Milanote vs PureRef
Milanote
milanote.comPureRef
pureref.comSide by side
| Figure | Milanote | PureRef |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $9.99/mo | $0.67/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 7 | 4 |
| Spec score · Mood Board Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.0 (#9) |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Johanneshov, Sweden |
| Privacy compliance | The privacy policy says the company follows Australian Privacy Principles and GDPR principles. | Idyllic Pixel says it processes personal information in accordance with the EU GDPR and Swedish tax and accounting laws. |
| Purpose | Milanote describes itself as a tool for organizing creative projects, combining notes, images, videos, sketches, and other content. | PureRef is a standalone reference image organizer for collecting inspiration, making mood boards, and keeping references for painting or 3D modeling. |
| Support | Milanote offers live chat through the in-app help menu and email support, and says it normally replies within 24 hours. | The maker provides a handbook, FAQ, forum, and contact form, while its EULA says the software has no specific support beyond what the EULA and website state. |
Plans
Milanote
- FreeFree
- Pay per person$9.99 a month
- Team$49 a month
- FreeFree
- Professional$9.99 a month
- Team$49 a month
- Upgrade your team$49 a month
PureRef
- PersonalFree
- Business annual subscription$8 a year
- Business monthly subscription$10 a month
- Small business$49, paid once
In their own words
Milanote
Milanote organizes creative projects by arranging notes, images, videos, sketches and other material on boards. Its listed workflows include moodboarding, brainstorming, storyboarding, creative writing, visual project management, whiteboarding, mind mapping and remote work. Users can invite others to edit or comment, or share a read-only board that does not require a Milanote login. The Web Clipper saves text, images, links and video; boards can embed media from services such as YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud and Spotify. Milanote offers web access, desktop apps for Mac and Windows, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Mobile apps require an internet connection to view and edit boards, and mobile users can display tables but not edit them. The free plan includes 100 notes, images or links, 10 file uploads and unlimited shared boards. Pay per person costs $9.99 a month billed annually, or $12.50 billed monthly, and includes unlimited notes, images, links, uploads and shared boards. Milanote says customer data is encrypted at rest and in transit.
PureRef
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.