Notes from the studio.
Practical guides and deep dives on backend infrastructure for online games, creative tools, and the open-source things we ship.
Best Pinterest Alternatives for Private Moodboards (2026)
Pinterest is built for discovery, not for working with what you find. Compare private, ad-free moodboards you can freely arrange, edit and own, starting with DarkRef.
Best Canva Alternatives for Moodboards (2026)
Canva's fixed-size canvas and grid-snap fight freeform moodboards. Compare DarkRef, Milanote, Pinterest and Morpholio for a true infinite freeform canvas with image editing.
Best Miro Alternatives for Creatives (2026)
Miro feels heavy and bills per seat (~$10/user/mo). Want a lightweight, reference-first, native, flat-priced canvas instead? Compare DarkRef, Milanote, FigJam and Mural.
Best Milanote Alternatives for Moodboards (2026)
Want a Milanote alternative with native desktop apps, a bigger free tier than Milanote's ~100-card cap, and real-time collaboration? Compare DarkRef, Miro, Canva and Morpholio.
DarkRef's Biggest Update: Live Boards, Image Editing & Safer Sync
DarkRef's biggest update yet: build reference boards together in real time with live boards, edit images non-destructively, drop in links and videos, and rest easy with rebuilt, safer cloud sync.
Kosmik Is Shutting Down: Where to Move Your Moodboards & References
Kosmik has closed sign-ups and is asking users to export their data. Here's how to rescue your references and the best places to move them, starting with DarkRef, the free cross-platform reference board with native iPad and iPhone apps.
reMarkable Sync Joins the Official Obsidian Community Marketplace
Our free reMarkable Paper Pro → Obsidian plugin is now listed in the official Obsidian community plugin marketplace: installable in two clicks, no manual files, with auto-updates.
PlayFab's Free Tier Just Dropped from 100K to 1,000 Users
PlayFab's Development Mode dropped from 100K to 1K free users. Here's what changed, what Foundation Mode means for non-Xbox developers, and why KeyStone is a strong alternative.
Introducing Feature Voting: Frictionless User Feedback for Your Product
Feature Voting is live on Product Hunt. Collect user feedback and feature requests with authless voting, smart duplicate detection, and a clean admin dashboard, $4.99/mo.
DarkRef Is Now Live on the iPad App Store
DarkRef, the cross-platform art reference board, is now available on the iPad App Store. Free to download with cloud sync across iOS, iPad, Windows, and MacOS.
reMarkable Sync for Obsidian: Sync Your Handwritten Notes as PDFs
A free, open-source Obsidian plugin that syncs your reMarkable Paper Pro documents to your vault as high-fidelity PDFs with full pen, color, and layer support.
Best PureRef Alternatives
Compare the best PureRef alternatives for artists, including DarkRef, the only cross-platform reference board with cloud sync for iOS, iPad, Windows, and MacOS.
Best PlayFab Alternatives
A practical comparison of platforms that replace or complement PlayFab, plus why KeyStone is a top choice for modern online games.