Overview

Milanote is a visual workspace for gathering references, notes and media around creative projects. It suits people who plan through a mix of visual material and written ideas, especially teams that need to share boards for feedback. Its broad canvas is a strength; mobile table editing is a notable gap.

Boards support editing and commenting with collaborators, as well as read-only sharing that requires no Milanote login. Presentation mode, diagramming tools and workshop templates help turn a board from a collection of references into a way to explain or structure work.

Key features

Boards, clipping and embedded media

Milanote’s infinite canvas can hold notes, images, videos, sketches and other content. Its listed workflows range from moodboarding and storyboarding to creative writing, visual project management, whiteboarding and mind mapping. That makes it more flexible than a board built only for inspiration, though it may be more workspace than someone needs for a simple personal note collection.

The Web Clipper saves text, images, links and video, with downloads for Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge; Opera users can get it via Chrome. Link cards can display material from services including YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, Google Maps, CodePen, Instagram, Dribbble, Slideshare, Prezi, Marvel and Airtable. Boards can embed YouTube or Vimeo video and audio from Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube Music, Bandcamp, Mixcloud and Apple Music shared links. Together, these options make it practical to keep reference material alongside project notes rather than separate it across services.

Collaboration and mobile use

Invited collaborators can edit or comment on boards, while read-only sharing provides a lower-friction way to show work to people who do not have an account. Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android, but they require an internet connection to view and edit boards. They can display tables but cannot edit them, so table-heavy work calls for a desktop or tablet.

Pricing

The Free plan costs 0.00 USD per free and allows 100 notes, images or links, 10 file uploads and unlimited shared boards. That is enough to try a board-based workflow or keep a modest project, but the content and upload caps will constrain larger or ongoing projects. There is no free trial.

Pay per person costs 9.99 USD per month billed annually, or $12.50 billed monthly. It removes the notes, images or links and file-upload limits, while retaining unlimited shared boards. The annual option lowers the monthly price but commits the buyer to annual billing; the monthly option costs more per month.

Team costs 49.00 USD per month billed annually and includes unlimited notes, images or links, unlimited file uploads and unlimited shared boards for up to a selected number of people. Upgrade your team is also 49.00 USD per month billed annually, with the same unlimited content allowances and a team size selected by the buyer. These plans make sense when a group needs shared capacity, but the price is tied to a selected seat count; solo users should compare the per-person plan instead. Milanote also offers live chat through its in-app help menu and email support, and says it normally replies within 24 hours.

Platforms

Milanote runs on the web, macOS and Windows, with iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. The mobile connection requirement and lack of table editing limit its usefulness for offline work or phone-based table maintenance.

Who it's for

Milanote is aimed at creative professionals and teams, including filmmakers, writers, designers, photographers, marketers and content creators. It is a sensible fit when a project benefits from arranging visual references, written notes and media together, and when collaborators need to review or contribute. It is less compelling for organizations that require HIPAA compliance, SOC 2 reports or individual audits: Milanote says it does not provide those reports or audits and is not HIPAA-compliant. It supports Google and Apple OAuth, but not Active Directory, SAML or WS-Fed.

Pros and cons

Pros: An infinite canvas combines notes, images, sketches and embedded media, supporting several creative workflows in one place.
Pros: Editing, commenting and login-free read-only sharing cover both collaborative work and simple board handoffs.
Pros: The free plan includes unlimited shared boards, making it possible to share work even while staying within its content and upload caps.
Cons: The free plan is capped at 100 notes, images or links and 10 file uploads, which can be restrictive for active projects.
Cons: Mobile apps need an internet connection, and tables cannot be edited on mobile.
Cons: It does not meet stated needs for HIPAA compliance or the named enterprise authentication options.

Alternatives

For a narrower moodboarding choice, compare Mood Board Software. Teams looking primarily for shared whiteboards can browse Online Whiteboard Tools, while design teams can compare Design Collaboration Software. Readers focused on written notes can consider Note-taking apps.

ShopLook is another freemium option with Android, iOS, web and extension access; its free creative canvas remains available, while ShopLook Pro is a monthly subscription.

mood.site is an iOS and web option with a one-time Premium board purchase that includes custom URLs, customization, private boards, captions, GIFs or video, TV Mode and a custom logo.

Morpholio Board is worth considering for an iOS or macOS workflow; its Board Pro Subscription is priced at 3.99 USD per month.

HomeBoard is another freemium option for iOS, Android and macOS.

Mattoboard is a web-based freemium alternative with a free trial and a free plan that limits image counts per board and provides a monthly allowance of Deep Renders.

Moodboard offers a free web plan with images, notes, links, tasks and files, plus starter templates and sharing and review surfaces.

MoodBoard AI is a web-based freemium alternative whose free plan includes AI generations, chat with AI, one board per month, product imports, background removal and a color palette generator.

Moodis is a freemium alternative for Linux, web and Windows, with a free plan for local mood boards and personal, non-commercial use.

Verdict

Choose Milanote if your creative work depends on bringing references, notes and embedded media together on shareable boards. The free plan is useful for a small project, while the paid plans remove content and upload caps. Look elsewhere if you need offline mobile work, phone-based table editing or the security and authentication provisions it does not support.

	Milanote	Mood Board Studio Pro
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	$9.99/mo	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, extension, iOS, macOS, Web, Windows	macOS
Free plan	Yes	No
Paid from	9.99 /user/mo	—
Presentation mode	Yes	Yes
Export formats	—	PDF
Supported platforms	—	macOS

Milanote vs Mood Board Studio Pro

Milanote

Mood Board Studio Pro