Ktlyst is a web-based reference canvas for concept artists, illustrators, and visual creators. You gather references on one canvas — drag in images, GIFs, or video frames, or import a whole Pinterest board in one click — and Ktlyst explores new concept directions guided only by the references you chose (a feature called Catalyze). It runs in any modern browser on desktop and tablet, with cloud sync and a free plan.

What is the best PureRef alternative for iPad and tablet?

Ktlyst is a web-based reference board that runs in any browser — including Safari on iPad — with cloud sync so your boards follow you between desktop and tablet automatically. Unlike PureRef, which has no iOS or iPad app, Ktlyst is designed for cross-device creative workflows from the ground up. No installation needed.

Is there a PureRef that works on iPad?

PureRef does not have an official iOS or iPad app. Ktlyst fills that gap: it runs in any browser, syncs your reference boards to the cloud, and works on iPad, tablet, and desktop with the same canvas — so your references are always with you wherever you create.

How does Ktlyst compare to PureRef?

PureRef is a desktop-only overlay tool for keeping reference images visible while you paint or model in other apps. Ktlyst is a cloud-synced, browser-based alternative that adds: iPad and tablet support, Pinterest board import in one click, smart organisation with tagging and collections, freehand sketching overlaid on references, the ability to grab specific frames from videos and GIFs, and a concept-exploration layer (Catalyze) that explores new directions guided by your own references. No installation required — it works in any modern browser.

Do I need to learn prompts or any special tools?

No. You work the way you already do — gather references, sketch, note what you're after. Ktlyst handles the rest behind the scenes, so you stay focused on the vision, not on tooling.

Is this just an image generator?

No. Ktlyst is a reference-driven canvas for clarifying YOUR direction — built around how you already work, collecting references and browsing Pinterest. What it surfaces is an exploration of your own references, for you to take forward.

Can I bring in my Pinterest boards?

Yes. Connect Pinterest and pull an entire board onto a canvas in one move — every pin laid out and ready, instead of saving and re-uploading each one. (Free: 1 board · Pro: unlimited.)

Can I use videos or GIFs as references?

Yes. Drop an MP4, WebM, MOV, M4V, or OGV video — or a GIF — and a frame picker opens so you can scrub through and grab the exact frames you want. Only the frames you pick are saved as reference images; the source video or GIF never leaves your device. (Frame-by-frame GIF picking needs a recent browser; older ones add the first frame instead.)

Can I reuse the same character or element across projects?

Yes. Distil a group of references into one clean, typed element (a character, a costume, a prop), then save it to your Elements library. Drag it onto any canvas to reuse it, merge it with other elements, or paint it into a composition sketch — build it once, use it everywhere.

Can I correct a generated image?

Yes, with Redline (a Pro feature): draw your corrections in red straight on the image — arrows, circles, and handwritten notes — and Ktlyst applies them beside the original, non-destructively, so your original stays put.

Who owns what I create?

Ktlyst claims no ownership over your canvases or the directions you explore — they're yours to take forward into your own work. You're responsible for clearing any rights you need before using output commercially. (How copyright applies to generated images varies by country, so we don't make legal guarantees about that.)

Do you use my images or art to train AI?

No. Ktlyst never uses your uploads, canvases, or prompts to train AI models, and never sells them. Your references and prompts are sent to our AI providers only to generate or analyse images at your request. OpenAI does not use data submitted through its API to train its models; fal.ai processes your content under its own terms to run the generation.

Does it work on tablet?

Yes. Your canvas is cloud-synced, so you can collect on desktop and refine on tablet — or anywhere you work.

What devices and browsers does Ktlyst support?

Editing works on tablets and desktops (iPad, Windows, Mac) in recent versions of Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox. Phones get a view-only experience. Ktlyst runs in the browser and needs an internet connection.

Is there a free plan?

Yes — the free plan gives you 5 canvases (each with as many references as you like) and 15 Catalyze runs a month. No credit card required.

August 3, 2026

PureRef vs BeeRef vs refern: Which Reference Board Should Concept Artists Actually Use in 2026?

PureRef alternativeBeeRefrefernreference boardmoodboardconcept artdigital art reference

If you only need three words: it depends on whether you want a floating viewer, a searchable library, or something to explore beyond just collecting. PureRef is the free desktop standard for pinning images over your painting app. BeeRef is a leaner, open-source take on the same idea. refern adds tagging, search, and a Pinterest-like library on top. None of the three take the next step of helping you turn a pile of references into a new direction — which is the gap a tool like Ktlyst is built to fill, not replace.

Here's how the three actually compare, and where each one stops being enough.

What Each Tool Actually Does

PureRef: the desktop standard for canvas collage

PureRef has been the default answer to "how do artists keep references visible while they paint" for over a decade, and for good reason. It's a lightweight desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux) that lets you drag images onto an infinite canvas, group them, and pin the window on top of Photoshop, Procreate, or whatever you're painting in. Version 2.1 added a background grid, basic drawing tools, and canvas groups for organizing a board visually. It's free for personal use (pay-what-you-want, suggested $7–$15) and $49 one-time for small commercial teams.

