--- title: "Best moodboard apps" description: "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." source: https://savepad.app/blog/best-moodboard-apps --- [Blog](https://savepad.app/blog) 路 22 July 2024 # 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. *A moodboard of images, a font, and a palette in a Savepad folder* **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](https://savepad.app/blog/milanote-alternatives).** The designer favourite. Drag images, notes, colours, and links onto a board, arrange, share with a client. Free for 100 items, then paid. **[Figma](https://www.figma.com).** 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](https://www.canva.com).** 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](https://savepad.app/blog/how-to-make-a-mood-board) post walks through building one in any of these. ## For finding images **[Pinterest](https://savepad.app/blog/pinterest-alternatives).** Still the biggest, still free, and still full of AI images and ads. Fine for wide searches, not for anything precise. **[Cosmos](https://savepad.app/compare/cosmos).** Search by colour and visual similarity, and you can hide AI-generated images. Lovely. **[Savee](https://savepad.app/compare/savee).** A community of designers saving and sharing, with a Figma plugin. ## For keeping a library **Savepad** (馃攲). 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鈥檚 your moodboard, ready to share with a [private link](https://savepad.app/docs/public-savepad). The [moodboards use case](https://savepad.app/use-cases/moodboards) shows how. **[Eagle](https://savepad.app/compare/eagle).** A desktop library for huge local image collections, $29.95 once. Colour search too. *A mock coral-coloured homepage for the fictional brand Oddsocks* 0384 路 oddsocks.co 路 coral *A type specimen for Fraunces* 0481 路 font 路 Fraunces *A mock coral-coloured meal kit ad* 0578 路 ad 路 coral A moodboard pulled out of a Savepad library: the hero, the typeface, and a palette, all picked by searching one colour. ## 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 | | Pinterest | 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鈥檙e building the library side, [design inspiration websites](https://savepad.app/blog/design-inspiration-websites) has where to fill it from, and [design swipe file](https://savepad.app/blog/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. [Join the waitlist](https://savepad.app/#waitlist) ## Read these next - [Milanote vs Miro: Milanote and Miro are both canvases, built for different rooms. How they compare for moodboards and references, and when you want a library instead of a board.](https://savepad.app/blog/milanote-vs-miro) - [Pinterest alternatives for designers sick of AI slop: Pinterest added AI labels and a see-fewer setting in 2025. If that's not enough, where to find human-made inspiration, and where to keep yours.](https://savepad.app/blog/pinterest-alternatives) - [Milanote alternatives: Milanote is great on a canvas and a pain as a library. The alternatives worth trying, depending on whether you plan projects, collect references, or both.](https://savepad.app/blog/milanote-alternatives)