Carbonmade vs Format (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Format grades higher than Carbonmade: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Format grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Carbonmade
Drag-and-drop portfolio sites for creatives
Format
Portfolio website builder for photographers and other creatives
Which one is for you
Pick Carbonmade if
- Fits if you are a photographer or illustrator who wants a simple showcase site
- Works for people who want to try the builder before paying
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have a big body of work, since Beginner holds 8 projects and Professional 50
- Skip it if you sell online, as the pricing page lists no store
- Watch out: portfolio statistics, custom pages and private portfolios are not on Beginner
- Not for you if you want it free, because going live needs a paid plan
- Watch out: Beginner has SD video only, and 4K starts on Professional at $149 a year
Pick Format if
- Fits if you deliver proofs and files to clients from your own site
- Works for photographers who edit in Lightroom Classic and sell prints or downloads
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Basic, at 10 pages, 70 images and 3 client galleries with no store or video
- Skip it if you work from an Android phone, as the app is iPhone only
- Pricey if you want email on your own domain: Google Workspace is $100 a year extra, and the domain $30 a year after year one
- Watch out: the $12 and $15 Pro prices need a checkout code, end October 31, 2026 and cover the first year only
- Not for you if you want a free plan; there's only a 14-day trial
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACarbonmadeFair | 2.4GPAFormatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBeginner is $99 a year, about $8.25 a month, which is inside the middle band of website builders. Unlimited is $249. | BBasic is $10 a month billed yearly ($14 monthly), right at this category's cheaper quarter. It's capped at 10 pages and 70 images with no store, so many will move to Pro at $17. Pro's $12 offer needs a code, ends October 31, 2026 and covers the first year only. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe trial has no time limit and needs no card, but a paid plan is needed to go live. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial with no card needed. Students can ask for a free year. |
| Features | CBlocks, galleries, video and statistics. Beginner caps 8 projects, and statistics, custom pages and private portfolios are not on it. No store. | CIt does the portfolio job fully: 90+ themes, Flex Block layouts, proofing galleries, file transfers, hosted video and a commission-free store. That's a smaller job than a general builder does, and Basic leaves out the store, video and image storage. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build each layout yourself, though no code is needed. | CThere's an iPhone app but no store rating on record. Themes set the layout, but you're still building a site, page by page and gallery by gallery. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA web builder only, with no integrations listed. | BWeb and iPhone, with a Lightroom Classic plugin, Stripe, PayPal, Weglot, Google Workspace and Google Analytics. There's no Android app and no desktop app of its own. |
| Best for | a block-built portfolio for creatives | photographers' portfolios with client galleries |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Carbonmade and Format. How we grade
Price against what you get
Carbonmade starts at $8.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Format starts at $10 a month and scores 2.3.
Format scores higher, and starts $1.75 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 21 score higher than Carbonmade for less, and 5 score higher than Format for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Carbonmade also covers web analytics.
- Format also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Carbonmade | Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $99 per year ($9.99 billed monthly) | $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial with no time limit and no card; pay only to go live | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Carbonmade | Ideaform Inc. |
| Price read from | carbonmade.com | format.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Carbonmade
- A paid plan is needed to go live; the free trial is for building and testing.
- Beginner caps a portfolio at 8 projects and Professional at 50; only Unlimited removes the cap.
- Portfolio statistics, custom pages and private portfolios are not on Beginner.
- It builds portfolio sites; it has no online store on the pricing page.
Format
- The $12 and $15 a month shown for Pro and Pro Plus need a checkout code, end October 31, 2026 and cover the first year only.
- Basic has no store, hosted video, image storage or custom fonts, and stops at 10 pages and 70 images.
- A domain costs $30 a year after a free first year on annual Pro and Pro Plus; Google Workspace email is $100 a year extra.
- There is no free plan, and the mobile app is for iPhone only.
Key features
Carbonmade
- Block-based layouts
- Build pages by mixing premade blocks and layouts with drag and drop instead of fixed templates.
- Galleries and sliders
- Show work in full-screen grids, galleries and slideshows, with a before-and-after block for process shots.
- Video and media uploads
- Unlimited image and video uploads on every plan; 4K video and audio start on Professional.
- Hosting and domains
- Hosting is included, with a free carbonmade.com, portfolio.site or gfx.work address, or a connected custom domain.
- Visitor statistics
- Portfolio statistics show visits and which projects are popular; the pricing page lists them on Professional and above.
- Private portfolios
- Professional and Unlimited can make a portfolio private, and the features page lists password protection.
Format
- Themes and Flex Block layouts
- Pick from more than 90 themes and switch without losing content, build custom layouts on a snap grid with Flex Block, and edit CSS and HTML on Pro and Pro Plus.
- Client galleries and file transfers
- Workflow, included free with every plan, adds proofing galleries with passwords, file transfers of 2 to 10 GB, contacts and moodboards; contracts and CRM Light need Pro.
- Commission-free store
- Sell physical products, digital downloads up to 100 MB and services through PayPal or Stripe with no Format commission: 15 products on Pro and 1,000 on Pro Plus.
- Hosted video
- Upload video straight to the site so visitors see no third-party ads: 15 minutes on Pro and 120 minutes on Pro Plus.
- Lightroom plugin and iPhone app
- Publish galleries from Lightroom Classic with the Format Publisher plugin, or upload and rearrange photos from the iPhone app.
- SEO and translation
- Edit page titles, meta descriptions and image alt text, and connect Weglot to translate the site into other languages.
Plans
Carbonmade
Beginner$99
per year ($9.99 billed monthly)
8 projects total, basic blocks, 3 navigation options, SD video and limited support.
Professional$149
per year ($14.99 billed monthly)
50 projects, premium blocks, custom pages, private portfolio, statistics, 4K video and priority support.
Unlimited$249
per year ($24.99 billed monthly)
Everything in Professional, with unlimited projects and unlimited pages.
Format
Basic$10
per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly)
$120 a year. 10 pages, 70 images, 3 client galleries and 2 GB file transfers; no store, hosted video, image storage or custom fonts.
Pro$17
per month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly)
$204 a year. Unlimited pages, 1,500 images, 100 GB storage, 15 video minutes and 15 store products. Shown at $112.20 for a first year with a code until Dec 2, 2026.
Pro Plus$26
per month, billed annually ($36 billed monthly)
$312 a year. Unlimited images, 1 TB storage, 120 video minutes, 1,000 products and priority support. Shown at $171.60 for a first year with a code until Dec 2, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Carbonmade
- Annual discount
Save about 20% with yearly billing
The pricing page marks yearly billing as saving about 20%, for example $99 a year on Beginner against $9.99 a month.
Format
- Annual discount
Save about 29% with yearly billing
Pro costs $204 a year against $24 a month billed monthly; Basic is $120 a year against $14 a month and Pro Plus $312 against $36.
- Education
A free year for students
Format's Student Program gives students a free year on the platform, requested through its education page; it also offers free access to partner schools.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Carbonmade or Format?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Carbonmade is cheaper to start with: $8.25 a month when paid by the year, against $10 a month for Format. Carbonmade starts at $99 per year ($9.99 billed monthly), and Format starts at $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Carbonmade or Format?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Carbonmade nor Format has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Carbonmade and Format run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Format lists an iOS app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.