Cargo vs Readymag (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Readymag grades higher than Cargo: 2.2 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Readymag grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, 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
Readymag
Design tool for building editorial and portfolio websites
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 Readymag if
- Fits if you are a designer who wants layout freedom for a portfolio
- Works for a single free site to try the tool
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 1 site, 10 pages and Readymag branding
- Watch out: paid plans cap views at 10,000, 25,000 or 75,000 a month
- Pricey if you want code export, since it is only on Advanced at $58.50 a month
- Skip it if you want many custom-domain sites cheaply: they are capped at 1, 3 or 10 by plan
How we grade them
| 1.6GPACargoWeak | 2.2GPAReadymagFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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$14 a month billed yearly for Personal, between the middle ($12.80) and the dearer quarter ($20.83), capped at 10,000 views 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 with 1 website and 10 pages on a Readymag domain, with Readymag branding, forms and custom code as preview only. |
| Features | CTemplates, real-time editing by several people and a store, but the page states no limits on pages, storage or sales fees. | CDesign-led building with widgets, but views are capped on every paid plan and code export is Advanced only. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record, and you build the site yourself. | CNo rating on record, and you design each page from scratch. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integrations or API on record anywhere in the listing. | BWeb only, with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Unsplash and Noun Project. |
| Best for | portfolio sites for designers and artists | editorial and portfolio sites designed by hand |
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 Readymag. 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. Readymag starts at $14 a month and scores 2.3.
Readymag scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 17 score higher than Cargo for less, and 4 score higher than Readymag 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.
- Readymag also covers forms.
At a glance
| Cargo | Readymag | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14 per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly) | $14 per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 1 website with up to 10 pages on a Readymag domain and access to all widgets, with Readymag branding. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Cargo | Readymag |
| Price read from | cargo.site | readymag.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Readymag
- Free sites keep Readymag branding and stop at 10 pages on a Readymag address.
- Each paid plan caps monthly views, from 10,000 on Personal to 75,000 on Advanced.
- Code export is limited to the Advanced plan.
- Custom-domain sites are capped per plan: 1, 3 or 10, and extra domains, collaborators and views cost more.
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.
Readymag
- Layouts for desktop, tablet and mobile
- Each project can have separate desktop, tablet and mobile layouts, with global styles, colors and saved presets shared across it.
- Widgets and animations
- All widgets are open on the Free plan, with animations, free Adobe and type.today fonts, Unsplash photos and Noun Project icons in the editor.
- Forms and custom code
- Forms, Lottie animations, shots and custom code are preview only on Free and become usable when a paid plan is active.
- Custom domains and hosting
- Readymag hosts the sites. Paid plans connect custom domains, and a promo code gives a free .xyz domain for the first year.
- Collaboration and versions
- Paid plans add collaborators, from 1 on Personal to 10 on Advanced, and version history snapshots of each project.
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.
Readymag
Free$0
1 website with up to 10 pages on a Readymag domain. Forms, custom code and some other features are preview only.
Personal$14
per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly)
No branding, 1 published site on a custom domain, 10,000 views a month, unlimited pages and 1 collaborator.
Freelancer$29
per month, billed yearly ($38 billed monthly)
3 custom-domain sites, 5 published sites, 25,000 views a month across them, 2 collaborators and site transfer.
Advanced$58.50
per month, billed yearly ($65 billed monthly)
Unlimited published sites, 10 custom-domain sites, 75,000 views a month, code export, iframe embeds and 10 collaborators.
ExtraCustom
For studios and companies: custom domains, views and collaborators, SSO, an uptime SLA and a personal manager.
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.
Readymag
- Education
50% off any plan for students
Students get 50% off any plan, and teachers 50% off for individual use or a classroom plan for $432.
- Nonprofit
50% off for registered nonprofits
Registered nonprofit organizations get 50% off any plan, renewed annually.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cargo or Readymag?
As of Nov 12, 2026, they start at the same price. Cargo starts at $14 per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly), and Readymag starts at $14 per month, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Cargo or Readymag?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Readymag 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.