# Art Reference vs Mix Paint

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mix Paint at none against Art Reference's 1. Mix Paint also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Art Reference's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 75%). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Art Reference sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mix Paint asks for nothing beyond the download.

Mix Paint holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Art Reference's written reviews are positive against 75% of Mix Paint's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Art Reference ships an update every 2 weeks, Mix Paint every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Art Reference | Mix Paint |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/art-reference-easel-assistant/id6752580673/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mix-paint/id6758065640/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 172 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gil Osborne](https://appshunter.io/developer/1135987694) | [GINA JAY HEIDEL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1870681473) |

## 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 | $14.99 | one-time |


### Mix Paint

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mix-paint/id6758065640)

This app assists artists in precisely mixing paint colors. It features a visual and photo-based color picker, an intelligent recipe generator for exact mixing ratios, and the ability to create and save custom palettes and recipes.

**Highlights:** Visual Color Picker, Photo Color Picker, Intelligent Recipe Generator, Custom Palettes, Save Recipes, Intuitive Interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Art Reference free?

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

### Is Mix Paint free?

Mix Paint is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Art Reference or Mix Paint?

Mix Paint is rated higher. Art Reference averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Mix Paint averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Art Reference or Mix Paint have ads?

Neither Art Reference nor Mix Paint shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Art Reference or Mix Paint?

Art Reference ships an update every 2 weeks, and Mix Paint every 3 days. Most recently, Art Reference was updated on September 27, 2026 and Mix Paint on October 15, 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.*