Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PureRef VS Kanera

Compare PureRef VS Kanera and see what are their differences

PureRef logo PureRef

The simple way to view and organize your multiple reference images.

Kanera logo Kanera

Plan work on flexible boards, connect projects through Global Work and Portfolio, and keep reporting, notes, automation, API, and AI access together.
Visit Website
  • PureRef Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-23
  • Kanera Home View
    Home View //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Table View
    Table View //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Card Detail
    Card Detail //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Team Assigned Work
    Team Assigned Work //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Automations
    Automations //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Chat Setup
    Chat Setup //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Global Search
    Global Search //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera List View
    List View //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Notes
    Notes //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Notification Setup
    Notification Setup //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Notifications
    Notifications //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Work Done View
    Work Done View //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Portfolio View
    Portfolio View //
    2026-08-24
  • Kanera Work Done View
    Work Done View //
    2026-08-24

Kanera is a fast, modern work management platform that brings projects, tasks, teams and reporting into one clear workspace. Organise work with flexible boards and structured views, track deadlines and blockers, manage notes, comments and attachments, and see what is assigned, overdue, waiting or completed across your team. Built for teams that want powerful project management without unnecessary complexity, Kanera includes automations, global search, Trello import, notifications, reporting, REST API and webhooks, plus MCP integration for working with your projects directly through AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude. Kanera can be used as a hosted service or self-hosted with Docker, with its source available under the Elastic License 2.0.

PureRef

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

Kanera

Website
kanera.app
$ Details
freemium $5 / Monthly ($49 per user/year. Save 18% with annual billing.)
Platforms
Browser PWA
Release Date
2026 July

PureRef features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    PureRef offers a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy to organize and manage reference images. The minimalistic design allows users to focus on their work without unnecessary distractions.
  • Lightweight and Portable
    The software is lightweight and does not require installation, making it highly portable. Users can run PureRef from a USB drive or any location on their computer.
  • Flexible Canvas
    PureRef provides a flexible canvas that can be easily resized and adjusted to fit usersโ€™ needs. This allows for seamless scaling of images without quality loss and the ability to organize the workspace freely.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    PureRef is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing users to maintain a consistent workflow across different operating systems.
  • Customizable Shortcuts
    Users can customize keyboard shortcuts to fit their workflow, which increases efficiency and speeds up navigation within the software.
  • Multiple Image Formats
    PureRef supports a wide range of image formats, ensuring compatibility with most reference images beyond basic formats like JPG and PNG.

Possible disadvantages of PureRef

  • Limited Editing Tools
    While PureRef excels in organizing and displaying reference images, it lacks advanced editing tools, which means users need to rely on other software for image adjustments or annotations.
  • No Cloud Integration
    PureRef does not offer built-in cloud storage or syncing options, which could be inconvenient for users who work across multiple devices and want seamless access to their reference boards.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic functionalities are easy to grasp, some advanced features and keyboard shortcuts may require time to learn and master, particularly for users new to PureRef.
  • Not Free for All Users
    Although PureRef offers a pay-what-you-want pricing model, users may face ethical dilemmas or budget constraints when deciding what to pay, especially if they plan to use it for professional purposes.
  • Occasional Performance Issues
    Some users report occasional lag or performance issues when handling extremely large collections of high-resolution images, which can disrupt workflow.

Kanera features and specs

  • Kanban Boards
    Organise and manage work using flexible drag-and-drop boards, lists and cards.
  • Table View
    View and edit work in a structured table for faster reporting and easier management.
  • Calendar
    See scheduled work, due dates and deadlines across projects in a calendar view.
  • My Cards
    See all work assigned to you across multiple boards in one central view.
  • Team Cards
    View work across your team, including assigned, overdue, blocked, waiting and completed work.
  • Portfolio
    Get a consolidated view of work across multiple projects and boards.
  • Work Done
    Review completed work across teams and projects for stand-ups, reporting and progress tracking.
  • Deadlines
    Set due dates, track upcoming deadlines and quickly identify overdue work.
  • Automations
    Create rules and automated actions to reduce repetitive work and keep projects moving.
  • Global Search
    Instantly search across cards, comments, notes and other work throughout Kanera.
  • Notes
    Create and organise collaborative notes alongside your projects and tasks.
  • Comments
    Discuss work directly on cards and keep conversations connected to the relevant task.
  • Attachments
    Upload and manage files directly alongside cards and project work.
  • Custom Fields
    Add structured information to cards using configurable custom fields.
  • Notifications
    Stay informed about relevant updates, changes and activity across your work.
  • Trello Import
    Import existing Trello boards into Kanera to quickly migrate your projects and work.
  • MCP Integrations
    Connect Kanera directly to AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude through the Model Context Protocol.
  • REST API
    Integrate Kanera with external applications and services using its REST API.
  • Webhooks
    Send Kanera events to external applications and services using configurable webhooks.
  • Real-Time Updates
    Changes are synchronised across connected users in real time so everyone stays up to date.
  • Self-Hosting
    Deploy and run Kanera on your own infrastructure using Docker.
  • PWA
    Install Kanera as a Progressive Web App on supported desktop and mobile devices.
  • Client Collaboration
    Manage work with internal teams and external collaborators in shared project spaces.
  • Reporting
    Get clear visibility into work, progress, deadlines and completed activity across projects and teams.

PureRef videos

The Best Free Tool for Artists - PureRef

More videos:

  • Tutorial - PureRef tutorial: a free, cross-platform virtual board for artists!
  • Review - PureRef Review

Kanera videos

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

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PureRef and Kanera)
Productivity
90 90%
10% 10
Work Management
0 0%
100% 100
Digital Asset Management
100 100%
0% 0
Moodboard
100 100%
0% 0

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing PureRef and Kanera.

What makes your product unique?

Kanera's answer:

Kanera combines the speed and simplicity of a board-first work management tool with the visibility, reporting and integrations normally found in much larger project-management platforms. Teams can manage work through Kanban, Table, Calendar and Work Done views, while Global Work, My Cards, Team Cards and Portfolio provide one view across multiple projects. Kanera also includes notes, automations, custom fields, reporting, API access, webhooks and a native MCP server for AI agents. It can be used as a hosted service or self-hosted with full feature parity.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Kanera's answer:

Kanera is designed for teams that want powerful project management without the complexity and fragmentation that can come with larger work-management suites. It keeps the familiar board-and-card workflow while adding cross-project visibility, structured reporting, automations, notes, client collaboration, API and webhook access, and native MCP support for AI tools. There is also a self-hosted option with no Kanera per-seat licence fee, giving organisations greater control over their infrastructure and data.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Kanera's answer:

Kanera is primarily built for ALL teams that manage multiple projects and need a clearer way to see work across them. It suits development, product, marketing, operations, support, project-delivery, sales and client-service teams, as well as organisations that need self-hosting or greater control over their infrastructure. It is particularly useful for teams that have outgrown basic Kanban boards but do not want the complexity of a heavyweight enterprise project-management platform.

What's the story behind your product?

Kanera's answer:

Kanera was built from a desire for a work-management system that stayed fast and straightforward while still giving teams the visibility and functionality they need as their projects grow. The goal was to keep the simplicity of working with boards and cards, but remove the need to jump between separate projects just to understand what is assigned, overdue, blocked or completed across a team. That grew into a broader project and work-management platform with connected workspaces, cross-project reporting, automations, notes, integrations, API access and AI connectivity through MCP. Kanera is developed and operated by Happen Software Limited in Ireland and is also source-available so organisations can inspect the code and self-host the complete product when required.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Kanera's answer:

Angular, Node.js, PostgreSQL, Socket.IO, Valkey, Docker and Docker Compose. Kaneraโ€™s self-hosted deployment includes the web application, API and real-time services, worker processes, PostgreSQL database, Valkey cache, public API, MCP server and nginx-based web tier.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

Kanera's answer:

Kanera is still in its early commercial stage, and we do not currently publish customer names publicly.

User comments

Share your experience with using PureRef and Kanera. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PureRef seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 4 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

PureRef mentions (4)

  • how do u guys organize your visual inspiration/refs digitally?
    I mainly use offline means: organising all my files in a hierarchy of folders and using pureref (which I highly recommend) to make moodboards, and ofc an external hard drive to save backups. The only online means I use is google drive for online backups. Source: about 4 years ago
  • HELP! So I want to trace this Image(704x702) into a Pixel art (32 x 32 or 40 x 40) but when I resize it, it gets like this (2nd picture) and if I don't, then the pixels are too small, What do i do?
    If you just want the image to be a transparent overlay while you draw 'through the image'(with it being unchanged) you can use something like Pureref(pureref.com) to set the image as always on top + turn opacity down a bit. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Hide user name in menu bar.
    If you canโ€™t get it to work inside of max, I thought of a free easy workaround you could try. I use the software pureref to manage and quickly access reference images. You could just resize an empty pureref window to cover your username. Change the color and opacity to whatever you want, lock the window and switch turn on the transparent to mouse option and you should be good to go! Source: over 4 years ago
  • Hello Reddit! this is my 1st time posting and i'm excited to share some of my sketches with you guys. I like drawing dynamic poses, it's a really fun exercise!. These 4 girls are from reference pics out of Pinterest. Suggestions are welcome :D. Have a great day!
    The high kicking girl on the right is in a PureRef board I keep to practice gesture. Source: about 5 years ago

Kanera mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Kanera yet. Tracking of Kanera recommendations started around Aug 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PureRef and Kanera, you can also consider the following products

Eagle App - Unify your creative inspiration in one place. Store anything โ€“ inspiring images, design mockups, illustrations, screenshots and more.

Trello - Infinitely flexible. Incredibly easy to use. Great mobile apps. It's free. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details.

BeeRef - A Simple Reference Image Viewer

Jira - The #1 software development tool used by agile teams. Jira Software is built for every member of your software team to plan, track, and release great software.

Milanote - Milanote is a note taking app for creative work.

ClickUp - ClickUp's #1 rated productivity software is making more productive projects with a beautifully designed and intuitive platform.