A moodboard is the fastest way to align on a direction before anyone opens a design file. The right moodboard tool depends on what you are making: a UI direction for your team, a brand pitch for a client, or a board of references to keep open while you illustrate.
Here are the best moodboard tools for designers, what each is for, and one tool that makes every board faster to build. We build GetRef, so bear that in mind when you read about it.
Figma and FigJam: best for UI and product teams
If your team already designs in Figma, a board in FigJam or on a Figma page is the lowest-friction option. Everyone can comment, the board sits next to the work, and you can drag references straight into mockups.
- Good for: UI directions, design reviews, team alignment.
- Watch out for: file weight. Hundreds of screenshots slow a file down. See how to organise Figma inspiration files.
Milanote: best for client presentations
Milanote boards look polished with little effort. You mix images, notes, colour swatches, links and to-dos, and share a clean link with a client.
- Good for: brand and campaign directions, presenting to non-designers.
- Watch out for: the free plan limits, and using boards as long-term storage. See Milanote alternatives.
PureRef: best for illustrators and 3D artists
PureRef is a free, tiny desktop app that keeps a board of reference images floating above whatever you work in. Zoom, arrange, flip and scale images instantly.
- Good for: keeping references in view while you draw, paint or model.
- Watch out for: no cloud or sharing. It is a personal tool.
Miro: best for workshops
Miro is a whiteboard first and a moodboard tool second, but it does both well, with templates and strong collaboration for workshops.
- Good for: combining moodboards with sticky-note sessions and planning.
- Watch out for: it can feel busy for a pure visual board.
Canva: best for quick, non-designer boards
Canva has moodboard templates and a huge stock library. It is the easiest way for a client or a marketing team to put a board together.
- Good for: quick boards and collaborating with non-designers.
- Watch out for: stock-heavy results that look like templates.
Pinterest, Are.na and Cosmos: best for collecting a mood
These are collecting tools more than board tools. Pinterest is the biggest discovery engine, with secret boards for private work. Are.na is thoughtful and connected. Cosmos is a calmer, ad-free space for visual curation.
- Good for: gathering raw material quickly.
- Watch out for: limited arranging and annotating, and public defaults on Pinterest and Are.na. See Pinterest vs GetRef.
GetRef: best for finding what goes on the board
Every moodboard starts with the same question: where was that reference I saved? GetRef is a design reference manager, the library underneath your boards. It captures references with their link, reads the text inside every image, tags them automatically and finds them by description. When a project starts, you search "warm editorial landing page" or "dark fintech dashboard", pull the results into a collection, and drop them onto your Figma or Milanote board.
- Good for: building boards in minutes instead of scrolling for an hour.
- Watch out for: it is a library, not a canvas. Pair it with one of the board tools above.
Which moodboard tool to choose
- UI or product direction for your team: FigJam or Figma.
- Brand direction for a client: Milanote.
- References in view while you draw: PureRef.
- A workshop with a moodboard in it: Miro.
- A client wants to make their own board: Canva.
- Collecting the raw mood: Pinterest, Are.na or Cosmos.
- Finding your own saved references fast: GetRef, under any of the above.
For the step-by-step process, read how to make a UI moodboard. For the library side, see the best tools to organize design inspiration.
Common questions
- What is the best moodboard tool for designers?
- For UI and product designers, Figma or FigJam, because the board sits next to the work. For client presentations, Milanote. For illustrators and 3D artists, PureRef. For finding the references that go on the board, a searchable library like GetRef.
- What is the best free moodboard tool?
- PureRef is free with an optional payment, FigJam, Miro and Canva have free plans, Milanote has a limited free plan, and Pinterest and Are.na are free for collecting. GetRef is free for 50 references.
- Is Pinterest good for moodboards?
- Pinterest is good for collecting a mood quickly, and secret boards keep client work private. It is less good for presenting, because you cannot annotate or arrange pins freely, and boards include pins from other people with their descriptions.
- What is the difference between a moodboard and a reference library?
- A moodboard is a small, curated arrangement for one project or presentation. A reference library is the long-term collection you build moodboards from. You need both, and the library is what makes each new moodboard fast.
