Carrd vs Shift4shop: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Carrd and Shift4shop both offer unique advantages, catering to different user needs and preferences.

Carrd (Overall Grade: 6.1/10)

is ideal for users seeking a simple, affordable, and user-friendly platform for creating single-page websites. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, variety of templates, and straightforward design make it perfect for personal profiles, landing pages, and small business websites. When comparing Carrd vs Shift4shop, Carrd excels in ease of use and website speed optimization, making it a great choice for beginners and those looking for a quick and efficient way to establish an online presence.
Shift4shop (Overall Grade: 6.4/10)

stands out for its comprehensive ecommerce features, robust website editor, and extensive plugins and integrations. It is well-suited for businesses looking to build and manage online stores with advanced product management, payment processing, and marketing tools. Considering Carrd vs Shift4shop, Shift4shop is the better option for users who need a more powerful and flexible ecommerce solution, despite its steeper learning curve and higher complexity.

	Overall grade: 6.1	Overall grade: 6.4
Design functionalities & templates	7.5	7.5
Ease of use	9.0	7.0
Ecommerce	3.5	7.6
Website Editors	7.0	7.2
Product testing options	6.0	5.0
Price	8.9	6.7
Hosting quality	5.0	7.8
Website speed optimization	8.2	6.3
Plugins and integrations	5.8	7.3
Marketing features	5.8	8.0
Customer support	6.2	7.9
Security	7.6	8.9
AI capabilities	0.0	0
User Management	4.3	7.9

Best for ecommerce

3.5

7.6

Verdict

: Carrd is suitable for simple, one-page websites with basic ecommerce needs, while Shift4shop offers a comprehensive suite of ecommerce tools for more robust online stores.

Carrd

: Carrd is designed for simplicity and ease of use, making it ideal for individuals and small businesses looking to create single-page websites quickly. However, its ecommerce capabilities are limited and rely heavily on third-party integrations. This makes it less suitable for businesses with extensive ecommerce needs. Best For Ecommerce score: 3.5
Shift4shop

: Shift4shop excels in providing a wide range of ecommerce features, including advanced product management, integrated payment processing, and robust marketing tools. It is well-suited for businesses looking to scale and manage complex ecommerce operations. Best For Ecommerce score: 7.6

Best for informational & business websites

7.9

7.2

Verdict

: Carrd is the preferred choice for creating simple, single-page informational websites, while Shift4shop offers more comprehensive tools for businesses that may need ecommerce capabilities.

Carrd

: Carrd excels in creating fully responsive, single-page websites with ease. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and variety of templates make it ideal for personal profiles, landing pages, and small business websites. With a score of 7.9, Carrd is particularly suitable for users who prioritize simplicity and efficiency in their website design process.
Shift4shop

: Shift4shop, scoring 7.2, provides a robust platform with a focus on ecommerce, but it also supports the creation of informational websites. It offers a wide range of customizable templates and advanced features for business management, making it a versatile option for businesses that may expand into ecommerce in the future. However, its steeper learning curve and more complex interface may be less appealing to those seeking a straightforward website builder.

Detailed comparison

7.5

🏆

Winner: Tie.

Both Carrd and Shift4shop offer robust design functionalities and templates, each catering to different user needs.

Carrd is a versatile platform that offers a wide variety of templates and designs, catering to different needs and preferences. Users can choose from a broad selection of themes, ranging from simple and minimalist to complex and dynamic layouts, ensuring there’s something for everyone. The platform continuously updates its library with new designs, keeping up with the latest trends in web design. With its user-friendly interface, Carrd makes it easy for users to customize templates, allowing for a high degree of personalization and creativity in creating unique websites.

Carrd Themes

Shift4Shop provides a selection of over 100 free eCommerce templates, catering to a wide array of design preferences and brand identities. These templates are professionally designed with an emphasis on optimizing sales, employing the latest in technology and design trends. This variety ensures that businesses can find a design that closely aligns with their brand and aesthetic requirements.

Shift4shop Themes

Get a head start on website creation with AI

Create a custom website tailored to your business needs 10X faster with 10Web AI Website Builder!

