# Plexii vs Milanote: which canvas fits your work?

> A fair comparison of Milanote and Plexii: boards for creative planning versus a desk for finishing work, with a way to use both.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/blog/plexii-vs-milanote
Topic: Work by task (https://plexiidesk.com/blog/c/work-by-task)
Author: The Plexii team
Published: 2026-11-11

Milanote and Plexii both give you a big open canvas where notes, pictures, links and files sit side by side. They are built for different jobs. Milanote is made for creative planning: moodboards, storyboards, briefs, scripts. Plexii is a desk for getting a piece of work done, with the documents, tables and live web pages sitting on the same canvas as the notes.

This comparison is meant to help you pick, not to talk you out of Milanote. If your work is mostly collecting and arranging ideas, it may be the better fit. If your work ends in a document, a spreadsheet or a deck, read on. [Download Plexii free](https://plexiidesk.com/download) for Mac or Windows if you want to try a desk on a real project while you read.

Facts about Milanote below come from its own site and help centre, checked on 11 November 2026. Plans change, so check its [plans page](https://milanote.com/plans) before you decide.

## The short version

| Question | Milanote | Plexii |
|---|---|---|
| What is the unit? | A board, which can hold boards inside it | A desk, one per piece of work |
| Best at | Collecting ideas, references and inspiration, then arranging them visually | Doing the work: writing, tables, slides and live web pages beside your notes |
| Where you use it | [Web, desktop apps and mobile apps](https://milanote.com/) | Desktop app for Mac and Windows; shared desks can be opened in a web browser |
| Capture from the web | [Web clipper for Chrome, Safari and Firefox](https://help.milanote.com/en/articles/1015930-milanote-web-clipper-for-chrome) | Drag a link or browser tab onto the desk and it becomes a [Browser work widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-browser) |
| Free to start | Yes, with [limits on cards and file uploads](https://help.milanote.com/en/articles/1722107-how-do-file-upload-limits-differ-between-free-and-pro-plans) | Free to [download](https://plexiidesk.com/download); see [pricing](https://plexiidesk.com/pricing) |

## What Milanote does well

Milanote's own [getting-started guide](https://help.milanote.com/en/articles/112349-creating-your-first-project) lists what you can put on a board: notes, images, to-do lists, links, columns, comments, tables, video, sketches and files. You can nest boards inside boards, a bit like folders, and start from one of more than 100 templates.

Two things stand out for creative work.

- **Columns.** Dragging cards into a [column](https://help.milanote.com/en/articles/10478526-columns) gives a moodboard or storyboard a simple structure without any setup.
- **The clipper.** The free web clipper saves images and text from any page straight onto a chosen board, which is how most moodboards get built.

You can also share a board and invite people to edit, comment or view. For a designer, photographer or writer gathering references for a client, that is a tidy workflow.

The free plan is real but has a ceiling. Milanote's help centre says the free plan holds 100 cards (notes, images and so on) and 10 file uploads, with unlimited cards on the paid plan. A long-running project can reach that, so count what you plan to bring before you commit.

## Where a Plexii desk is different

A Plexii [desk](https://plexiidesk.com/product#desk) is also a canvas, but what goes on it is the working material. Next to sticky notes you can put:

- a document, spreadsheet or slide deck you are actually writing, from Plexii's built-in [Office](https://plexiidesk.com/help/office-overview) tools
- a [table](https://plexiidesk.com/help/table-views) that can be shown as a grid, list, cards, Kanban lanes, a calendar or a Gantt timeline
- a live [browser window](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-browser) that remembers the page it was on
- files, which you drag in from Finder or File Explorer, each becoming a [file or link widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-file-or-link) with a preview
- a [timer](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-timer) and a task list

For the creative side, Plexii has a [Sticky](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-sticky), a [Gallery](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-gallery) that its help page suggests for mood boards or design options, a [Mind map](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-mind-map) and [Sections](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-section), coloured frames that keep related items together. There are also drawing and diagram tools, described in the help centre under [Draw](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-overview) and [Diagrams](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-overview).

