | per year |
| Unlock Full App | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Art Reference free?

Art Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Artist Tools free?

Artist Tools is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Art Reference or Artist Tools?

Art Reference is rated higher. Art Reference averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Artist Tools averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Art Reference or Artist Tools have ads?

Neither Art Reference nor Artist Tools shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Art Reference or Artist Tools?

Art Reference ships an update every 2 weeks, and Artist Tools every 11 days. Most recently, Art Reference was updated on October 28, 2026 and Artist Tools on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*