Software Alternatives & Startups

Miro VS refern.

Compare Miro VS refern. and see what are their differences

Miro

Join Millions of users that collaborate from all over the planet using Miro. Experience the power of the #1 visual workspace for innovation. More than 100M users and 250,000 companies are collaborating on the canvas.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium Free trial $10 / Monthly (Starter)
refern.

A visual reference manager for creatives. Organize your reference library and build moodboards on an infinite canvas, all in one desktop app.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Paid Free trial $30 / One-off

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Miro seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 243 times since March 2021.

social mentions
243 vs 0
Productivity popularity
99% vs 1%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 18

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Miro
refern.
Website miro.com refern.app
Pricing
Freemium Free trial $10 / Monthly (Starter) Official pricing
Paid Free trial $30 / One-off Official pricing
Platforms —
Desktop Windows Linux MacOS +1
Company Startup from the United States Startup from Canada · 1 - 9 employees · 2026
Listed in

About Miro and refern.

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Miro
refern.

Miro AI is the artificial intelligence layer built directly into the Miro collaborative workspace. It helps teams think, create, and execute faster by embedding AI into the same visual environment where collaboration already happens. Rather than being a separate tool, Miro AI works contextually...

Read more about Miro

refern is a local-first desktop app for collecting, organizing, and working with visual references. The library side gives you folders, hierarchical tags, smart folders, ratings, color labels, color search by hex, image-to-image visual similarity, and more than 14 typed search operators, all...

Read more about refern.

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Miro 11 features
refern. 31 features
  • Collaborative Features
    Miro allows real-time collaboration with team members from different locations, offering features like video conferencing, sticky notes, and voting, which enhances teamwork and productivity.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Miro's interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, which reduces the learning curve for new users and allows teams to start working efficiently right away.
  • Versatile Templates
    The platform offers a wide range of customizable templates for various use cases such as brainstorming, UX design, and agile workflows, saving users time and effort in setting up new projects.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Miro integrates seamlessly with numerous third-party tools such as Slack, Jira, Trello, and Google Drive, facilitating a smoother workflow by consolidating multiple tools into one platform.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Miro is accessible via web browsers, desktop applications, and mobile devices, providing flexibility for users who need to work across different environments.
  • AI embedded in the workspace
    Miro AI operates directly on boards and canvas content, reducing context switching and making AI support immediately relevant to the work at hand.
  • AI Sidekicks (AI teammates)
    Built-in AI Sidekicks assist teams with ideation, planning, writing, and structuring content, acting as collaborative partners rather than isolated tools.
  • AI Flows for end-to-end workflows
    AI Flows help guide and automate multi-step processes, enabling teams to move from idea to outcome more efficiently.
  • Content creation & refinement
    Teams can generate, edit, summarize, and refine text, visuals, and boards using AI — saving time on repetitive or manual tasks.
  • Smarter collaboration at scale
    Miro AI helps teams align faster by summarizing boards, extracting insights, and organizing information across large or complex projects.
  • Enterprise-ready & secure
    Designed with governance and security in mind, Miro AI supports enterprise requirements while remaining accessible for everyday team use.

Possible disadvantages

  • Pricing
    While Miro offers a free tier, its advanced features and expanded user capabilities require a paid subscription, which may be costly for small teams or startups.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported experiencing lag and performance issues, particularly with larger boards or when multiple collaborators are working simultaneously.
  • Complexity for Basic Tasks
    For simple tasks, Miro might feel over-engineered, causing users to navigate through more features and options than necessary, which can be overwhelming for some.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic operations are straightforward, mastering Miro's more advanced features can require a significant time investment and training, especially for non-technical users.
  • Data Privacy Concerns
    As with any cloud-based service, there are potential data privacy and security issues. Users need to ensure their data is protected and comply with internal or regulatory privacy policies.
  • Infinite Canvas
    Arrange references on an infinite spatial canvas with layers, text, and groups.
  • Canvas Drawing & Shapes
    Freehand pen with pressure, eraser, 9 shape tools, and color swatches.
  • In-App Image Cropping
    Crop images in place or save as a new copy, with crop provenance tracked.
  • Image Filters
    Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue on images and canvas elements.
  • Never Copies Your Files
    References images from your own folders. No proprietary library, no doubled disk.
  • Relationship Graph View
    Navigate your library as a graph of folders, tags, canvases, and linked images.
  • Visual Similarity Search
    Find similar images locally with a built-in feature vector. No uploads, no API cost.
  • Color Search
    Search your library by hex code or dominant color with fast local scoring.
  • Operator Search
    Full-text search with 16 inline operators like type:, tag:, rating:>=3, and color:.
  • Hierarchical Tags
    Parent-child hierarchies, tag groups, linked tags, and macros for bulk tagging.
  • Smart Folders
    Saved multi-condition searches that stay up to date automatically.
  • Image Grouping
    Stack related references into groups shown as fan cards in the grid.
  • Cross-References & Backlinks
    Link any asset to any other and see backlinks across folders and canvases.
  • Grid Layout Modes
    Masonry, justified, and horizontal layouts, set globally or per folder.
  • Duplicate Detection
    Find duplicate images by perceptual hash with an is:duplicate query.
  • Metadata Management
    Rating, color labels, description, notes, source URL, creator, and custom fields.
  • Directory Metadata Presets
    Auto-apply tags and metadata when files are added to a folder.
  • EXIF / IPTC / XMP Import
    Read embedded tags and ratings from images for DAM interoperability.
  • Import Staging
    Drag, drop, or paste images into a staging area with metadata pre-fill and dedup.
  • Browser Extension
    Save images from the web with hover buttons and batch save (Chrome, Firefox, Safari).
  • Eagle Import
    Migrate an existing Eagle library into refern.
  • Disk Sync
    Detect external file changes and reconcile your library with what is on disk.
  • Timed Study Mode
    Full-screen reference practice sessions with configurable duration and count.
  • Pin Window On Top
    Always-on-top mode keeps references visible while you work.
  • Window Transparency
    Adjustable window opacity for overlay reference.
  • Click-Through Mode
    Interact with apps beneath the transparent window.
  • Desktop Screenshot Tool
    Capture your screen directly into your library.
  • Scales to Millions of Images
    Streaming indexer handles 2M+ file libraries with bounded memory.
  • RAW & HEIC Support
    Decodes camera RAW, HEIC, SVG, and standard image formats into thumbnails.
  • Directory Customization
    Custom folder icons, cover images, and backgrounds in the tree and grid.
  • Local-First & Private
    Works fully offline. No account, no telemetry. Files stay on your disk.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Miro
refern.

