Free Card Sort vs Optimal Workshop: Complete Comparison
Choosing the right card sorting tool can significantly impact your UX research success. In this detailed comparison, we'll help you decide between Free Card Sort and Optimal Workshop (OptimalSort).
Quick Summary
Free Card Sort is the best choice if you want a free, straightforward card sorting tool with unlimited studies and participants.
Optimal Workshop is better suited for teams that need advanced analytics, multiple research methods in one platform, or enterprise-level support.
Pricing Comparison
Free Card Sort Pricing
- Free Plan: Unlimited card sorts, unlimited participants, basic analytics
- Pro Plan: $29/month - Advanced analytics, white labeling, priority support
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for large organizations
Optimal Workshop Pricing
- Basic: $149/month (billed annually) - 3 projects, OptimalSort only
- Team: $249/month - 10 projects, all tools (OptimalSort, Treejack, Chalkmark)
- Professional: $449/month - Unlimited projects, advanced features
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Winner: Free Card Sort offers significantly better value, especially for small teams and researchers on a budget.
Core Features
| Feature | Free Card Sort | Optimal Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| Open card sorting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Closed card sorting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hybrid card sorting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited participants | ✓ | ✓ |
| Real-time results | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export to CSV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dendrograms | ✓ | ✓ |
| Similarity matrix | ✓ | ✓ |
| White labeling | Pro plan | Professional plan |
| Tree testing | Coming soon | ✓ (Treejack) |
| First-click testing | Coming soon | ✓ (Chalkmark) |
Ease of Use
Free Card Sort
- Setup time: Create a study in under 5 minutes
- Learning curve: Minimal - intuitive interface designed for beginners
- Participant experience: Clean, distraction-free interface
- No account required: Participants can sort without creating accounts
Optimal Workshop
- Setup time: 10-15 minutes for first study
- Learning curve: Moderate - more features mean more complexity
- Participant experience: Professional but can feel corporate
- Account system: More formal participant registration
Winner: Free Card Sort is faster to set up and easier for both researchers and participants.
Analytics & Reporting
Free Card Sort
- Similarity matrix with visual heatmaps
- Dendrograms for identifying groupings
- Individual participant results
- Agreement scores
- CSV export for further analysis
- Pro: Advanced filtering and segmentation
Optimal Workshop
- All of Free Card Sort's features, plus:
- Standardization grid
- Popular card-category pairs
- Comparison tools across studies
- More detailed participant demographics
- Advanced filtering options
- PowerPoint export
Winner: Optimal Workshop has more sophisticated analytics, but Free Card Sort covers 90% of what most teams need.
Use Cases
When to Choose Free Card Sort
✅ You're a freelancer, student, or small team ✅ Budget is a primary concern ✅ You only need card sorting (not tree testing or other methods) ✅ You value simplicity and speed ✅ You want unlimited studies without worrying about project limits
When to Choose Optimal Workshop
✅ You're an enterprise organization with budget ✅ You need multiple UX research methods in one platform ✅ You require extensive participant management features ✅ You want the most advanced analytics available ✅ You need dedicated account management and support
Integration & Export
Free Card Sort
- CSV export
- JSON API (Pro plan)
- Zapier integration (coming soon)
- Webhook support (Pro plan)
Optimal Workshop
- CSV export
- API access (Professional plan)
- PowerPoint export
- More extensive third-party integrations
Winner: Tie - both offer solid export options for their respective price points.
Support & Resources
Free Card Sort
- Email support (24-48 hour response)
- Knowledge base
- Video tutorials
- Community forum
- Priority support (Pro plan)
Optimal Workshop
- Email support
- Extensive documentation
- Webinars and training
- Dedicated account manager (Enterprise)
- UX research resources and templates
Winner: Optimal Workshop has more comprehensive support resources, especially at higher tiers.
Participant Experience
Free Card Sort
- Mobile-responsive design
- No login required
- Fast loading times
- Clean, distraction-free interface
- Progress saving
- Accessibility features (WCAG 2.1 AA)
Optimal Workshop
- Mobile-responsive
- Account login often required
- More formal registration process
- Professional branding
- Progress saving
- Accessibility compliant
Winner: Free Card Sort - simpler participant experience leads to higher completion rates.
Data Privacy & Security
Free Card Sort
- GDPR compliant
- Data encryption in transit and at rest
- No third-party data sharing
- Option to anonymize participant data
- Self-service data deletion
Optimal Workshop
- GDPR compliant
- SOC 2 Type II certified
- Enterprise-grade security
- Advanced access controls
- Data residency options (Enterprise)
Winner: Optimal Workshop for enterprise security requirements, but Free Card Sort is fully compliant for most use cases.
Final Verdict
Choose Free Card Sort if:
- You want a free or affordable card sorting tool
- You value simplicity and ease of use
- You're an individual researcher, freelancer, or small team
- You don't need advanced enterprise features
Choose Optimal Workshop if:
- You have budget for premium tools ($150-$450/month)
- You need multiple UX research methods beyond card sorting
- You're part of a large organization with complex needs
- You want the most advanced analytics available
Try Both Free
The best way to decide is to try both tools:
- Free Card Sort: Start a free study in 5 minutes at freecardsort.com
- Optimal Workshop: Sign up for their free trial at optimalworkshop.com
Bottom line: Free Card Sort offers 90% of OptimalSort's card sorting features at 0-10% of the cost. If you only need card sorting and want to save thousands per year, Free Card Sort is the clear choice. If you need a full UX research suite and have the budget, Optimal Workshop is a solid investment.