What it doesn't do: tagging, search, cloud sync, or a mobile/tablet app. Your board lives on one machine, and finding a specific image again means scrolling and squinting, not searching.

BeeRef: the free, no-frills alternative

BeeRef is open-source (GPL-3.0) and solves a narrower version of the same problem: an always-on-top window where you can drag, scale, rotate, and flip reference images while you draw. It's genuinely minimal by design — no library, no tags, no search, no cloud sync. If PureRef feels like more app than you need, BeeRef is the stripped-down version of the same workflow, and it costs nothing.

refern: a searchable, taggable reference library

refern takes the opposite approach from BeeRef: instead of a bare canvas, it's an ad-free, Pinterest-style library built for saving, tagging, and finding references later. It adds hierarchical tags, smart folders, AI-assisted auto-tagging, and natural-language search (type "dramatic lighting" and it surfaces matching images even if nothing was tagged that way), plus a built-in timed study tool for gesture practice. It's free with limits, with a one-time Pro purchase to remove them.

PureRef vs BeeRef vs refern, Side by Side

	PureRef	BeeRef	refern
Price	Free (pay-what-you-want) / $49 team	Free, open-source	Free with limits / one-time Pro
Platform	Desktop (Win/Mac/Linux)	Desktop (Win/Mac/Linux)	Desktop, browser
Cloud sync across devices	No	No	Not the core focus
Tags & search	No	No	Yes — hierarchical tags, AI auto-tag, natural-language search
Always-on-top overlay	Yes — best-in-class click-through	Yes	Not the primary use case
Built for	Fast canvas collage while painting	Minimal floating reference viewer	Organizing and finding a growing library

None of these are wrong choices — they're solving genuinely different problems. PureRef and BeeRef are both about keeping references visible while you work. refern is about not losing track of references you've already collected. What none of them do is help you go from "I have forty reference images open" to "here's a direction I can actually start painting from."

Which One Should You Actually Pick?

Pick PureRef if you want the most proven, most widely-used option, you work on one desktop machine, and click-through overlay behavior matters more than anything else.

Pick BeeRef if you want the PureRef workflow without even PureRef's small footprint — free, open-source, and nothing to configure.

Pick refern if your problem isn't collecting references, it's finding the one you saved three months ago, and you want tagging and search built in rather than bolted on with folders.

None of them are quite what you need if your actual bottleneck isn't collecting or finding references — it's what happens after. You've got the mood board. You've got forty tabs of Pinterest pins. And you're still staring at a blank canvas trying to figure out which direction to actually commit to.

Where an AI-Assisted Board Like Ktlyst Fits In

This isn't really a fourth entry in the same category, so it's worth being precise about what changes. Ktlyst is a cloud-synced reference board — it does the same core job as PureRef, BeeRef, and refern: you drag in images, GIFs, or pull in an entire Pinterest board, and group them into sections (one mood, one idea, one place). It runs on desktop, iPad, and tablet, with everything synced automatically, and it has a floating reference window for the same always-on-top habit PureRef users already rely on.

The difference sits one layer up. Instead of stopping at "here's your board, organized," Ktlyst reads what's actually going on across a section — the palette, the recurring shapes, the mood — automatically, a feature it calls Auto essence extraction. And when you've got a section of references you're happy with, Catalyze takes them and, in one click, explores a new concept direction guided only by what you collected — something concrete to react to, adjust, or throw out.

It's worth being upfront about what that is and isn't. Catalyze doesn't decide what your work should look like, and it isn't a replacement for the judgment that makes a piece yours — it's a faster way to get from "I have references" to "I have something to react to," so the blank-canvas step goes a little quicker. You stay the artist; Ktlyst just helps you see where a set of references is already pointing.

For a deeper look at how this compares to PureRef specifically, we wrote a full honest comparison — including where PureRef is still the better choice. And if you're on an iPad, where none of PureRef, BeeRef, or refern currently offer a dedicated app, here's what to look for in a tablet-friendly reference board.

Do You Need Tagging, or Do You Need Direction?

It's a useful question to ask before picking a tool. If you're drowning in a reference library and can't find anything, refern's search and tagging solve a real problem PureRef and BeeRef don't touch. If you just want a fast, private, always-on-top canvas, PureRef or BeeRef remain hard to beat — free, offline, and proven.

But if the real friction is what happens after the board is full — turning a wall of references into an actual visual direction, especially one you want to keep consistent across a whole project — that's a different problem than any of these three tools were built to solve, and it's the one Ktlyst focuses on.

Try It Yourself

Ktlyst's free plan includes five canvases, 15 Catalyze runs a month, one Pinterest board import, and Auto essence extraction — no credit card, no prompts to write. Start creating for free and see whether it's worth adding to whatever combination of PureRef, BeeRef, or refern you're already using.