Reference app screenshots with a small app screen
The app’s screen takes under a third of the picture. A small screen leaves most of the picture to the words, a photograph or an illustration.
From the top 100 free Reference apps on the US App Store, read on October 9, 2026. Screenshots are the developers’ own, shown from Apple’s servers with a link to each app.
The numbers
Apps that do it
11% 11 of 100
Screenshots that do it
2% 11 of 566
The top ten
0 of 10 against 11 of the other 90
11 of the 566 Reference screenshots read (2%) do this, across 11 of the top 100 apps (11%). 0 of the top ten do it (0%), against 11 of the other 90 (12%): the top ten do it less than the rest. Of the 23 categories read so far, Reference is 18th for this. It is most common in Food & Drink (30% of apps) and least common in Games (2%).
All 11 examples from the chart.
Every one of the Reference app screenshots with a small app screen on the chart, the highest app first.
“Stargazing made easy”
“BLOOD SUGAR TRACKER -AI HEALTH”
“Guided prayers and devotionals to stay rooted in Christ”
“500+ PRACTICAL WOOD PLANS”
“Identify coin instantly”
“Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus”
“The Fastest Way to Price Your Cards”
“Bible Verse Widgets for Lock Screen”
“Helped 1,000,000+ people access billions of records...”
“Background music you can turn on or off”
“Top-Tier VPN. Military-Grade Shield”
What these screenshots say, word for word.
The words on all 11 that carry any, as each app wrote them.
“Stargazing made easy”
Sky Guide · #12 · screenshot 1“BLOOD SUGAR TRACKER -AI HEALTH”
Blood Sugar Tracker-AI Health · #23 · screenshot 2“Guided prayers and devotionals to stay rooted in Christ”
Creed: Bible Chat & Companion · #26 · screenshot 2“500+ PRACTICAL WOOD PLANS”
WoodSense: Wood Plans & Guides · #31 · screenshot 1“Identify coin instantly”
AI CoinScan: Coin ID & Value · #34 · screenshot 1“Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus”
America’s most trusted dictionary available wherever you are!Merriam-Webster Dictionary · #50 · screenshot 1“The Fastest Way to Price Your Cards”
Cardly AI: Sports Card Scanner · #53 · screenshot 2“Bible Verse Widgets for Lock Screen”
#Bible - Verse of the Day · #65 · screenshot 4“Helped 1,000,000+ people access billions of records...”
BeenVerified: People Search · #84 · screenshot 2“Background music you can turn on or off”
Lectio 365: Daily Bible Prayer · #90 · screenshot 6- Viva VPN
“Top-Tier VPN. Military-Grade Shield”
Viva VPN - Fast & Secure Proxy · #93 · screenshot 1
Top ten Reference apps that do it.
None of the top ten do. The highest app on the chart that does is Sky Guide, at #12.
The same tactic in other categories.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food & Drink | 30% 30 of 100 | 6% 35 of 540 | 3 of 10 |
| Finance | 25% 25 of 100 | 6% 35 of 581 | 4 of 10 |
| Medical | 24% 24 of 100 | 5% 28 of 548 | 4 of 10 |
| Travel | 21% 21 of 100 | 5% 27 of 561 | 2 of 10 |
| Utilities | 21% 21 of 100 | 4% 24 of 549 | 1 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 18% 18 of 100 | 4% 21 of 556 | 0 of 10 |
| Sports | 18% 18 of 100 | 4% 21 of 558 | 3 of 10 |
| Navigation | 17% 17 of 99 | 4% 22 of 566 | 0 of 10 |
| Music | 17% 17 of 100 | 4% 22 of 550 | 0 of 10 |
| Shopping | 16% 16 of 100 | 4% 21 of 562 | 4 of 10 |
| News | 15% 15 of 98 | 4% 21 of 517 | 2 of 10 |
| Productivity | 15% 15 of 99 | 3% 18 of 551 | 1 of 10 |
| Business | 15% 15 of 100 | 3% 16 of 554 | 1 of 10 |
| Entertainment | 15% 15 of 100 | 3% 16 of 544 | 0 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 14% 14 of 100 | 3% 15 of 554 | 1 of 10 |
| Education | 12% 12 of 100 | 3% 18 of 555 | 1 of 10 |
| Graphics & Design | 11% 11 of 99 | 2% 14 of 564 | 0 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 11% 11 of 100 | 2% 12 of 574 | 0 of 10 |
| Reference | 11% 11 of 100 | 2% 11 of 566 | 0 of 10 |
| Weather | 11% 11 of 100 | 2% 13 of 555 | 2 of 10 |
| Developer Tools | 8% 8 of 100 | 2% 12 of 507 | 1 of 10 |
| Photo & Video | 5% 5 of 100 | 1% 5 of 566 | 0 of 10 |
| Games | 2% 2 of 100 | 1% 3 of 567 | 0 of 10 |
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- Words aligned left55% of these screenshots, against 17% of all Reference screenshots
- Laurel or award36% of these screenshots, against 5% of all Reference screenshots
- Illustration or mascot64% of these screenshots, against 33% of all Reference screenshots
- Dark55% of these screenshots, against 24% of all Reference screenshots
- A hand holds the phone36% of these screenshots, against 8% of all Reference screenshots
- Phone at an angle27% of these screenshots, against 3% of all Reference screenshots
More in layout
- Phone drawn99%
- Screen fills the picture99%
- Whole phone shown95%
- Words at the top91%
- A photograph88%
- Headline readable at thumbnail size78%
- Illustration or mascot70%
- Phone cut off at the foot60%
- Arrows or callouts53%
- A person in the picture50%
- Headline too small to read42%
- App icon shown41%
- Words aligned left31%
- A hand holds the phone28%
- No phone, bare screen27%
- Zoomed detail of the UI26%
- No app screen at all21%
- Two or more screens21%
- Phone cut off at the head19%
- Phone at an angle14%
- Words at the bottom13%
- Watch, iPad or Mac beside it10%
- Words over the screen8%
Questions, answered from the chart.
How many top Reference apps have App Store screenshots with a small app screen?
11 of the top 100 Reference apps (11%) have at least one, and 11 of their 566 screenshots (2%) do it. Counted from the US App Store’s top free chart on October 9, 2026.
Which Reference apps have App Store screenshots with a small app screen?
None of the top ten do. The highest on the chart: Sky Guide (#12), Blood Sugar Tracker-AI Health (#23), Creed: Bible Chat & Companion (#26), WoodSense: Wood Plans & Guides (#31) and AI CoinScan: Coin ID & Value (#34), and 6 more.
Should my Reference app have App Store screenshots with a small app screen?
The chart shows who does it, not whether it would work for your app. 0 of the top ten Reference apps do it (0%), against 11 of the other 90 (12%), so the top ten do it less than the rest. Ten apps is a small group, so read that as a description of this chart and not as a rule.
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