Comparison

RefTake vs CycleDash Go

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

Head to head
About

RefTake

Read full description

Play your voice recording and film yourself acting it out — all on one iPhone. RefTake is made for animators who act out their shots — record your reference, auto-split it into takes, review, and export. You know how shooting reference usually goes: your computer plays the voice recording while your phone films you, so you're stuck juggling two devices. Then comes the hunt for the take you actually want — back and forth through that one long recording, or endless digging through millions of short ones. And before it's any use, you're bouncing through another app just to get a format your 3D software will accept. RefTake pulls all of it into one workflow — just shoot, review, and export, all on the same device. CAPTURE - Drop your storyboard on screen while you film, and drag it wherever it's easiest to work from as a guide. - Play your audio through the speaker or your headphones so you can hit your timing, blocking, and movement. ORGANIZE - Lay things out like a real production: project, sequence, shot. - Tag and note your takes so you actually remember which was which. - Keep your reference footage out of your camera roll — it lives in RefTake, separate from your family photos and videos. - Select exactly the takes you want, then export, delete, or compare them in one go. REVIEW & RATE - Auto-split one long recording into separate takes so you can flip through and find the keeper faster. - Give each take 1 to 5 stars, and swipe or tap through them as you review — star the good ones and filter out the rest. - Compare two takes of a shot on one screen, frame-locked on a single transport. Pinch to zoom in on both at once, or on each pane alone. EXPORT & SHARE - Export takes as MOV video or JPEG image sequences — any shot, any project, as often as you like, at full quality with no watermark. - Name your exports however you work: project, sequence, shot, take, tag, and note — no more "IMG_####.mov" clips. - Send them out through the share sheet, or save them straight to Files. PRO — SPEED UP YOUR REFERENCE WORKFLOW EVEN MORE - Remove the background and export PNG image sequences with an alpha channel — keep your reference simple and clear. - Save your export settings as presets — set your format, delivery, and options once, and every export after that is one tap. - Save to Project Folder: skip the share sheet and land every export in your production folder with one tap, correctly named. PRIVACY & SECURITY - Background removal happens right on your device — your footage never leaves your phone. - Your projects and footage stay on your device. We don't track you or collect your personal data. RefTake is free to download, and the free plan is the whole creative app, not a demo. Record, auto-split, rate, tag, organize, compare, and review without limits — and export MOV or JPEG sequences from any shot in any project, as often as you like. RefTake Pro speeds up your workflow: PNG sequences with alpha, saved export presets, and delivery straight into your project folder. Monthly, annual, or a one-time buy. Built for animators — and anyone who works from reference. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

CycleDash Go

Features
Read full description

Turn your road-bike footage into polished videos with data dashboards, power overlays, and AI cyclist effects. === KEY FEATURES === ā–¶ Video Dashboard Overlay Load footage from GoPro, Insta360, or iPhone. Sync with GPX / FIT tracks and burn in speed, heart rate, power, elevation, gradient, mini-map, and climbing data. ā–¶ AI Rider Effects Cyclist detection helps find riders in the frame and adds glow contours, power labels, and seven-zone power coloring so viewers can instantly read the effort. ā–¶ AI Auto Photo and Finish-Line Mode Point your iPhone at a finish line or target area. CycleDash Go can detect approaching riders, count down, and burst capture automatically for events, time trials, and training sessions. ā–¶ High-Resolution Photos Capture efficient HEIC photos with ride, event, time, and GPS context. ā–¶ Presets and Batch Export Create custom dashboard and effect presets, apply them to multiple videos, and export share-ready cycling clips. ā–¶ Live Recording Mode Record while riding with GPS. Overlay data is applied automatically when rendering. === PREMIUM ANNUAL PLAN === CycleDash Go Premium is an annual subscription with a 7-day free trial. During the trial or with an active subscription, all export, AI rider effect, AI auto photo, and batch rendering features are unlocked. Without a subscription, basic features remain available with trial limitations such as watermark and duration limits. Privacy policy and terms: https://ctyeh.com/apps/products/cycledashgo === WHO IT'S FOR === Road cyclists, time-trial racers, cycling event organizers, action-cam creators, and anyone who wants ride footage to look as fast as it felt.

Screenshots

RefTake4 screens
CycleDash Go4 screens

Verdict

The call

RefTake and CycleDash Go are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. RefTake sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and CycleDash Go sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RefTake ships an update every 3 weeks, CycleDash Go every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 15, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
RefTake versus CycleDash Go: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRefTakeCycleDash Go
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSYUAN-RU WUChi Tien Yeh

In-app purchases

3 purchases

RefTake

Subscriptions2
  • RefTake Pro Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • RefTake Pro Yearly1 Month trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • RefTake Pro One Time Purchase$149.99
1 purchases

CycleDash Go

Subscriptions1
  • å¹“ä»˜ę–¹ę”ˆ7 Days trial$14.991 Year

Questions

Is RefTake free?
RefTake is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CycleDash Go free?
CycleDash Go is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RefTake or CycleDash Go have ads?
Neither RefTake nor CycleDash Go shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RefTake or CycleDash Go?
RefTake ships an update every 3 weeks, and CycleDash Go every 5 weeks. Most recently, RefTake was updated on November 15, 2026 and CycleDash Go on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons