Software Alternatives & Reviews

refern. VS Milanote

Compare refern. VS Milanote and see what are their differences

refern. logo refern.

All-in-one online art reference saver, finder, viewer, and organizer with built-in moodboard editor

Milanote logo Milanote

Milanote is a note taking app for creative work.
  • refern. Moodboard page with a specific image selected
    Moodboard page with a specific image selected //
    2024-03-06
  • refern. A particular collection of references with multiple images selected
    A particular collection of references with multiple images selected //
    2024-03-06
  • refern. Search page searching for images, collections, or moodboard all at once with multiple search terms
    Search page searching for images, collections, or moodboard all at once with multiple search terms //
    2024-03-10
  • refern. Unorganized page showing all references saved using the refern capturer extension that are not organized yet
    Unorganized page showing all references saved using the refern capturer extension that are not organized yet //
    2024-03-06

Refern lets you:

  • Collect art references when browsing the web
  • Organize all your references in folders of image collections
  • Add extra info like tags to all your references and the folders you make to find them
  • Search everything that you have saved at once
  • Use any of your references in a freeform reference board/moodboard that supports image manipulation
  • Share everything you've saved with just a link
  • Milanote Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-27

refern.

Website
refern.app
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
free
Platforms
Browser Web
Release Date
2023 November

Milanote

$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

refern. videos

How to use refern to collect, organize, find, and use art references

Milanote videos

Recap: Milanote | Creative Workspace

More videos:

  • Review - 3 New Features in Milanote 2.0
  • Review - Milanote | full review + (100 x 2 MONTHS FREE GIVEAWAY)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to refern. and Milanote)
Art
100 100%
0% 0
Note Taking
0 0%
100% 100
Personal Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100

Questions and Answers

As answered by people managing refern. and Milanote.

What makes your product unique?

refern.'s answer

The flow of collecting references when making art usually goes like this:

find references/inspirations online -> save those images and organize them -> use those images individually or in a moodboard -> reuse these references for next project / share with other people

refern lets you do all of these all in one platform rather than juggling multiple apps to do the same thing.

What's the story behind your product?

refern.'s answer

I'm an artist and a lot of times it was really frustrating not finding the right pictures, trying to organize/keep track reference images, and juggling too many apps when I just wanted to draw. I wanted something that can do it all and every component is well integrated, so I made refern.

User comments

Share your experience with using refern. and Milanote. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare refern. and Milanote

refern. Reviews

We have no reviews of refern. yet.
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Milanote Reviews

Compare The 10 Best Mind Mapping Software of 2021
Milanote is an easy-to-use concept map maker to organize your ideas and projects into visual boards. Far from a basic mind map maker, Milanote allows you to add rich media to your boards when you create a conceptual map (images, videos, links), and create as many levels of hierarchy as you wish to go deeper into topics.
Top 15 Best Evernote Alternatives You Can Use
Some people are visual thinkers, and they need a different note-taking experience. For them, I suggest Milanote. Milanote is kind of an endless whiteboard where you can add notes, columns, photos, links, and more. You can create multiple boards and even nest boards inside other boards. The app is really good and responsive, and I love the clean look and feel of it. I find it...
Source: beebom.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Milanote seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 56 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.

refern. mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of refern. yet. Tracking of refern. recommendations started around Mar 2024.

Milanote mentions (56)

  • Your Favorite Note Taking App
    Heptabase is terrific. If you are however very very visual: https://milanote.com/. Source: 5 months ago
  • Character profile apps
    I like Milanote for a lot of writing tasks and use the paid version. In my novel-length works, each character gets a "board," which can be a character profile, reference art, a mood board, etc. Or ALL of those in one. Your mileage will depend on your tolerance of the price point and how many characters you have. Source: 11 months ago
  • Me as a new DM:
    And here's a tool to help: https://milanote.com/ I've fallen in love with this thing because it let's you construct a visual board with it all your nodes a separate bubbles connected with lines, basically a digital cork board for pining then and stifling things around as the players proceed to waltz through your world. Source: 12 months ago
  • Hi, I’ve just launched a new design app that I'd really appreciate feedback on. It's a digital canvas to ideate & moodboard. Think Illustrator & Canva but for textile design. As a thanks, you'll get a free account and we'll feature your work on our website & social media. URL in comments 🙂
    Milanote looks very similar I think. Source: 12 months ago
  • Anything you wish there was an open source solution for?
    Milanote. Something that just lets you have boards within boards, in a free-form note space. Not Joplin or Obsidian. Even though those two are spectacular, they don't have the board format I like for some projects. A self hosted alternative would be amazing! Source: 12 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

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

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.

Pinterest - Pinterest is a visual discovery tool that you can use to find ideas for all your projects and interests.

Notion - All-in-one workspace. One tool for your whole team. Write, plan, and get organized.

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

OneNote - Get the OneNote app for free on your tablet, phone, and computer, so you can capture your ideas and to-do lists in one place wherever you are. Or try OneNote with Office for free.