Comparison

RefCreate vs Kumkum Art Studio

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

Head to head
About

RefCreate

Enhance your drawing abilities with this app, which offers a 3D reference model alongside a drawing canvas. Practice fundamental techniques with interactive drills that provide instant feedback and track your progress over time.

Highlights
  • Draw with a 3D reference model
  • Layered canvas with brushes
  • Line Control and Boxes drills
  • Instant feedback and scoring
  • Progress tracking with goals and badges
  • Customizable brushes
  • Import and export images
Features
Read full description

Build your drawing skills with RefCreate for iPad and iPhone. Draw beside a 3D reference, practise the fundamentals with scored drills, and watch your progress grow. RefCreate works best on iPad with Apple Pencil, with more room to draw and keep your reference beside you. DRAW WITH A 3D REFERENCE BESIDE YOU • Keep a 3D model in a floating or docked reference view while you paint on a layered canvas. • Turn and zoom the model, then lock the view you want to study. Your reference view is saved with each drawing. • Light the model your way: a key light, a fill light and an optional rim light, each with its own colour and intensity. • One perspective grid shared by your canvas and the reference, with its horizon, vanishing points and bounding box. • Trace the model on your canvas with an overlay you can show, hide and fade. PRACTISE WITH INSTANT FEEDBACK • Line Control drills: steady parallel strokes, connecting two points in one confident line, and longer sets. • Boxes drills: one-, two- and three-point boxes and cubes, dead reckoning, the Y method, and free boxes and cubes. • Get score feedback as you practise, check a box yourself when you are ready, and review every line or box in the set. • Short animated guides demonstrate line and box techniques, with exercise-specific tips while you practise. • Optional help on the box drills, including a 3D reference posed like your box, corner marks and lines that snap to the box's directions. Help costs some XP. • Line Control drills are free. Boxes drills come with the Boxes Pack, and two free sets a day can be used on two rotating box exercises. Repeats count toward the two-set limit; cubes require the pack. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS • A daily goal and streak, XP and levels. Harder drills earn more XP. • Mastery for every drill, and Progress for today, this week, this month and all time. • 31 badges for practice, accuracy, streaks and mastery. See your next goals or browse the full collection. • Open Progress for your level, streak and personal records. A FULL DRAWING WORKSPACE • A library of brushes organised by category, and a brush studio to make them your own. • Layers with opacity, blend modes and locks to protect finished work; freehand selection and transform; QuickShape and perspective guides. • Smoothing built into each brush for steadier lines. Edit any brush, and restore its defaults with one button. • Import images and export your drawings. Turn between portrait and landscape and your drawing stays where it was. BOXES PACK — EVERY BOXES DRILL, AND THE ONES TO COME Unlock every Boxes drill. New Boxes drills are on the way, and they are included in the Boxes Pack at no extra charge. A one-time in-app purchase, with no subscription. HEADS PACK — ONE PURCHASE, A GROWING COLLECTION Unlock the Heads 3D model collection, including Asaro, planes of the head, skulls and facial muscles. Future models added to this collection are included at no extra charge. The Heads drill is coming soon and will be included in the Heads Pack when released. It is not available in this version. The Heads Pack is a one-time in-app purchase, with no subscription. Other packs are sold separately. Existing RefCreate Heads Pack owners can restore their purchase with the same App Store account. The Loomis head remains free.

About

Kumkum Art Studio

Read full description

Create, learn, and explore anywhere. Kumkum is an artistic image processing and color analysis app. It combines traditional art concepts with modern AI capabilities, allowing users to explore color theory, simulate various artistic media, and transform images using advanced algorithms.

Screenshots

RefCreate4 screens
Kumkum Art Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Kumkum Art Studio at 13.0 against RefCreate's 16.0. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. RefCreate sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Kumkum Art Studio sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RefCreate ships an update every 3 weeks, Kumkum Art Studio every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
RefCreate versus Kumkum Art Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRefCreateKumkum Art Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size261 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLambda Code SLAJAY MANOHAR PATIL

In-app purchases

2 purchases

RefCreate

One-time2
  • Boxes Pack$5.99
  • Head Construction Pack$5.99
3 purchases

Kumkum Art Studio

One-time3
  • 200 Credits$1.99
  • 550 Credits$4.99
  • 1150 Credits$9.99

Questions

Is RefCreate free?
RefCreate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kumkum Art Studio free?
Kumkum Art Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RefCreate or Kumkum Art Studio have ads?
Neither RefCreate nor Kumkum Art Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RefCreate or Kumkum Art Studio?
RefCreate ships an update every 3 weeks, and Kumkum Art Studio every 2 weeks. Most recently, RefCreate was updated on October 30, 2026 and Kumkum Art Studio on November 5, 2026.

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