Top 10 digital vision board apps for 2025 - review and comparison

Vision boards have gained popularity thanks to endorsements from celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston, Jim Carrey, Jennifer Lopez and Reese Witherspoon, and sports icons such as Tiger Woods. Oprah attributes her success to the power of manifesting and has shared how vision boards can help others.

Research backs this up: studies on athletes show that visualization can be almost as effective as physical practice (“Does Mental Practice Enhance Performance?“ by James E. Driskell et al.). Vision boards serve as a fun, creative project where individuals visualize their goals. Psychologist Gabriele Oettingen emphasizes that pairing visualization with action steps leads to greater success ( “Mental contrasting instigates goal pursuit by linking obstacles of reality with instrumental behavior”, Gabrielle Oettingen & Andreas Kappes). If, for example, you want to improve body confidence, a vision board filled with empowering images and words can keep that goal front and center, motivating real progress.

Creating a vision board involves self-reflection, gathering inspiring images, and placing it somewhere you’ll frequently see to reinforce your goals.

A vision board app is an effective and straightforward tool for achieving better results by aligning internal motivation, confidence, and clear, structured goals. It can increase intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and goal-setting abilities, which are essential for achieving desired outcomes.

Intrinsic motivation, involving task engagement for inherent enjoyment, significantly enhances persistence and goal attainment (“The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior.” by Edward L. Deci & Richard M. Ryan).

The study “When Visions Truly Inspire” by Julian Voigt, Kennon M. Sheldon & Hugo M. Kehr investigates the moderating role of self-concordance in how visions evoke positive affect and drive goal commitment and progress. This research bridges the gap between vision and self-concordance literature, offering a comprehensive understanding of how deeply aligned visions can lead to enhanced goal progress and emotional well-being. Visions, defined as vivid mental images of desirable future states (“The motivating power of visionary images: effects on motivation, affect, and behavior” by Maika Rawolle), have long been shown to enhance motivation and performance in organizational settings (“A longitudinal study of the relation of vision and vision communication to venture growth in entrepreneurial firms” JR Baum; “Visions of Change as Visions of Continuity“ Merlijn Venus).

The authors use self-determination theory to hypothesize that visions are more effective when they align with an individual’s intrinsic values, or “self-concordance” (Sheldon, 2014). Across three experiments, they demonstrate that self-concordant visions generate stronger emotional responses and higher commitment to vision-driven goals. For example, in their first experiment (N = 358), participants with high self-concordance experienced greater positive affect when imagining their vision, compared to simply listing goals. This effect was replicated in a second study with a one-month time-lag (N = 288), where participants with high self-concordance showed increased goal commitment. A final study (N = 254) extended these findings to show that self-concordant visions also boost goal progress.

These results underscore the importance of self-concordance in vision-based goal pursuit, suggesting that personal alignment is key for the emotional and motivational power of visions to fully materialize (Carton & Lucas, 2018; Jennings et al., 2022).

This highlights the critical role of personal alignment in making visions effective for goal achievement. Their findings deepen understanding of how visions drive motivation and success.

Similarly, self-efficacy, or belief in one’s ability to succeed, plays a critical role in driving goal achievement by promoting perseverance and setting challenging objectives (“Self-efficacy: The exercise of control.” by Albert Bandura).

The study “Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation: A 35Year Odyssey” by Edwin A. Locke & Gary P. Latham on SMART goals emphasizes that setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals significantly enhances motivation and performance. Their research found that clear and challenging goals lead to better focus, effort, and persistence. SMART goals provide structure and direction, making it easier for individuals to track progress and stay motivated. Locke & Latham also highlight that feedback and commitment to the goals are essential for maximizing performance and achieving success.