Are.na, Cosmos, Pinterest and other ways to save inspiration
There is no single best place to keep inspiration, because people keep it for different reasons. This is a short guide to the common choices, written from what each one says about itself. Details are as read on 4 November 2026 and can change.
Are.na
Are.na is built around channels that you can keep open, closed or private and grow with collaborators. It suits people who build collections in the open and connect ideas across channels. It is free up to 200 connections, then Premium is $7 a month or $70 a year. Channels export as PDF, ZIP or HTML.
Cosmos
Cosmos is for building collections of images, searching them by colour and finding more that look like one you love. You can invite others to build collections with you. Its site lists no plans or prices and does not describe private collections, so check the app before you rely on either.
Pinterest is a place to discover ideas, save them to boards and shop. Private boards are seen only by you and anyone you invite, and group boards let invited people add Pins. It is strongest when you do not yet know what you are looking for.
Savee
Savee is a design reference library with shared team boards and portfolio sites, and an MCP connection for AI tools on its paid plans. Pro is $9 a month billed yearly. It suits designers and teams who want boards they share.
mymind
mymind is a private place for notes, articles, bookmarks and images, with AI tagging. Paid plans start at $4.99 a month. It suits people who want one private place for more than images.
Milanote
Milanote is for organising creative projects on boards, from moodboards to storyboards, with sharing and comments. The free plan has no time limit and holds 100 notes, images or links. It suits people who plan a project on a board with a team.
Curatively
Curatively is a private vault for references from anywhere, on iPhone, iPad and the web. Every save starts private. With your permission, AI adds a description, tags and colours so you find a save by describing it. Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor can read a vault over MCP on every plan. Saving is free; Plus is $24.99 a year or $59.99 once. It imports from Are.na, mymind, Sublime, Cosmos, Pinterest and X likes.
How to choose
Side-by-side tables, with where each claim was checked, are on the comparison pages.
- You collect in the open and with others: Are.na or Cosmos.
- You discover and shop as much as you save: Pinterest.
- You work in a team that shares boards: Savee or Milanote.
- You want everything private in one place: mymind.
- You want references private, catalogued for you and readable by your AI tools: Curatively.