LumaRef or Maki: two indie reference boards
LumaRef is a reference board built by one developer and sold on itch.io. It is in beta. Maki is also young, at version 0.1.4, and also made by a very small team. Both skip accounts and subscriptions and keep your files on your disk, so the difference is in how you collect and how you find things again.
In short: LumaRef gives you a browser inside the app. Maki gives you a browser extension, Pinterest import and search across every board. Pick the one whose way of collecting matches how you work.
LumaRef and Maki side by side
| LumaRef | Maki | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Beta, built by one developer | Version 0.1.4, 30-day free trial |
| Collecting | Built-in browser with an ad blocker; click an image to add it | Save to Maki extension, whole Pinterest boards, article to board, a desktop drop bubble |
| Finding an image later | Asset library with tags and search | Search file names, notes, colors and the words inside images; find similar images |
| Color | Palettes extracted automatically | Five-color palette per image, color search |
| Drawing on references | Annotations on top of images | Brush, arrows and frames |
| Notes | Text notes on the canvas | Sticky notes, rich text, checklists, tables, mind maps |
| Always on top | Yes | Yes, reference mode |
| Files | One .lref file per session | A library folder on your disk; PNG and PDF export |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac and Linux | Windows and Mac |
| Price | Listed from $9 during the beta; $19 planned at version 1.0 | $19 once ($29 after launch) |
When LumaRef is the better pick
Choose LumaRef if you use Linux, or if you like browsing ArtStation or Google Images inside the same window as your board and adding pictures with one click. It is the cheaper option while it is in beta.
When Maki is the better pick
Choose Maki if you keep boards over many projects and need to find a picture again months later, if you collect from Pinterest in bulk, or if you want one trial that covers every feature before you pay.
What Maki is
Maki is a desktop reference board for Windows and Mac. You drop in paintings, pose refs, screenshots, Pinterest pins and whole folders, arrange them on an endless board, and find any of them later by typing a word. There is no account, and your boards stay in a folder on your disk. See what it does or read the guide.
Other comparisons
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