Comparison

Prism vs Art Reference Board

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

Head to head
About

Prism

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Prism is a color capture tool for designers, artists, and creatives. Point your camera at anything, capture the color instantly. Pick from a photo, build palettes, and export to every format you use. CAPTURE · Live camera color detection — tap to capture · Photo color picker — tap any spot or auto-extract the dominant palette · Edit captured colors before saving · Up to 20 colors per session with Pro LIBRARY & PALETTES · Save colors with HEX, RGB, HSL, HSB, CMYK, LAB and LCH values · Auto color naming using Delta E matching · Build unlimited palettes from your saved colors · Organize everything in folders by project or mood · iCloud sync across iPhone and iPad GRADIENTS · Create linear, radial and mesh gradients from your colors · Adjust stops, angles and blending interactively · Export as PNG or SVG EXPORT · Procreate (.swatches) · Adobe Swatch Exchange (.ase) · SVG, PDF, CSS, SCSS · Share as image — Minimal, Grid or Banner template COLOR TOOLS · Color harmony — complementary, analogous, triadic, split and more · Enter any HEX code manually and save it directly PRISM PRO Unlock unlimited colors, palettes and folders, the full export library, color harmony, and the gradient creator. Cancel anytime. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Art Reference Board

Create and study visual references on an infinite canvas. Gather images, videos, and PDFs, then analyze color, value, and motion. Organize projects with pages, layers, and notes, and access references while working in other creative apps.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas for image, video, and PDF collection
  • Color palette generation from dominant colors
  • Value studies with posterization
  • Animation and video frame-by-frame inspection
  • Timed reference studies with interval controls
  • Annotation and sketching with Apple Pencil
  • Always-on-top reference window
Features
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Your references should stay as close as your next brushstroke. Mica is an art reference board built for illustrators, painters, animators, concept artists, character designers, tattoo artists, art students, and anyone who thinks visually. Gather images, photos, GIFs, WebP animations, video, and PDFs on an infinite canvas. Then study color, value, shape, pose, and motion without breaking your creative flow. BUILD THE BOARD YOUR ART NEEDS • Import from Photos, Files, folders, camera, document scanner, or clipboard • Drag and drop on iPad and Mac • Save references from other apps with the system share sheet • Send new ideas to Capture Inbox and organize them later • Reuse original images from your asset library across multiple boards STUDY—DON’T JUST COLLECT • Generate six- or twelve-color palettes from the dominant colors in your references • Combine grayscale with two-, three-, four-, or six-level posterization for value studies • Crop, flip, rotate, resize, and adjust opacity • Play GIF and WebP animation, inspect timelines, and step frame by frame • Step precisely through video and save useful frames to your canvas • Run timed reference studies with interval and shuffle controls • Annotate, highlight, measure, and sketch with Apple Pencil KEEP REFERENCES BESIDE YOUR WORK • Work beside your drawing or painting app on iPad • Float a reference with Picture in Picture on iPhone and iPad • Keep an always-on-top reference window on Mac • Enter focus or presentation mode when you want the interface to disappear ORGANIZE SERIOUS CREATIVE PROJECTS • Build boards with pages and layers • Arrange references in rows, columns, or a masonry-style grid • Group, lock, hide, duplicate, snap, and reorder canvas items • Add folders, tags, notes, sticky notes, styled text, and saved canvas regions • Search reusable assets by name or tag, filter by dominant color, and find boards with Spotlight • Keep favorites, recent work, reusable assets, and captured ideas within reach PRIVATE, PORTABLE, AND YOURS • Work offline by default • Protect private boards and folders with a passcode or supported biometrics • Restore an earlier local board version without overwriting your current work • Export pages as PNG or PDF, share selected references, or export original files • Move a complete project with Mica’s portable .refboard archive Collect what inspires you. Study what matters. Keep creating. Start free with one board, one page and up to 12 items. Advanced features require Mica Pro. Available purchases and any eligible trial are shown in the app. Privacy Policy: https://rezonating.app/privacy.html?id=mica Terms of Service: https://rezonating.app/terms.html?id=mica

Screenshots

Prism4 screens
Art Reference Board4 screens

Verdict

The call

Prism and Art Reference Board 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 · 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. Prism sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Art Reference Board sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Prism ships an update weekly, Art Reference Board every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Prism versus Art Reference Board: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrismArt Reference Board
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaria Camila StorckRezonating Apps, LLC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Prism

Subscriptions2
  • Prism Pro$2.991 Month
  • Prism Pro$17.991 Year
2 purchases

Art Reference Board

Subscriptions1
  • Mica Pro - Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Mica Pro - Lifetime$5.99

Questions

Is Prism free?
Prism is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Art Reference Board free?
Art Reference Board is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Prism or Art Reference Board have ads?
Neither Prism nor Art Reference Board shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Prism or Art Reference Board?
Prism ships an update weekly, and Art Reference Board every 10 days. Most recently, Prism was updated on October 31, 2026 and Art Reference Board on October 31, 2026.

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