Lattice vs Pinterest for client moodboards
Pinterest is free, ad-funded, and an easy way to gather visual references. It is where many moodboards start. It is a weaker place for a moodboard to end: ads appear inside the board your client is looking at, and there are no frames, no presentation mode, and no export. Lattice takes the collecting and adds the deliverable: a free-form canvas, AI grouping, presentation, and a read-only link. Free during public beta.
The short version
Pinterest is hard to beat for the first hour of a project. Saving is one click, it is free, and there is always more to find. Nothing here argues against using it for research. The trouble starts when the research board becomes the thing you send. Pinterest is ad-funded, so ads appear inside the board your client opens. There are no frames to separate directions, no presentation mode, and no export, so the board cannot become a PDF for the file. Lattice is the step after Pinterest. Drop the images onto a canvas, let AI group and tag them, add notes and frames for each direction, then present full-screen or send a read-only link with no ads and no account required. Lattice is not a search engine for other people's images, and it has no native mobile apps.
Side by side
| FEATURE | LATTICE | |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas | Infinite, free-form | Fixed grid of pins |
| Frames and sections | Yes | No |
| AI organizing (tag, group, connect) | Yes | No |
| Presentation mode | Through the canvas, frame by frame | No |
| Export | PDF, PNG, JPG, SVG | No |
| Ads inside the board | No | Yes |
| Read-only client link, no account | Yes | Viewers hit a sign-in wall, and ads sit on the board |
| Price | Free during beta; Studio $12/mo announced and waitlisted | Free, ad-funded |
Choose Lattice if
- The board is going to a paying client and should not carry ads.
- You want notes and frames so the client can follow each direction.
- You need to present full-screen or hand over a PDF.
- You want the pile grouped and tagged for you.
Choose Pinterest if
- You are still searching and have not chosen anything yet.
- You want a public board anyone can find and follow.
- You do not need to present or export the board.
Questions
- Can I move a Pinterest board to Lattice?
- There is no importer. Save the images you have chosen and drop them onto a Lattice board, or paste the source links so they unfurl into cards.
- Does Lattice show ads?
- No. Lattice is not ad-funded. A client who opens a share link sees the board and nothing else.
- Can a client view a Lattice board without an account?
- Yes. A read-only share link opens in any browser with no sign-up.
- Is Lattice free like Pinterest?
- Yes, during public beta, with no card. A $12 per month Studio tier is announced and waitlisted.
- Should I stop using Pinterest?
- No. Use Pinterest to search and collect. Use Lattice for the board you actually present and send.