Generate Your Website

No credit card required

9.0

7.0

🏆 Winner: Carrd

. Scoring an impressive 9.0, Carrd excels in ease of use with its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and straightforward design, making it ideal for beginners and those looking to create single-page websites quickly. Shift4shop, with a score of 7.0, offers a comprehensive platform but comes with a steeper learning curve, making it less accessible for those new to ecommerce or web design.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Carrd

. While both platforms provide valuable learning resources, Carrd’s simplicity and clear, step-by-step tutorials make it easier for users to get started and make the most out of its features. Shift4shop also offers extensive support and educational materials, but its complexity may require more time and effort to master.

Learn more about Carrd

Learn more about Shift4shop

3.5

7.6

Carrd is primarily designed for creating simple, one-page websites and does not inherently offer robust ecommerce features. Users looking to incorporate ecommerce functionalities need to integrate third-party services or use external links to platforms like Etsy or Shopify. This setup can be a downside for those seeking an all-in-one solution with comprehensive ecommerce tools, inventory management, and payment processing directly within the platform. Shift4shop, on the other hand, offers a comprehensive suite of ecommerce features, including a robust website builder, advanced product management tools, and integrated payment processing with support for a wide variety of payment methods.


Ecommerce themes and templates	4.5	6.5
Product page customization	3.0	7.8
Payment processing and commissions	5.0	8.4
POS capabilities	0.0	7.0
Payment gateways	5.5	9.0
Product numbers	2.0	7.5
Additional ecommerce features	3.5	7.2

Carrd ecommerce features:

Paypal and Stripe Integration
External Widgets integrations
Basic Product Listing options

Carrd.co Add a product

Shift4shop ecommerce features:

Payment Gateway integrations
Inventory management
Abandoned cart recovery
Order management

Ecommerce themes & templates

Carrd provides a selection of 14 e-commerce templates aimed at users looking to quickly launch online stores for products ranging from e-books to physical goods. These templates are crafted with a focus on simplicity and conversion optimization, featuring designs that vary from dark themes to minimalist aesthetics. They are priced starting at $19 or $25, depending on the template, and require a Pro Standard account or higher due to the use of advanced elements and widgets. In contrast, all the templates of Shift4shop are designed for online stores, providing a more cohesive and integrated ecommerce experience.

Product page customization

Carrd offers a streamlined approach to ecommerce product page customization, primarily through integrations with third-party platforms such as Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, and Gumroad. Users can create product pages within Carrd by adding product details like name, description, image, and price, and then integrate a checkout button using Carrd’s Widget element for platforms like Stripe. However, the customization possibilities for product pages would then depend on the capabilities of those external platforms. Shift4shop offers a variety of product page customization features to enhance the online shopping experience. These include advanced product options with inventory tracking, customizable product layouts, and the ability to showcase products through images, zoom, and video. Additionally, the Product Designer app facilitates extensive customization for personalized products.

Payment processing

Carrd allows for payment-enabled forms for Pro Plus users or higher, integrating with Stripe Checkout for payment processing. This setup enables creating forms for various transactions like order forms or paid email lists. The process requires setting up the payment through Stripe, either via a preconfigured price or a custom price, and entering Stripe API keys. Shift4shop supports over 200 payment gateways, including major providers such as PayPal, Visa, and Stripe, offering a broad range of options for global markets without charging additional transaction fees from the platform itself. However, merchants may incur standard fees from their chosen payment providers, typically ranging from 2-3% per sale. The platform also facilitates POS capabilities through third-party integrations, enabling both online and physical store sales.

Considering the features, availability, cost, and flexibility, Shift4shop appears to be a more robust and flexible ecommerce solution compared to Carrd. However, if you are looking for a simple, lightweight platform for building one-page websites with basic ecommerce functionalities, Carrd might still be worth considering.

7.0

7.2

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop, with a score of 7.2, offers a comprehensive website builder with a focus on e-commerce. It enables the creation of various types of websites with an array of templates and customization options, including a drag-and-drop editor. Shift4shop integrates advanced features for product management, payment processing, and SEO optimization, alongside marketing tools for social media and email campaigns. Despite some challenges related to site speed and customer service, it provides significant value, particularly with its free plan for U.S.-based users.

