PureRef for iPad: how to get a PureRef-style board on your tablet (2026)

Short answer: there is no PureRef for iPad. PureRef is a desktop application, it runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux, and there’s no iPad or iPhone version, and no cloud sync to carry a board to a tablet. That’s a real gap, because the iPad is exactly where many artists want their references: right beside the canvas in Procreate or Clip Studio Paint.

The good news is you can get the same thing PureRef gives you, a clean, freeform board of reference images you pan and zoom around, natively on iPad. This guide explains why PureRef isn’t on iPad, why the usual workarounds are clunky, and how to set up a PureRef-style board on your tablet with DarkRef in a couple of minutes. If you’re weighing options more broadly, our companion piece covers the best PureRef alternatives for 2D & 3D artists.

Why there’s no PureRef on iPad

PureRef was designed as a lightweight desktop tool, a single always-available canvas for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It’s free for personal use (businesses need a paid license), minimal, and beloved by 2D and 3D artists. But by design it has no mobile apps and no cloud sync: your board is a local .pur file on one computer. There’s nothing to open on an iPad, and no built-in way to get the board there.

Can you run PureRef on iPad anyway?

Not natively. The workarounds people try tend to disappoint:

• Remote desktop / screen streaming: you can stream your PC or Mac to the iPad and use PureRef through it, but your computer has to be switched on and reachable, the connection adds lag, and you lose native touch and Apple Pencil handling. It’s a tethered experience, not a tablet one.
• Exporting flat images: you can export your PureRef board as a single image and view it on iPad, but then it’s frozen, you can’t rearrange, zoom into individual references cleanly, or add new ones.

Both are compromises. If you genuinely want to work with references on iPad, the better move is a board that’s native to the device in the first place.

The iPad-native way: DarkRef

DarkRef is a reference board built to do on iPad what PureRef does on desktop, and then keep going. It’s a native iPad and iPhone app (also on Windows, MacOS, and the web), so you get real touch controls: pinch to zoom, drag to arrange, snap-to-grid, and add images straight from Photos, Files, or Safari. It’s the closest thing to “PureRef for iPad,” with two things PureRef doesn’t have at all: cloud sync and collaboration.

What you get that PureRef can’t offer on iPad

• A native iPad and iPhone app, not a streamed desktop, so it’s fast and touch-first.
• Cloud sync (with DarkRef Pro): build a board on your PC or Mac and it’s waiting on your iPad, no .pur files to shuttle around.
• Non-destructive image editing: crop, rotate, flip, grayscale, and remove backgrounds, with the original preserved and a one-tap Reset.
• Links, GIFs, and YouTube clips: preview cards, animated GIFs, and video clips with custom start and end points for motion reference.
• Real-time live boards (with DarkRef Pro): share a board and collaborate with live cursors and email invites (editor or view-only).

The core board is free on every platform. Get DarkRef or grab it directly from the App Store.

PureRef vs DarkRef on iPad

Set up a PureRef-style board on iPad in minutes

1. Install DarkRef free on your iPad from the App Store.
2. Create a new board and give it a name.
3. Add references: open the menu and tap Add images to pick from Photos or Files, or Paste image for a picture you copied. Links and YouTube clips shared from Safari land in your References, ready for Add from references, and with a keyboard attached ⌘V pastes them straight onto the board.
4. Arrange freely: pinch to zoom, drag to position, use snap-to-grid to line things up, and drop in sticky notes.
5. Tidy up non-destructively: crop, flip, or grayscale a reference without touching the original, one tap Resets it.
6. Optional, turn on DarkRef Pro to sync the same board to your Mac or PC and to host live boards for collaborators.

Moving an existing PureRef board to iPad

Already have boards in PureRef on your desktop? Bringing them over is straightforward:

• On your computer, open your PureRef board and export or drag the images out into a folder (for example an iCloud Drive folder).
• On your iPad, open DarkRef, make a new board, and use Add images in the menu to pick those images from Files, then rearrange them the way you like.
• Turn on DarkRef Pro and the board syncs automatically, so anything you add on desktop shows up on the iPad and vice versa.

Looking for more tablet-first options? See our roundup of the best moodboard apps for iPad.

Honest note: where PureRef still wins

None of this means PureRef is worse, it means it’s a desktop tool. If you only work at a desktop and love PureRef’s stripped-back, single-canvas minimalism, there’s no reason to leave it. PureRef also runs natively on Linux, which DarkRef only reaches through its web app in a browser. DarkRef’s advantage is specifically the thing you came here for: a real, native board on iPad (and iPhone), with sync and collaboration on top. Some artists keep PureRef on the desktop and use DarkRef when they move to the tablet.

Bonus: share your iPad board live

Because PureRef has no sync or sharing, a reference board there is a solo, single-machine thing. DarkRef Pro lets you host a real-time live board from your iPad, invite an art director or teammate by email as an editor or view-only, and watch everyone’s cursor on the same canvas. We covered the whole feature in the live boards and collaboration update.

FAQ

Does PureRef have an iPad app?

No. PureRef is a desktop application for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, with no iPad or iPhone app and no cloud sync. To get a PureRef-style reference board on iPad, the closest native option is DarkRef, which has dedicated iPad and iPhone apps plus Windows, MacOS, and web.

Can I run PureRef on iPad?

Not natively. Some artists stream their PC or Mac to the iPad with a remote-desktop app to use PureRef, but that needs the computer switched on, adds lag, and loses native touch and Apple Pencil handling. A board built for iPad, like DarkRef, is a far smoother experience.

What is the best PureRef alternative for iPad?

DarkRef. It gives you the same freeform, pan-and-zoom reference board that PureRef users love, but as a native iPad app, and it adds cloud sync and real-time collaboration that PureRef doesn’t have. The core board is free, with DarkRef Pro ($1.99/month or $19.99/year) for sync and live boards.

Can I move my PureRef board to iPad?

Yes. On your desktop, export or drag the images out of your PureRef board into a folder, then add them to a new board in DarkRef on your iPad. If you turn on DarkRef Pro, the board syncs automatically between your desktop and iPad from then on.

Is there a free PureRef-style app for iPad?

Yes. DarkRef is free to download and use on iPad, with all core board features, images, GIFs, notes, folders, and non-destructive editing, included at no cost. Only cloud sync across devices and hosting or editing live boards require DarkRef Pro.