PureRef vs Soleil Clusters

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.

Soleil Clusters is a visual workspace for film, photo, design, and brand teams to collect references, storyboards, shot lists, scripts, and schedules. Shared boards, called clusters, use an infinite canvas with live cursors, comments, and presence. Built-in documents let users write briefs beside the canvas, while tags gather references and a relationship graph connects cards and boards. Boards are private by default; users can invite collaborators or share a view-only public link that does not require an account to open. Images, video, audio, and PDFs become cards with viewers or players, while other files become downloadable cards. Clusters offers a REST API and an MCP server, with OAuth or personal access tokens for integrations. The free plan includes 50 cards, unlimited clusters and collaborators, and standard media only. Creator costs $25.00 per month, or $20/mo billed annually ($240/yr), and includes unlimited cards, any file type, no per-file size limits, and 100GB drive. It works in browsers, as an installable PWA, and through native iOS and Android apps.