Comparison

Refbox Mobile vs ArtDeck

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

Head to head
About

Refbox Mobile

Organize your creative inspiration with a visual reference board. Collect and arrange images from your device or the web into project-specific "Boxes." Browse your collection fluidly and access images fullscreen for detailed review.

Highlights
  • Create project-specific "Boxes"
  • Add images from device or web
  • Fluid masonry canvas browsing
  • Fullscreen image view
  • Select multiple images for actions
  • Organize without clutter
Features
Read full description

Refbox is a fast, easy-to-use visual reference board for collecting and organizing images to inspire your creative work. Create Boxes for projects, moods, subjects, or styles. Add images from your device or drag and drop from the web. Browse everything on a fluid masonry canvas, open any image fullscreen for a closer look, and select multiple images to move, share, or delete them at once. Keep your references organized without getting buried in folders or clutter. Refbox is built for artists, designers, photographers, and other visual thinkers who want their reference library by their side as they work.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Refbox Mobile4 screens
ArtDeck4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Refbox Mobile at none against ArtDeck's 2. Refbox Mobile also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). ArtDeck's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.2). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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. ArtDeck sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Refbox Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Refbox Mobile holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Refbox Mobile ships an update every 6 months, ArtDeck weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Refbox Mobile versus ArtDeck: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRefbox MobileArtDeck
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (8 ratings) — better4.8 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings8 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.218.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB82 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrett ShepherdAlexandre Alves

Customer experience

Refbox Mobile

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ArtDeck

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Refbox Mobile

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

ArtDeck

One-time2
  • 7-Day TrialFree
  • Lifetime Access$5.99

Questions

Is Refbox Mobile free?
Refbox Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArtDeck free?
ArtDeck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Refbox Mobile or ArtDeck?
Refbox Mobile is rated higher. Refbox Mobile averages 5.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while ArtDeck averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.
Do Refbox Mobile or ArtDeck have ads?
Neither Refbox Mobile nor ArtDeck shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Refbox Mobile or ArtDeck?
Refbox Mobile ships an update every 6 months, and ArtDeck weekly. Most recently, Refbox Mobile was updated on October 31, 2026 and ArtDeck on November 5, 2026.

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