HomeBoard vs PureRef

HomeBoard is a mood-board and interior design app for developing and visualizing home ideas. Users can combine furniture, décor, and colors on boards, then turn those boards into AI-generated room renders. Paint palettes from Behr, Sherwin-Williams, and Benjamin Moore help with color planning, while a background remover can isolate objects from images. Projects can be organized into folders, with notes attached to items. Images can be added from Pinterest, Unsplash, a browser, or the camera roll; cut sheets can turn selections into shopping lists. Boards sync across devices, and the app includes comments and a presentation mode. HomeBoard runs on iOS, Android, and macOS. The maker describes it as useful for homeowners, amateur designers, and Airbnb hosts. It can be used without signing in, and the App Store lists it as free with in-app purchases. HomeBoard Pro Monthly costs $7.99 a month. HomeBoard Pro Yearly costs $39.99 a year and includes a 7-day free trial. Its privacy notice says third-party AI providers, including Photoroom and OpenAI, may process user inputs, outputs, and personal information.

PureRef is a standalone reference image organizer for collecting inspiration, arranging mood boards, and keeping visual references nearby while painting or doing 3D modeling. Images can be added from a computer, pasted, or dragged from a browser. Tools include quick notes, desaturation, and ways to arrange and align images; the pen tool supports freehand marks and shapes, and animated GIF playback controls are documented. PureRef can stay above or below other windows, appear as an overlay, or allow mouse clicks to pass through to the application beneath it. Supported formats include AVIF, GIF, HEIC, JPEG, PNG, PSD, SVG, TIFF, WEBP, and EXR. Image files and related image data are stored locally rather than online. The Personal plan is free for personal use. Commercial use with version 2.0 and later requires a per-seat license. Business options include an $8 a year annual subscription, a $10 a month subscription, and a $49 as a one-time purchase small-business license capped at three users per studio. PureRef is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.