Overall verdict

  • Miro is a highly effective and versatile online collaboration tool, making it a great choice for teams looking to enhance their brainstorming, planning, and creative processes.

Why this product is good

  • User-Friendly Interface: Miro provides an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate, allowing users to quickly start creating and collaborating.
  • Collaborative Features: Offers real-time collaboration, which is ideal for teams working remotely. Multiple users can interact on the same board simultaneously.
  • Versatile Toolset: Includes a wide range of templates and tools for creating diagrams, flowcharts, wireframes, and more. This makes it adaptable to various use cases.
  • Integration Capabilities: Easily integrates with other tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Asana, and Jira, enhancing workflow efficiency.
  • Scalability: Supports a wide range of team sizes, from small groups to large enterprises, with customizable plans that cater to different organizational needs.

Recommended for

  • Remote Teams: Miro is perfect for teams that are geographically dispersed and require a platform to collaborate in real-time.
  • Project Managers: Ideal for visualizing project timelines, task assignments, and workflow processes.
  • Design and Creative Professionals: Useful for brainstorming sessions, design sprints, and creating mockups or wireframes.
  • Educators and Trainers: Can be used as a virtual whiteboard for teaching and training, allowing interactive engagement with students or trainees.
  • Business Strategists: Helpful for conducting SWOT analyses, strategic planning, and workshops.

Overall verdict

  • Refern (refern.app) is a solid referral and networking platform that helps professionals and businesses streamline referrals, connect with trusted contacts, and grow through word-of-mouth. It offers a clean interface and useful tools for managing and tracking referrals, making it a worthwhile choice for those looking to leverage their networks.

Why this product is good

  • Simplifies the process of giving and receiving referrals
  • Helps build and maintain a trusted professional network
  • Offers tracking and management tools to monitor referral activity
  • User-friendly interface that reduces friction for both parties
  • Can drive business growth through word-of-mouth and warm introductions

Recommended for

  • Freelancers and independent professionals seeking new clients
  • Small businesses that rely on referrals for growth
  • Sales and business development teams
  • Professionals looking to expand their trusted network
  • Anyone wanting to organize and track referral relationships more effectively

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Miro 2 videos + Add
refern. 0 videos + Add

Make a Flowchart in Miro in UNDER a Minute!⏳

More videos

  • - Miro AI - Miro Sidekicks and Flows

No refern. videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Miro
refern.
99% 99%
1% 1%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Miro and refern..

What's the story behind your product?

refern.'s answer:

I'm an artist, and too often I was frustrated: I couldn't find the right pictures, I struggled to organize and keep track of my reference images, and I was juggling too many apps when all I wanted to do was draw. I wanted one tool that could do it all, with every component well integrated. So I made refern.

What makes your product unique?

refern.'s answer:

The flow of collecting references for art usually goes like this:

find references and inspiration online -> save and organize those images -> use them on their own or in a moodboard -> reuse them for the next project or share them with others

Normally that means a different app for each step. refern does all of it in one place, with every part built to work together.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

refern.'s answer:

Most tools solve only one part of the reference workflow, so artists end up juggling several. refern combines them in one app: Eagle-style organization and search, a PureRef-style infinite canvas, and an Obsidian-style graph of how your references connect. It never copies your files, so it doesn't double your disk usage. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, works fully offline, and is a $30 one-time purchase with no subscription. Built in Rust, it stays fast even on libraries with hundreds of thousands of images.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

refern.'s answer:

Individual artists and creative professionals: illustrators, concept artists, digital painters, designers, and photographers. They collect and organize large libraries of visual references, build moodboards, and study from reference. refern is built for solo creators rather than teams, spanning hobbyists and students through working professionals.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

refern.'s answer:

refern is a Tauri v2 desktop app with a Rust backend and a React 19 (with React Compiler) plus TypeScript frontend. Data is stored locally in SQLite (rusqlite) with FTS5 full-text search. The interface uses Tailwind CSS, Zustand, and TanStack Query, with motion/react for animation. The infinite canvas and graph view are built on react-three-fiber and three.js. Thumbnailing, perceptual hashing, and color and visual similarity run in Rust with rayon and SIMD.

User comments

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Miro no reviews yet
refern. no reviews yet

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Miro 243 mentions
refern. 0 mentions

View more

Tracking refern. since Mar 2024.

Alternatives to Miro and refern.

When comparing Miro and refern., you can also consider the following products.