Cargo vs Carrd (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Carrd: it is third in our ranking of website and landing page builders, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 1.6.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Carrd grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cargo
Site builder for designers and artists, one price for every site
Which one is for you
Pick Cargo if
- Fits if you make several portfolio sites and want one price
- Works for studios where several people edit at once
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as neither is listed
- Watch out: each extra custom domain costs $2 a month yearly, or $3 monthly
- Tight if you need store details, since limits and sales fees are not stated
- Not for you if you are a student without a school domain contact: access needs a professor or administrator
Pick Carrd if
- Fits if you need a link-in-bio page, a profile or a one-page portfolio
- Works for side projects that each need one page on their own domain, with an email signup form
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for a business that needs several pages, a blog or a shop
- Watch out: Pro Lite at $9 a year only removes branding; your own domain and forms need Pro Standard at $19
- Tight if you need password protection, redirects or site downloads, which wait for Pro Plus at $49 a year
- Pricey if you run many sites, since each tier's price rises with the count, up to $999 a year for 1,000
- Not for you if you want a phone app for quick edits, as there isn't one
How we grade them
| 1.6GPACargoWeak | 2.6GPACarrdGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$14 a month billed yearly, between the middle ($12.80) and the dearer quarter ($20.83), for one plan that covers many sites. | APro Standard is $19 a year for up to 10 sites with your own domain, forms and embeds, about $1.58 a month for one site. That's way under 60% of this category's cheapest quarter ($5.40). Pro Lite at $9 a year only removes the branding. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial; students have to ask for access through a professor or administrator. | CUp to 3 free sites on Carrd addresses with the core builder and a Made with Carrd credit, plus a 7-day Pro trial with no card needed. But there's no custom domain or forms without paying. |
| Features | CTemplates, real-time editing by several people and a store, but the page states no limits on pages, storage or sales fees. | CIt does one-page sites fully: templates that fit every screen, signup and payment forms feeding about 20 email services, embeds and analytics. But it's a smaller job, with no multi-page site, blog or online store. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record, and you build the site yourself. | CNo app store rating on record. One page from a template keeps things simple, but you're still building that page yourself, element by element. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integrations or API on record anywhere in the listing. | BWeb only, with forms feeding about 20 email services such as Mailchimp, Kit and Klaviyo, plus Stripe, PayPal, Gumroad and Google Analytics. No phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | portfolio sites for designers and artists | one-page sites for a few dollars a year |
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: Cargo and Carrd. How we grade
Price against what you get
Cargo starts at $14 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Carrd starts at $0.75 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
Carrd scores higher and starts $13.25 a month lower. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 17 score higher than Cargo for less, and none scores higher than Carrd 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
- Cargo also covers online store.
- Carrd also covers no-code and forms.
At a glance
| Cargo | Carrd | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14 per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly) | $9 per year for up to 3 sites (Pro Lite) |
| Free plan | None | Up to 3 one-page sites per account on Carrd-branded addresses, with Carrd's core builder features, shown with "Made with Carrd" branding. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial of Pro features, no payment or card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Cargo | Carrd Inc. |
| Price read from | cargo.site | carrd.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cargo
- There is only one paid plan and the information page lists no free plan or free trial.
- One custom domain connection is included; each extra one costs $2 a month billed yearly, or $3 billed monthly.
- The pricing page does not state limits on pages, storage or products, or any fee on store sales.
- Student access needs a professor or administrator at an official school domain to request it.
Carrd
- Carrd builds one-page sites only; there is no multi-page site, blog or online store.
- Custom domains, forms and embeds need Pro Standard; Pro Lite only removes branding and unlocks .crd.co addresses.
- Password protection, redirects and downloading a site's files need Pro Plus.
- The price of each Pro tier rises with the number of sites, from 3 or 10 sites up to 1,000.
Key features
Cargo
- Many sites under one account
- Publish a portfolio, client presentations, idea boards, a profile site and a shop, each with its own purpose, all on a single account and price.
- Real-time multi-user editing
- Several people can edit a site at the same time, which suits studios and design teams sharing one portfolio.
- Template library
- Start a site from an ongoing library of templates and edit and publish from there.
- Built-in commerce
- A commerce platform lets a site manage, sell and take payment for physical or digital goods.
- Free use for students
- Students, teachers and school administrators get free use after a professor or administrator at an official school domain requests membership.
Carrd
- One-page sites from templates
- Start from dozens of templates or a blank page; every site adjusts to phones, tablets and desktops on its own. Pro plans add premium templates.
- Signup and payment forms
- Pro Standard forms send signups to about 20 email services, including Mailchimp, Kit, beehiiv and Klaviyo, and can take payments.
- Custom domains
- Pro Standard and Pro Plus publish to any domain you own with free SSL through Let's Encrypt. Pro Lite uses unbranded .crd.co addresses.
- Widgets and embeds
- Embed custom code and widgets from Stripe, PayPal, Gumroad, Typeform and other services, from Pro Standard up.
- Analytics and tracking
- Connect Google Analytics, Plausible, Matomo and other tracking tools to a published site on Pro Standard and Pro Plus.
Plans
Cargo
Cargo$14
per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly)
The single plan: one or many public sites, real-time multi-user editing and a template library, with no tiers. One custom domain connection included.
Carrd
Free$0
Up to 3 sites on Carrd-branded addresses with the core builder and a Made with Carrd credit.
Pro Lite$9
per year for up to 3 sites
No branding, unbranded .crd.co addresses, premium templates, video uploads and larger images. $14 for 10 sites, $29 for 25.
Pro Standard$19
per year for up to 10 sites
Adds custom domains with SSL, forms, widgets and embeds, analytics and meta tags. $39 for 25 sites, $119 for 100, up to $599 for 1,000.
Pro Plus$49
per year for up to 25 sites
Adds advanced forms, password protection, redirects, site downloads and site files. $89 for 50 sites, up to $999 for 1,000.
Ways to pay less
Cargo
- Education
Free use for students and teachers
Cargo offers free use to students, teachers and related administrators. A professor or administrator with an official school email must request membership.
Carrd
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cargo or Carrd?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Carrd is cheaper to start with: $0.75 a month when paid by the year, against $14 a month for Cargo. Cargo starts at $14 per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly), and Carrd starts at $9 per year for up to 3 sites (Pro Lite).
Which has a free plan, Cargo or Carrd?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Carrd has a free plan. Cargo does not.
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.