What is Pinterest used for?

Pinterest is a visual discovery network where people save and share ideas as pins on boards, used by individuals, creators and brands. It is a good fit for collecting ideas for projects and purchases, and driving traffic to a blog or online shop.

Is Pinterest open source?

No. Pinterest is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. In the Social Media category, open-source options include Mastodon, Bluesky and Misskey.

What are some alternatives to Pinterest?

Pinterest competes with Instagram, Tumblr and TikTok.

Pinterest: features, pricing and alternatives

About Pinterest

Pinterest is a consumer visual discovery platform. Users search for ideas such as recipes, home design or fashion, save images and links as pins to themed boards, and browse recommendations based on what they save.

Because pins link to external websites, it acts as a traffic source for bloggers, retailers and publishers, and businesses can run promoted pins and shopping features. It is a hosted service available on the web and through mobile apps, and free for individuals. This entry describes a social platform rather than software that can be installed or self-hosted.

Key features

Saving ideas as pins on boards
Visual search and recommendations
Links from pins to external websites
Promoted pins and shopping features
Mobile apps and web access

Good fit for

→Collecting ideas for projects and purchases
→Driving traffic to a blog or online shop

Tags: social-network; visual-discovery; pins; boards; advertising; creators; inspiration

Pinterest: questions and answers

What is Pinterest used for?: Pinterest is a visual discovery network where people save and share ideas as pins on boards, used by individuals, creators and brands. It is a good fit for collecting ideas for projects and purchases, and driving traffic to a blog or online shop.
Is Pinterest free?: Yes. Pinterest is free to use.
Is Pinterest open source?: No. Pinterest is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. In the Social Media category, open-source options include Mastodon, Bluesky and Misskey.
What are some alternatives to Pinterest?: Pinterest competes with Instagram, Tumblr and TikTok.