That is a wide toolbox, but it is a different emphasis. Milanote's boards are shaped around inspiration and planning. A Plexii desk is shaped around the finished piece: the proposal, the report, the quote comparison.

## Which one fits which job

**Choose Milanote when** the output is a visual plan: a brand moodboard, a shot list, a character sheet, a client presentation of ideas. You get dedicated structure for that, templates, mobile apps for capturing on the go and a clipper built for gathering references.

**Choose a Plexii desk when** the board is a stepping stone to a document or table. A supplier comparison, a grant application, a client report: the sources, the working draft and the numbers can sit in one place, and you can open the whole desk again tomorrow.

**Use both when** your creative research feeds a business document. Gather and sort the inspiration in Milanote, then bring the chosen few pictures and a link to the board onto a Plexii desk where the brief and budget live.

## A worked example: a small rebrand

Say you are refreshing a café's branding and also have to deliver a quote.

1. In Milanote, you build a moodboard board: colour palettes, signage photos, type samples, clipped from the web. You invite the café owner to comment.
2. On a Plexii desk called "Café rebrand: quote and brief", you put the quote spreadsheet, the written brief and a few chosen images in a Gallery.
3. You drop the link to the Milanote board onto the desk as a link, so the inspiration is one click away from the numbers.

Neither tool is doing the other's job, and nothing is copied twice.

## Moving a project across

You do not need a big migration. Take one live project.

1. Write the outcome in one line ("Client signs off the brand direction").
2. Keep the existing tool open until the new arrangement passes a return test: can you open it after a weekend and know what to do next?
3. Move only what you need to work on now. Reference you only look at can stay where it is, linked from the new place.
4. Check what the tool you leave behind lets you export before you rely on the new one.

Our [one desk per task](https://plexiidesk.com/blog/one-desk-per-task) guide explains how to decide what belongs on a desk, and [organising work by project](https://plexiidesk.com/blog/organise-by-project) covers the larger structure.

## Try a desk with one real task

The fair test is not a feature list. It is whether the thing you do on Tuesday afternoon feels easier. [Download Plexii free](https://plexiidesk.com/download), make one desk for a task you are in the middle of, and drop in the notes, the file and the page you keep reopening.

## Other comparisons

For a link library rather than a canvas, read [Plexii vs Raindrop](https://plexiidesk.com/blog/plexii-vs-raindrop). More guides on organising work are in the [work by task hub](https://plexiidesk.com/blog/c/work-by-task).

## Common questions

**Is Plexii a Milanote alternative?**
For some jobs, yes. Both give you a freeform canvas for notes, images, links and files. Plexii is aimed at finishing a piece of work with documents, tables and web pages on the same canvas, while Milanote is aimed at creative planning such as moodboards and storyboards.

**Can I use Milanote and Plexii together?**
Yes. Many people keep inspiration and references in one tool and the working document in another. Drop a link to the Milanote board onto a Plexii desk so the two stay connected.

**Does Plexii have a web clipper like Milanote's?**
Plexii does not document a browser extension that clips pages into a desk. You drag a link or a browser tab onto the desk and it opens as a browser window at that page. Milanote's clipper, which saves images and text from a page, is the stronger tool for gathering references.

**Does Plexii have templates?**
Yes, there are desk starters and [free templates](https://plexiidesk.com/templates) on the site. Milanote lists more than 100 templates aimed at creative projects, so compare them against the kind of work you do.

**Can I share a Plexii desk with a client who does not use it?**
Yes. A [shared desk link](https://plexiidesk.com/help/share-public-desk-link) opens a copy of the desk in a web browser with no account or install. The person can look around, but what they do does not come back to your desk. To work on the same desk together, share it with specific people instead.

**What does Milanote's free plan include?**
According to Milanote's help centre, 100 cards (notes, images and similar) and 10 file uploads, with unlimited cards and files on the paid plan. Check its current plans page before relying on that.