Comparison

DarkRef vs Marea Page

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

Head to head
About

DarkRef

Organize your visual inspiration with images, GIFs, and notes. This app offers a free, intuitive platform for artists to manage references across all devices, with optional cloud sync for seamless backup and access.

Highlights
  • Unlimited boards and images
  • Image and GIF support
  • Notes and annotations
  • Folder organization
  • Offline access
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

Your own library of art references, organised and on all your devices. DarkRef is a powerful reference board designed for digital artists. Organize your inspiration with images, GIFs, notes, videos and folders; all in one beautiful, minimalist library and use canvases to plan your next big artwork. 100% FREE TO USE All core features are completely free including your reference library, automatic image tagging, canvases and more. Create unlimited boards, add unlimited images and GIFs, take notes, and organize with folders. The only features requiring a paid plan are for syncing your files across devices and for live collaboration boards where you can work with your team together on a shared board. All the core features are completely free. WORKS OFFLINE All your references are stored locally on your device. Work anywhere, even without internet. With a DarkRef paid plan, your changes sync automatically when you're back online. WHY DARKREF? Unlike other reference board apps, DarkRef truly works everywhere. Whether you're sketching on your iPad at a coffee shop, at the office on your Mac or working at home, your references are always with you. Perfect for: • Digital artists and illustrators • Concept artists • Character designers • Environment artists • Animators • Game artists • Anyone who needs organized visual references Download DarkRef for free today and never lose track of your inspiration again.

About

Marea Page

Features
Read full description

Marea Page is a visual editor for creating moodboards, collages, and editorial compositions. Start with a ready-made template or a blank canvas. Add photos, text, and color elements, build your own composition, and turn ideas into finished visual pages. Start with a beautiful foundation Choose from ready-made layouts in different styles and formats, or create a page from scratch. A template is only a starting point — every element remains fully editable. Make it your own Move, resize, and rotate elements. Crop and replace photos, adjust their shape and appearance, and refine text, fonts, colors, opacity, shadows, and layer order. Undo and Redo let you experiment freely and return to earlier versions whenever you want. Keep your ideas together Every page you create is saved in Ideas — your visual collection of projects. Come back later, continue editing, or create new variations. Made for different ideas and formats Marea Page supports: • Square — 1080×1080 • Portrait — 1080×1350 • Story — 1080×1920 • Landscape — 1920×1080 Create moodboards, visual notes, reference boards, editorial pages, photo collages, and compositions for personal and creative projects. Export the finished result Save your pages as PNG, add them to Photos, or share them through the iOS share sheet. A space for your ideas Marea Page works without an account, ads, or subscriptions. Your projects are stored locally on your device, so you can focus on composition instead of extra services and setup. Create pages worth coming back to.

Screenshots

DarkRef3 screens
Marea Page4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marea Page at none against DarkRef's 2. DarkRef's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.2). On price 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. DarkRef sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Marea Page asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
DarkRef versus Marea Page: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDarkRefMarea Page
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTimothy Patrick DommettNikita Titov

In-app purchases

2 purchases

DarkRef

Subscriptions2
  • Sync Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • Sync Annual$9.991 Year
None

Marea Page

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DarkRef free?
DarkRef is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Marea Page free?
Marea Page is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do DarkRef or Marea Page have ads?
Neither DarkRef nor Marea Page shows ads.

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