Where I actually look for UI inspiration (and which gallery to skip)

Kufre Abasi — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:42:24 +0000

Most "best inspiration sites" lists are the same twelve links. They are not wrong. They are unsorted. A Dribbble shot will not fix a cancellation flow, and an Awwwards homepage will not tell you how a settings screen should behave.

I keep the libraries split by the artifact I am building. This is the working set, with one way I use each.

Product UI

Mobbin for shipped screens. Search the screen name, not a style word.
Refero when I want the same component tagged across products.
Nicelydone for SaaS settings, usage, and dashboard screens.
Collect UI only after the layout exists and I am choosing a treatment.
Dribbble for mood, never for flows.

Dev tip: screenshot the empty state and the error state, not the hero metric card. That is the UI you will actually build.

Flows

Page Flows if I need to watch sign-up, upgrade, or cancel.
Screenlane for a fast mobile pattern pass.
Built for Mars when I have to explain a cut to someone who does not read Figma.

I write the step count before I restyle anything. If the reference does the job in four steps and my wireframe has nine, the visual pass is premature.

Marketing sites

SiteInspire filtered by subject.
Awwwards when the brief actually asks for craft.
Httpster when Awwwards is making the concept too loud.
CSS Design Awards if I am reviewing front-end, not art direction.
Minimal Gallery when the page has too many sections.
Dark Mode Design for dark UI, then a contrast check against WCAG.
Godly for a tight visual edit. Confirm the live brand; some roundups now call this lane Recent.

ThemesMotion Best Sites sits in this group as a shorter curated pass of websites and portfolios. I use it to pick two live sites, then leave.

Landing pages and SaaS

Lapa Ninja, Land-book, One Page Love for page structure.
SaaS Landing Page, SaaSpo, Landingfolio, SaaSFrame when the page is software.

Outline the sections in text before you open a design tool. Hero, proof, feature, objection, close.

Tool-specific

Framer: Framer Gallery. Study breakpoints, replace the skin.
Webflow: Made in Webflow. Clone for structure, delete interactions you cannot explain.

Motion

UI Movement for feedback, not decoration.
LottieFiles if it has to ship.
Hoverstat.es for desktop hover only. Design the non-hover state to the same bar.

Portfolios

Behance for case-study structure.
Cofolios for portfolio sites. Time how long it takes to find the work and the contact link.

Do not copy the layout

Write the job of the page first.
Save three references, each with one reason.
Wireframe with real content.
Test against Nielsen Norman Group's heuristics.
If a colleague recognizes the source in five seconds, redraw it.

Material Design is a component behavior reference. It is not a license to reskin a competitor.

If you only have twenty minutes, open Mobbin for product UI or SiteInspire for a marketing site. Close the tab once you can name the decision you are borrowing.

DEV Community: Kufre Abasi