ArtDeck vs SceneRef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
SceneRef
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SceneRef works with iPad Split View and multiple windows as the ideal companion for Procreate, Clip Studio Paint, and other drawing and animation apps—freeing your reference images from stacked layers, organizing them clearly on an infinite canvas, and keeping inspiration and efficiency within reach wherever you create. HIGHLIGHTS - Perfect companion: Work side by side with Procreate, Clip Studio Paint, and other creative apps using iPad Split View and multiple windows - Infinite canvas: Smart caching and image management keep vast libraries saved and scrolling smoothly - Multi-select batch tools: One-tap auto-fit, smart layout, and unified sizing make copying and aligning effortless - Professional workflow: Full keyboard shortcut mapping for faster everyday actions - Flexible import: Clipboard, Photos, folders, camera, and drag-and-drop—grab what you need, when you need it - Web drag-and-drop: Drag images in directly from Pinterest, Pixiv, and other popular image sites - Flexible export: Export scenes or image groups for easy sharing and delivery - View / Lock / Edit modes so browsing and editing never get in each other's way - Grid and list views for file management, with multiple sort options - Smooth zoom and pan to inspect every detail - A clean, intuitive interface so you can stay focused on creating Professional Reference Tools - Rotate, crop, desaturate, flip vertical/horizontal, opacity, layering, and scale—a complete set of adjustments - Live color picker: Sample any color on the canvas in real time and get common color codes - Magnetic guides: Alignment hints and smart snapping for more precise layouts - After multi-select, quickly align and distribute from the top-right corner for faster batch organization - Brush annotations and highlight circles to communicate more clearly - Styled text: A rich set of fonts and styles for notes, titles, and labels Video & GIF - Play MP4 and extract 4K stills for storyboards, covers, and video references - One-tap GIF frame-by-frame breakdown so animation details are crystal clear Thanks for reading. Contact us: Email: scenereftech@163.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SceneRef at every 2 days against ArtDeck's weekly. SceneRef also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ArtDeck ships an update weekly, SceneRef every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ArtDeck | SceneRef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexandre Alves | 文荣 李 |
In-app purchases
ArtDeck
No in-app purchases
SceneRef
No in-app purchases








