Cargo vs Portfoliobox (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Portfoliobox grades higher than Cargo: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Portfoliobox grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
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
Portfoliobox
Portfolio website builder with a built-in AI editor and a free plan
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 Portfoliobox if
- Fits if you want a small portfolio of up to 30 images online without paying
- Works for artists who want an AI assistant to draft pages
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 30 images, since that is the free plan's cap and Personal stops at 150
- Pricey if you need the store, bookings, custom email or analytics, all on Professional at $15.90
- Watch out: removing Portfoliobox branding is Professional only
- Watch out: monthly plans do not include a domain, and domains renew at the standard rate after year one
- Watch out: prices exclude VAT
How we grade them
| 1.6GPACargoWeak | 2.0GPAPortfolioboxFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C$8.90 a month yearly for Personal and $15.90 for Professional, against a category middle of $12 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial; students have to ask for access through a professor or administrator. | CA free plan, but 30 images, 3 products, a Portfoliobox subdomain and its branding is a cap you will hit. |
| Features | CTemplates, real-time editing by several people and a store, but the page states no limits on pages, storage or sales fees. | CGallery layouts, an AI editor, custom domain, hosting and SEO tools. Store, bookings, invoices, custom email and analytics are Professional only. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record, and you build the site yourself. | CNo rating on record. You build the pages yourself, with the AI assistant to help. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integrations or API on record anywhere in the listing. | CWeb only, and no integrations are on record. |
| Best for | portfolio sites for designers and artists | a portfolio site for artists and photographers |
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 Portfoliobox. 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. Portfoliobox starts at $8.90 a month and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and Portfoliobox starts $5.10 a month lower. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 33 score higher than Cargo for less, and 22 score higher than Portfoliobox 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
- Portfoliobox also covers no-code, invoicing, quotes and estimates and appointment booking.
At a glance
| Cargo | Portfoliobox | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14 per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly) | $8.90 per month, billed yearly ($12.90 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 30 images, 25 pages, a Portfoliobox subdomain, Portfoliobox branding and 25 AI requests a month. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Cargo | Portfoliobox |
| Price read from | cargo.site | portfoliobox.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Portfoliobox
- The free plan caps at 30 images and keeps Portfoliobox branding and a subdomain.
- Custom email, analytics and removal of branding are Professional-only.
- Monthly plans do not include a domain; domains renew at the standard rate after the first year.
- Prices exclude VAT, which depends on the billing country.
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.
Portfoliobox
- AI editor
- An assistant built into the editor creates pages, galleries and menu entries from written requests, with monthly request caps by plan.
- Gallery layouts
- Full-bleed, grid, masonry, slideshow and lightbox layouts for showing images.
- Store with no commission
- Professional includes an e-commerce store where Portfoliobox takes 0% commission.
- Bookings, invoices and quotes
- Professional adds appointment bookings, invoices and quotes, with up to 1,000 of each.
- Custom domain
- Personal and Professional include a custom domain; yearly plans cover registration for the first year on eligible extensions.
- Hosting, SSL and SEO tools
- Included on every plan, with meta titles, descriptions and a sitemap.
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.
Portfoliobox
Free$0
30 images, 25 pages, 3 products, a Portfoliobox subdomain and mobile-responsive layouts.
Personal$8.90
per month, billed yearly ($12.90 billed monthly)
150 images, 50 pages, 100 blog posts, custom domain and 250 AI requests a month.
Professional$15.90
per month, billed yearly ($22.90 billed monthly)
1,000 images and pages, store with 0% commission, bookings, invoices, quotes, custom email and analytics.
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.
Portfoliobox
- Annual discount
Yearly billing and a first-year domain
Yearly costs $8.90 and $15.90 a month against $12.90 and $22.90 monthly, and yearly plans include a new domain for the first year.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cargo or Portfoliobox?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Portfoliobox is cheaper to start with: $8.90 a month, against $14 a month for Cargo. Cargo starts at $14 per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly), and Portfoliobox starts at $8.90 per month, billed yearly ($12.90 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Cargo or Portfoliobox?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Portfoliobox 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.