Carrd’s editor, scoring 7.0, is designed for simplicity and efficiency, catering primarily to users looking to create single-page websites. It offers a user-friendly interface that allows for easy drag-and-drop functionality, enabling users to add, customize, and position elements such as text, images, buttons, and forms with minimal effort. While Carrd is excellent for personal projects, portfolios, and small business landing pages, its focus on single-page websites may not suit those looking to create more complex, multi-page sites.

Carrd editor

Mobile editor/app

5.5

🏆

Winner: Carrd

. When it comes to mobile editing capabilities, both Carrd and Shift4shop fall short of providing dedicated mobile editor apps. However, Carrd allows users to make edits through a mobile browser, offering some level of flexibility for on-the-go adjustments. This feature, although not as robust as a dedicated app, gives Carrd a slight advantage over Shift4shop, which lacks any mobile editing options.

In summary, while neither platform excels in mobile editing, Carrd’s ability to edit via a mobile browser makes it the better choice for users needing to make quick changes from their mobile devices.

6.0

5.0

Overall Result

:

Carrd wins

. Carrd scores 6.0, offering a 7-day free trial during which users can test premium features, making it a more flexible option for evaluating the platform. Shift4shop scores 5.0, providing a free plan with essential features but no trial version or money-back guarantee, limiting the ability to test premium functionalities.


Free Plan	No	Yes, only for US customers
Trial Duration	7 days	No
Testing Premium Features	Premium features can be tested during the free trial period	All the features within its free plan

8.9

6.7

Carrd offers extremely affordable plans, while Shift4shop provides a free plan with conditions and a standard paid plan.

	Offerings	Offerings
Free	No offering at this amount.	Free Plan ($0/month): Requires minimum $500/month processed payments with their Shift4shop payment with 2.90% + 30 Cents transaction fees. Unlimited Products, SEO & Marketing Tools, Unlimited Staff Users, Integrated Blog, Unlimited Bandwidth, 24/7 Customer Support, No Revenue Caps, API Access, Secure Online Payments. This plan allows to manage only 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered.
$0-$1	Pro Lite ($0.75/month): Basic features suitable for simple, personal websites. Up to 3 1-page websites. Value for Price: 6.0	No offering at this amount.
$1-$3	Pro Standard ($1.58/month): Offers more features and flexibility, ideal for professional profiles and small projects. Up to 10 1-page websites. Value for Price: 7.5	No offering at this amount.
$3-$10	Pro Plus ($4.08/month): Enhanced features for more complex sites, including additional customization options. Up to 25 1-page websites. Value for Price: 8.5	No offering at this amount.
$20+	No offering at this amount.	Paid Plan ($29/month): All features of the free plan with support for other payment processors such as PayPal. This plan allows to manage only 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for Price: 8.5

In some cases companies have different prices based on various components like a
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.

5.0

7.8

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

Shift4shop outperforms Carrd with its managed cloud hosting, 99.9% uptime guarantee, and daily backups. Carrd, while user-friendly and affordable, lacks transparency in uptime and data center information, and offers shared hosting with limited backup options. Shift4shop’s comprehensive hosting features make it a more reliable choice for businesses.


Do they offer hosting?	Yes	Yes
Data Centers:	Not disclosed	Not disclosed
Type of hosting:	Shared Hosting	Managed Cloud Hosting
Uptime:	Not disclosed	99.9%
Uptime Guarantee:	No	Yes, 99.9%

8.2

6.3

🏆 Winner: Carrd

Both Carrd and Shift4shop have their own strategies for optimizing website speed, but Carrd’s simplicity and efficient use of resources give it an edge over Shift4shop.


