InkWave vs ArtDeck
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
InkWave
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InkWave is a clean, lightweight drawing app designed for quick sketches, notes, and simple illustrations. It keeps the essentials front and center so you can focus on drawing—no clutter, no learning curve. Why you’ll love InkWave • Natural drawing feel • On iPad, InkWave uses Apple Pencil for low-latency, pressure‑sensitive strokes that feel great. • On iPhone, draw comfortably with touch on a responsive canvas. • Flexible canvas • Start with your screen size or choose presets like A4, Letter, or Square. • Pinch to zoom and pan; double‑tap to reset zoom and re-center. • Project library • Save drawings as projects with automatic thumbnail previews. • Rename, duplicate, and delete projects right inside the app. • Export your art • Save to Photos as JPG (with background color or image) or transparent PNG. • Pick a background color before exporting for perfect results. • Simple and focused • Minimal interface, smooth performance, and the essentials you need to sketch fast. InkWave supports iPhone and iPad. For the best experience, use Apple Pencil on iPad. In‑App Purchase • Remove Ads: One‑time purchase to remove ads and enjoy an uninterrupted drawing experience. Tips: • Use Projects to organize drawings and revisit them later. • “Save Drawing” updates your current project; “Save New Drawing” creates a new project automatically. • Choose “Save as Transparent PNG” for overlays and clean exports. Thanks for your support! Visit nitrio.com for more apps for your iOS devices.
ArtDeck
Organize visual inspiration and study images with this app. Create moodboards by collecting images, videos, links, and notes, then analyze their composition, color, and values. Seamlessly sync your boards across all your Apple devices for easy access.
- Collect images, videos, and links
- Create moodboards and reference boards
- Analyze image values, color, and composition
- Sync boards across Apple devices
- Offline access to boards
- Annotate and draw on images
- Organize with infinite canvas
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ArtDeck is a reference board for iPad, iPhone, and Mac. Collect images, videos, links, and notes, then arrange and zoom them on an infinite canvas. Make a moodboard or open the built-in tools when you want to analyze value, color, composition, or motion. You can also keep references next to Procreate on iPad or your creative apps on Mac. iCloud sync is optional. CAPTURE NOW, USE IT ANYWHERE See a texture, a color combination, or a striking composition while you're out? Take a photo right inside ArtDeck and drop it on a board. Because your boards sync, it's there on your Mac and iPad, ready next to your design, 3D, or drawing tools. COLLECT FROM ANYWHERE • Shoot photos and video on iPhone and iPad; on Mac, take the photo with the webcam or your iPhone • Import from Photos or Files • Scan a document on iPhone or iPad, or use Continuity Camera on Mac • Save any link as a card, or paste a link to an image, video, or PDF to import it • Drag and drop, paste, or use the Share menu from any other app • Opens all common image formats, plus WebP, AVIF, JXL, HDR, EXR, and SVG. Video, GIFs, and PDFs up to 300 pages • HDR images and video at full brightness on capable screens, for the whole app or per board STUDY WHAT YOU COLLECT Study any image or video frame through the ToolBox's five lenses, without touching the original: • Values: grayscale, a value ladder, and Notan to read your darks and lights • Color: pull a palette from any image, or see its temperature and saturation zones • Composition: overlay grids, test new framings, or check the symmetry • Read: simplify to the big shapes, find where detail piles up, follow the edge hierarchy • Measure: drop plumb lines, read an angle off a snapping guide, and compare two lengths The Analysis panel shows value range, a histogram, hue, saturation, and color distribution. Export a study, or keep a copy on your board. Step through GIFs and video frame by frame, with onion skin and a GIF filmstrip ANNOTATE AND DRAW • Mark up an image, or draw directly: pen, highlighter, and shapes • Draw a stroke, then hold at the end to straighten it ARRANGE IT YOUR WAY • An infinite canvas to drag, scale, rotate, and zoom • Snap to objects and grid; align, distribute, and tidy up • Group and nest, reorder, lock, with undo and redo YOUR BOARDS, EVERYWHERE • The same boards on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, synced through your iCloud • Works fully offline: sync catches up when you're back online • Choose which boards sync • Split View and Stage Manager on iPad • Keep your window on top of the others on Mac YOUR GALLERY • Carousel and grid views of every board • Labels and multi-label filtering • Favorite, archive, rename, or duplicate any board MAKE IT YOURS • Dark, light, and high-contrast themes • Set one theme for the whole app, or one per board • An editor to fine-tune the colors and create your own themes • Import and export themes by file or link ACCESSIBILITY • VoiceOver support across the app, including items on the canvas • Respects Dynamic Type and Reduce Motion • A theme editor that checks color contrast and flags colors that are hard to tell apart EXPORT AND HAND OFF • Export a whole board or just a selection • PNG, JPEG, HEIC, or PDF, up to 8K, with a transparent background where the format allows • Save a whole board as one .artdeck file to back up or hand off TRY IT FREE, KEEP IT FOR LIFE Start with a free, individual 7-Day Trial. It does not renew. Lifetime Access is a one-time in-app purchase, not a subscription. No separate ArtDeck account is required. Keep what catches your eye.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ArtDeck at none against InkWave's 1. ArtDeck also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support 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. InkWave sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ArtDeck asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | InkWave | ArtDeck |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Heng Jia Liang | Alexandre Alves |
In-app purchases
InkWave
- Remove Ads$2.99
ArtDeck
No in-app purchases









