Free vs Paid Card Sorting Tools: The Complete Guide

Wondering if you should invest in a paid card sorting tool? Let's break down what you get with free versus paid options.

Common Free Tool Limitations

Most "free" card sorting tools have:

• Participant limits (5-10 responses)
• Project/study limits (1-3 active studies)
• Time limits (14-30 day trials)
• Limited exports (PDF only, no CSV)
• Branding you can't remove

What Free Card Sort Offers (Actually Free)

• ✅ Unlimited studies
• ✅ Unlimited participants
• ✅ Full analytics (dendrograms, similarity matrix)
• ✅ CSV export
• ✅ No time limits
• ✅ All card sort types (open, closed, hybrid)

When to Pay for Premium Features

Consider paid tools if you need:

• White labeling (remove all branding)
• Advanced team collaboration
• API access for custom integrations
• Priority support
• Multiple research methods beyond card sorting

Cost Comparison (Annual)

• Free Card Sort: $0-$348/year
• Optimal Workshop: $1,788-$5,388/year
• Maze: $900-$4,200/year
• UserZoom: $10,000+/year (enterprise only)

Our Recommendation

Start with Free Card Sort's free plan. Upgrade to Pro ($29/month) only if you need:

• White labeling for client projects
• API access
• Advanced filtering
• Priority support

Most researchers never need to upgrade. The free plan handles 95% of use cases.