Focus	Mobile-responsive design, Caching, Cloudflare CDN	CDN, Code Minification, Image optimization, Caching
Performance Tools	Cloudflare CDN	Various optimization tools
Key Strategies	Mobile Responsive design, Caching, Cloudflare CDN	CDN, Code Minification, Image optimization, Caching
Load Times	Minimal due to simplicity	Varies depending on optimization
Page Speed Scores Range	High due to simplicity	Varies depending on optimization
Core Web Vitals Improvement	Not disclosed	Not disclosed

Carrd is designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, making it an excellent choice for users who need a fast-loading, single-page website. By leveraging mobile-responsive design, caching, and Cloudflare CDN, Carrd ensures that websites load quickly and perform well. The simplicity of Carrd’s websites means that load times are minimal, and PageSpeed scores are generally high.

Shift4shop, while offering a range of optimization strategies such as CDN, code minification, image optimization, and caching, can have varying performance based on how well these strategies are implemented. The platform supports a variety of business models and provides tools for website creation, payment processing, marketing, and business management. However, the load times and PageSpeed scores for Shift4shop websites can vary significantly depending on the level of optimization applied.

Overall, Carrd’s straightforward approach to website speed optimization makes it the better choice for users looking for consistently fast performance.

Get a head start on website creation with AI

Create a custom website tailored to your business needs 10X faster with 10Web AI Website Builder!

Generate Your Website

No credit card required

5.8

7.3

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop.

Shift4shop scores 7.3, offering a diverse range of plugins and extensions that cater to various ecommerce needs, from advanced analytics to enhanced SEO tools. Carrd, with a score of 5.8, provides a more limited selection, primarily focused on enhancing user interactions and content presentation.

Shift4shop’s extensive app store and integration capabilities make it a more versatile choice for businesses looking to scale and customize their online stores. Carrd, while simpler, is suitable for users seeking straightforward enhancements without extensive coding requirements.

Shift4shop Applications

Shift4shop integrations

5.8

8.0

🏆

Overall Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop excels with its comprehensive built-in marketing tools, making it ideal for eCommerce businesses. Carrd, while versatile, relies on third-party integrations for most marketing functionalities.


SEO Tools	✓	✓
Email Marketing	Through third-party integrations	✓
Blogging	Through third-party integrations	✓
Social Media Integration	Basic integration tools	Advanced integration tools
Analytics and Reporting	Google Analytics integration	Built-in analytics and CRM
Ads and Promotions	Through third-party integrations	Built-in tools for ads and promotions

6.2

7.9

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. In the Carrd vs Shift4shop comparison, Shift4shop takes the lead with its extensive 24/7/365 customer support. Shift4shop offers multiple support channels, including US chat support, US phone support, and European support, ensuring that users can get help whenever they need it. The dedicated eCommerce support team based in the U.S. is a significant advantage for businesses requiring immediate assistance.

Carrd, on the other hand, provides 24/7 email support with a typical response time within 24 hours. While this is sufficient for many users, it lacks the immediacy and variety of support channels that Shift4shop offers. Carrd’s straightforward and user-friendly interface does help mitigate some support needs, but for those requiring more immediate or varied support options, Shift4shop is the better choice.

7.6

8.9

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop excels in providing a secure environment for eCommerce businesses, with features like PCI compliance, daily backups, and advanced fraud protection. The platform’s use of Cloudflare for DDoS protection and support for ADA compliance further enhance its security credentials, making it a robust choice for online businesses.

Carrd, while not as feature-rich in terms of security, still offers solid protection for its users. The automatic SSL certification for all sites, including custom domains, ensures data encryption and security. Carrd’s measures are suitable for personal profiles, landing pages, and small business websites, providing a reliable level of security for its intended use cases.

0.0


AI Builder	Carrd does not have AI website builder	Shift4shop does not have an AI builder
AI Ecommerce Features	Carrd does not have any AI powered ecommerce features	Shift4shop does not have AI ecommerce features
AI Content Generation	Carrd lacks built-in AI content generation tools	Shift4shop does not have AI content generation features
Additional AI Features	Carrd lacks any AI features	Shift4shop does not have any AI features

🏆 Winner: None

. Both Carrd and Shift4shop do not offer any AI capabilities. Therefore, if AI features are a priority for your website building needs, you may need to consider other platforms that provide such functionalities.

4.3

7.9

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. Managing your online team with Carrd and Shift4shop involves different approaches to website editing access.

