Cargo vs Format (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Format grades higher than Cargo: 2.4 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Format 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
Format
Portfolio website builder for photographers and other creatives
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 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
| 1.6GPACargoWeak | 2.4GPAFormatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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 | FNo free plan and no trial; students have to ask for access through a professor or administrator. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial with no card needed. Students can ask for a free year. |
| 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 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 rating on record, and you build the site yourself. | 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 | CWeb only, with no integrations or API on record anywhere in the listing. | 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 | portfolio sites for designers and artists | 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: Cargo and Format. 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. Format starts at $10 a month and scores 2.3.
Format scores higher and starts $4 a month lower. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 17 score higher than Cargo for less, and 2 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
- Cargo also covers online store.
- Format also covers no-code and file sharing.
At a glance
| Cargo | Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $14 per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly) | $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Cargo | Ideaform Inc. |
| Price read from | cargo.site | format.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 9, 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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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, Cargo or Format?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Format is cheaper to start with: $10 a month, against $14 a month for Cargo. Cargo starts at $14 per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly), and Format starts at $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Cargo or Format?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Cargo nor Format has a free plan. Format has a free trial.
Which platforms do Cargo and Format run on?
As of Nov 12, 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.