Carrd vs Format
We give Carrd a 2.6 GPA and Format a 2.4, out of 4.0. Carrd grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Format
Portfolio website builder for photographers and other creatives
How we grade them
| 2.6GPACarrdGood | 2.4GPAFormatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | 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 | 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. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial with no card needed, which is enough time to load a portfolio and see how it looks. Students can ask for a free year. |
| Features | 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. | 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 app store rating on record. One page from a template keeps things simple, but you're still building that page yourself, element by element. | CThere's an iPhone app but no store rating on record. Themes do the heavy lifting, but you're still building a site, page by page and gallery by gallery. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | 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 | one-page sites for a few dollars a year | 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: Carrd and Format. How we grade
Price against what you get
Carrd starts at $0.75 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Format starts at $10 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Carrd starts $9.25 a month lower. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, none scores higher than Carrd 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
- Carrd starts at $9 per year for up to 3 sites (Pro Lite). Format starts at $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly).
- Carrd has a free plan. Format does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Format lists an iOS app.
- Carrd also covers forms.
- Format also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Carrd | Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9 per year for up to 3 sites (Pro Lite) | $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Up to 3 one-page sites per account on Carrd-branded addresses, with Carrd's core builder features, shown with "Made with Carrd" branding. | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Pro features, no payment or card required | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Carrd Inc. | Ideaform Inc. |
| Price read from | carrd.com | format.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Carrd
- Personal profiles, link-in-bio pages and simple portfolios
- Single landing pages that collect email signups
- People who want a custom domain for under $20 a year
Format
- Photographers who deliver proofs and files to clients from their own site
- Artists, designers and filmmakers who want a portfolio without coding
- Creatives selling prints, downloads or bookings without a platform commission
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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 $12 for a first year with a code until Oct 31, 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 $15 for a first year with a code until Oct 31, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Carrd
No public discounts listed.
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.