Carrd is primarily designed for individual use or small teams, with each account managing its own sites. The platform introduced a Team feature to allow multiple users to collaborate, but traditionally, Carrd sites are managed by a single account holder with full control.
Shift4shop allows for multiple users to manage and edit a website, with the number of staff user slots varying by plan. Additional users can be added as needed through the purchase of extra Staff User seats at $10 per user per month. This system is designed to accommodate business growth by enabling the distribution of website management tasks among staff members with customizable roles and permissions.

Shift4shop User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Admin	Full control over the platform, responsible for setting up and managing all aspects of the online store.	Complete access to all areas including configuration, order management, product listings, user management, and analytics.
Manager	Oversees day-to-day operations, including order processing, inventory management, and customer service.	Access to order management, inventory, reports, and limited settings for day-to-day operations. Does not have access to high-level configurations.
Sales Rep	Focuses on customer interaction, order entry, and sales tracking.	Access to customer information, order creation, and sales reporting tools. Cannot alter product listings or configurations.
Content Creator	Generates product descriptions, blog posts, and marketing material.	Access to content management systems, blog, and marketing tools. No access to order management or configurations.
Customer Service Rep	Handles customer inquiries, returns, and complaints.	Access to customer information, order status, and communication tools. Limited access to order modifications.

Additional Features


SSL Certificate	✓	✓
Custom Domain	✓	✓
Free Custom Domain Included	✓	X
International Domains	✓	✓
Mobile Responsive	✓	✓
Page Speed	X	✓
Website Builder Mobile App	X	X
Convert a Website To An App	X	X
Website Analytics	X	✓
Multilingual Sites	✓	✓
Multiple Users	X	✓

User Feedback

Carrd

31 reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars

Shift4shop

34 reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

Users overwhelmingly praise Carrd for its user-friendly interface, excellent customer support, and attractive templates, making website creation effortless and enjoyable. The drag-and-drop builder, affordability, and mobile-friendly designs are highlighted as significant benefits. However, some users express limitations, such as the inability to create multi-page websites or a desire for more design options. Overall, Carrd is praised for its affordability, ease of use, and suitability for creating quick, simple webpages.

Shift4Shop reviews present a mixed but generally positive perspective from users. They appreciate the platform’s feature-rich storefront capabilities, ease of use, and versatility in integrating various services, which facilitates online sales and efficient eCommerce management. However, critiques focus on the less intuitive user experience, occasional technical issues such as slow site loading, and the perceived degradation of customer service quality since the Shift4Shop takeover. Despite these criticisms, Shift4Shop is recognized for its cost-effectiveness, support for different customer types, and the ability to solve a variety of eCommerce-related problems, benefiting users by enhancing their online sales capabilities and operational efficiency.

The making of this blog

We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.

Our Ranking Criteria

FAQ

Which platform is better for creating simple, single-page websites?

Carrd is the preferred choice for simple, single-page websites due to its focus on ease of use and efficient design tools. It’s ideal for personal profiles, portfolios, and small business landing pages.

Can I use Shift4shop for non-ecommerce websites?

While Shift4shop is primarily designed for ecommerce, it also offers functionalities that can support informational websites. However, its features are optimized for online business operations, making it less ideal for non-ecommerce purposes compared to Carrd.

How do Carrd and Shift4shop compare in terms of ecommerce capabilities?

Shift4shop provides a comprehensive suite of ecommerce features including advanced product management and integrated payment processing, making it suitable for serious online businesses. Carrd, on the other hand, offers basic ecommerce functions through third-party integrations, suitable for smaller scale operations.

What are the main differences in pricing between Carrd and Shift4shop?

Carrd offers extremely affordable plans, ideal for users on a budget or with minimal website needs. Shift4shop offers a free plan with specific conditions and more comprehensive ecommerce features, catering to users who need a more robust online store solution.

Which platform offers better customer support?

Shift4shop provides extensive customer support options including 24/7 access via multiple channels, making it a reliable choice for businesses that require constant support. Carrd offers efficient 24/7 email support, suitable for the platform’s simpler user needs.