The Best Reference Managers With Cloud Sync
The single most-requested feature the popular reference tools don’t have is cloud sync. The two that artists and designers reach for first — PureRef and Eagle — are both local-desktop apps with no native sync, which is exactly why half your references (the ones that start on your phone) never make it in. This roundup filters on one thing: does it actually sync across your devices, natively, without you babysitting a shared folder?
The sync spectrum
Not all “sync” is equal. There are three tiers, and the difference matters:
- Native cloud sync — the app syncs your library across devices for you.
- DIY folder sync — you park a local library in Dropbox/Drive and hope; conflict-prone, no mobile, officially unsupported for concurrent edits.
- No sync — desktop-only, one machine, full stop.
Most “reference managers with sync” listicles blur these. Here’s who sits where.
The options, ranked by sync
Kelu — native, image-first, all your devices. Built cloud-native: the same tag-first library on iPhone, Mac, and the web, with share-sheet capture from the phone. No folder to babysit. First 2,500 items free. Focused on images and references (not fonts/3D/video), so it’s a library, not a do-everything DAM.
mymind — native, AI-driven. Syncs across its apps and web, auto-tags and OCRs. Subscription from $4.99/mo, no free tier, and you can’t steer the tags by hand.
Raindrop — native, but link-first. Syncs everywhere and syncs well — it’s just built around URLs, so an image-heavy library loses most of its power. Great if your references are mostly links.
Eagle — no native sync (DIY only). A genuinely great desktop DAM (90+ formats, one-time $34.95) whose long-standing gap is sync: the official workaround is a library folder in Dropbox, which is fragile and has no mobile. If you can live desktop-only, Eagle’s depth is unmatched — otherwise see the best free Eagle alternative with cloud sync.
PureRef — no sync. The artist’s reference board, beloved and lightweight, but local files only, no mobile, no search worth the name. Pair it with a synced library, or see the PureRef alternative that syncs.
Karakeep — synced if you self-host. Open-source, syncs through your own server (or ~$4/mo cloud), handles links and images with local-AI tagging. Sync is real; you own the infrastructure.
Quick comparison
| Sync type | Mobile | Image-first | Free tier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelu | ✅ Native cloud | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ 2,500 items |
| mymind | ✅ Native | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ From $4.99/mo |
| Raindrop | ✅ Native | ✅ | ❌ Link-first | ✅ Unlimited links |
| Eagle | ⚠️ DIY Dropbox | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ $34.95 once |
| PureRef | ❌ None | ❌ | Board | Free / PWYW |
| Karakeep | ✅ Self-host | Partial | Partial | ✅ Your server |
Our take
- Want it to just sync, especially from your phone → Kelu (image-first) or mymind (if you’ll pay for AI filing).
- Mostly links → Raindrop.
- Desktop depth and don’t need mobile → Eagle, DIY sync accepted.
- Self-host and technical → Karakeep.
- Drawing from a board → PureRef at the easel, plus a synced library behind it.
Where Kelu fits
If cloud sync is the exact thing PureRef and Eagle are missing, Kelu is built around it: capture on your iPhone, find it on your Mac or the web, no shared folder to maintain. First 2,500 items free. For the artist-focused version of this comparison, see the best reference manager for artists & designers.