The best moodboard apps
The moodboard apps worth using: canvases like Milanote and Figma, image tools like Pinterest and Cosmos, and libraries like Savepad you can search by colour.
TLDR
- For a board you arrange and present: Milanote, Figma, or Canva.
- For finding images: Pinterest (mind the AI slop), Cosmos, or Savee.
- For keeping references across every project, searchable by colour: Savepad or Eagle. A moodboard is one project. The library is where the next ten come from.
Two jobs called moodboard
When people say moodboard app they mean one of two things. Either a canvas where you arrange images, colours, and type to set the direction for a project and show a client. Or the place you collect inspiration in the first place. The best setup is usually one of each.
For arranging and presenting
Milanote. The designer favourite. Drag images, notes, colours, and links onto a board, arrange, share with a client. Free for 100 items, then paid.
Figma. If the moodboard ends up in a pitch deck anyway, make it where the deck lives. FigJam for loose boards, Figma for polished ones.
Canva. Templates and a huge image library. Good for quick boards for non-designers, a bit samey for designers.
The how to make a mood board post walks through building one in any of these.
For finding images
Pinterest. Still the biggest, still free, and still full of AI images and ads. Fine for wide searches, not for anything precise.
Cosmos. Search by colour and visual similarity, and you can hide AI-generated images. Lovely.
Savee. A community of designers saving and sharing, with a Figma plugin.
For keeping a library
Savepad (🔌). Every image, page, font, and palette lives in folders and tags you set up, and you can pick a swatch and see every save with that colour in it. Pages come with their palette and fonts pulled out, and fonts get a type tester. When a project starts, you pull 15 saves into a folder and that’s your moodboard, ready to share with a private link. The moodboards use case shows how.
Eagle. A desktop library for huge local image collections, $29.95 once. Colour search too.
Compared
| Tool | Best for | Search by colour | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milanote | Arranging and presenting a board | No | 100 items |
| Figma | Boards that end up in decks | No | Yes |
| Canva | Quick boards from templates | Stock search | Yes |
| Wide image searches | Limited | Yes | |
| Cosmos | Finding new images | Yes | Yes |
| Savee | Designer community | Some | Yes |
| Savepad | A library across every project | Yes | 150 saves |
| Eagle | Big local libraries | Yes | Trial, then $29.95 |
If you’re building the library side, design inspiration websites has where to fill it from, and design swipe file has how to sort it.
FAQ
What's the best free moodboard app?
Pinterest and Figma's free plan are the most used. Milanote is free for 100 items, Cosmos is free to start, and Savepad is free for 150 saves.
Can I make a moodboard in Figma?
Yes, and if your team already works in Figma it's the least friction. FigJam is better for loose boards, Figma for polished ones you present.
What's the difference between a moodboard and a swipe file?
A moodboard is for one project and gets arranged to set a direction. A swipe file is the library you keep across every project, and moodboards get pulled out of it.