Your all-in-one visual library.
Reimagined.
refern [v2] is a totally offline, Pinterest-like, reference organizer built for speed, privacy, and permanence.
collectsearchorganizemoodboardstudyreferences, all-in-one desktop app.
Join 2724 on the waitlist and 1000+ in our Discord.
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Why we are rebuilding.
refern. started as a web application. But as our community grew, the reality set in: server costs were rising, and the burden of moderating a public cloud platform became unsustainable for one person to manage.

This began as a passion project to help people create, and I wanted it to remain accessible. I refused to compromise the experience by adding ads, selling your data, or forcing a monthly subscription just to keep the lights on.

So, in September 2025, I made the decision to shut down the cloud.

But the shutdown revealed the ultimate solution: Local-First.

By moving refern. to your desktop, server costs are eliminated entirely.
This allows me to offer you the same experience—but better, faster, and more secure. It also ensures refern. remains a sustainable business, and a one-time purchase tool that you own forever.
Local is the future.
By moving the engine to your desktop, we eliminate the server costs that killed the web app. This architecture ensures that refern. remains sustainable, affordable, and impossible to shut down.

Because it lives on your machine, it is yours to keep.
So, what's the difference?
Your data remain yours.
Your files live on your file system, not our database. If we ever disappear, your files stays and your software keeps working.
Incredibly fast.
Stop waiting for spinners. Search 50,000 images, organize with smart tagging, and load libraries instantly—all running natively on your hardware.
Infinite Canvas.
Visualize your ideas without limits. Drag and drop references from your library onto an infinite canvas. No need to switch between an organizer and a moodboard tool.
Timed Study Tool.
Practice gesture drawing with the beloved Timed Study mode. It randomly cycles through your collection, perfect for daily warm-ups without leaving the app.
Truly private.
In an era of rampant AI scraping, the safest place for your data is your own hard drive. V2 is offline-first—no crawlers, no ads, and zero tracking.
Buy Once. Keep Forever.
refern [v2] will launch with a simple, honest pricing model:
A one-time purchase for a lifetime license.

Stop renting your workflow. Own it.
Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a Pinterest alternative?

It is Pinterest without the social noise. There is no feed, no ads, and no algorithm. refern. is a pure reference manager combined with an infinite canvas. It is built strictly for organizing and moodboarding your own files, offline.

What happened to V1 (the web app)?

We shut down the cloud version to build V2 as a native desktop app. Moving to a local-first architecture eliminates server costs, which ensures we can keep the one-time purchase model sustainable forever while giving you vastly better performance.

How is this different from Eagle or PureRef?

It combines them. Eagle is great for organization; PureRef is great for moodboarding. refern. does both. Organize your massive library and drag images onto an infinite canvas in one seamless workflow.

Is it free or paid?

The Alpha is free to join. The full release (mid to late 2026) will be a lifetime license. Pay once, own it forever.

What platforms are supported?

macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel) and Windows are supported.

Don't wait alone.
While we build, our community is active.
Help us test early builds and shape the features of V2.
Join Community Discord