SubHub vs Carbonmade: guide for 2024

Final verdict

SubHub and Carbonmade cater to different user needs, each excelling in their respective domains.

SubHub (Overall Grade: 5.6/10)

is tailored for creating and managing membership sites, offering a range of tools for content creators and entrepreneurs. It excels in ecommerce functionalities, marketing features, and user management, making it ideal for those looking to build a community and monetize their content. However, it may require a bit more effort to master compared to Carbonmade, and its design flexibility is somewhat limited.
Carbonmade (Overall Grade: 4.4/10)

is designed for creatives who want to showcase their work online without needing coding skills. It offers a highly customizable platform with a straightforward drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible for users regardless of their technical background. While it lacks ecommerce features and extensive marketing tools, Carbonmade excels in ease of use, design functionalities, and security, making it a great choice for professionals looking to create and manage online portfolios.

	Overall grade: 5.6	Overall grade: 4.4
Design functionalities & templates	6.8	7.3
Ease of use	7.7	8.3
Ecommerce	5.9	0
Website Editors	6.9	7.6
Product testing options	7.0	7.2
Price	6.8	7.9
Hosting quality	5.5	6.1
Website speed optimization	5.6	5.0
Plugins and integrations	5.7	0
Marketing features	5.7	1.0
Customer support	6.3	5.8
Security	4.0	5.8
User Management	5.2	2.8
Overall	5.6	4.4

Best for ecommerce

5.9

Verdict

: SubHub is the clear choice for ecommerce, especially for membership sites, while Carbonmade is not suitable for ecommerce at all.

SubHub

: Designed to support ecommerce functionalities, SubHub is ideal for membership sites that require sales of physical goods, digital products, and pay-per-view content. It integrates with PayPal and Stripe, offers product page customization, and supports various product types. However, when comparing SubHub vs Carbonmade, SubHub’s ecommerce capabilities are significantly more robust, making it the better choice for those looking to monetize their content.
Carbonmade

: Focused solely on portfolio creation, Carbonmade does not offer any ecommerce features. It is perfect for creatives who want to showcase their work online but is not suitable for businesses looking to sell products or services.

Best for informational & business websites

7.2

5.9

Verdict

: SubHub is the better choice for informational and business websites, especially for those looking to create membership sites. Carbonmade, while excellent for creative portfolios, falls short in this category.

SubHub

: Scoring 7.2, SubHub excels in creating and managing membership sites, making it ideal for content creators and entrepreneurs. It offers customizable templates and tools for setting up subscription models and managing member access, ensuring a professional and secure website without advanced technical skills. SubHub’s focus on ease of use and efficiency makes it a strong contender for informational and business websites.
Carbonmade

: With a score of 5.9, Carbonmade is designed for creatives to showcase their work online. It offers customizable layouts and pre-designed templates, making it easy for photographers, illustrators, and designers to create and manage online portfolios. However, its lack of support for plugins and integrations, along with limited customer support options, makes it less suitable for informational and business websites compared to SubHub.

Detailed comparison

6.8

7.3

🏆

Winner: Carbonmade.

If you’re a creative professional looking for a highly customizable platform to showcase your work, Carbonmade is the better option.

SubHub offers a variety of customizable membership website templates designed to cater to different needs and themes, including fitness, yoga, relationship, ministry, learning, craft, wellness, business, and modern living, among others. There are 14 specifically themed templates available, each designed to help users jump-start the design of their membership website homepages. These templates are fully customizable, allowing users to modify layouts, add or remove sections, and tailor content to fit their brand, ensuring flexibility in the design process.

Carbonmade, on the other hand, does not have traditional templates. Instead, the platform creates a personalized portfolio website based on the inputs of the users. This approach allows for a high degree of customization flexibility tailored for creatives, enabling personalized, profession-specific layouts, responsive designs across devices, and support for unlimited uploads, including 4K videos. It provides a plethora of premade blocks and layouts for easy, drag-and-drop website design, along with specific features for various creative professions.

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7.7

8.3

🏆 Winner: Carbonmade

. Scoring 8.3, Carbonmade excels in ease of use with its straightforward drag-and-drop interface, making it highly accessible for creatives looking to showcase their work without needing coding skills. SubHub, with a score of 7.7, offers a user-friendly platform tailored for membership sites but may require a bit more effort to master compared to Carbonmade.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Carbonmade

. Both platforms offer comprehensive learning resources, but Carbonmade’s extensive video tutorials and help center articles make it easier for users to navigate and utilize the platform effectively.

Learn more about SubHub’s learning resources

Learn more about Carbonmade’s learning resources

5.9

SubHub is designed to support ecommerce functionalities, making it suitable for membership sites that require sales of physical goods, digital products, and pay-per-view content. In contrast, Carbonmade does not offer any ecommerce features, focusing solely on portfolio creation for creatives.


Ecommerce themes and templates	3.0	0.0
Product page customization	6.5	0.0
Payment processing and commissions	7.0	0.0
POS capabilities	0.0	0.0
Payment gateways	6.0	0.0
Product numbers	5.0	0.0
Additional ecommerce features	4.5	0.0

SubHub ecommerce features:

Paypal and Stripe integration
Physical and Digital product listings
Pay-per-view products

Subhub add a product

Carbonmade ecommerce features:

Carbonmade does not provide any ecommerce features.

Ecommerce themes & templates

SubHub does not have ecommerce-specific templates, while Carbonmade also lacks any templates for ecommerce purposes.

Product page customization

SubHub offers a range of product page customization options, allowing for the addition of physical items, digital downloads, and pay-per-view content. Features include the ability to manage product variants, upload images, and set visibility preferences. Users can also implement SEO strategies through meta tags and manage tax settings. Additional functionalities include member-specific discounts, image carousels, and individualized shipping costs.

Carbonmade does not have ecommerce capabilities, thus it’s not possible to have product pages.

Payment processing

SubHub supports two main payment gateways: Stripe and PayPal. These integrations allow for secure payment processing for subscriptions and store items using debit or credit cards. The platform itself does not charge commissions on transactions.

Carbonmade does not have payment processing capabilities.

In summary, SubHub provides a range of ecommerce features suitable for membership sites, while Carbonmade lacks any ecommerce functionalities, making it unsuitable for businesses looking to sell products or services online.

6.9

7.6

🏆

Winner: Carbonmade

. Carbonmade, with a score of 7.6, offers a range of features designed for creatives to build personalized, professional online portfolios without requiring coding knowledge. Its editor provides responsive design across devices, 4K video support, unlimited image and video uploads, and premade blocks for customization. The platform also includes unique features such as private portfolios, a before/after block, gallery slideshows, and a talent pool to connect with other creatives and potential clients.

SubHub’s editor, scoring 6.9, is tailored for creating and managing membership sites, catering to content creators and entrepreneurs aiming to monetize their offerings. Its features encompass customizable templates, diverse content publishing options, and flexible subscription plans with seamless integration for recurring revenue through payment processors. While it may not offer the same level of design flexibility as Carbonmade, SubHub’s editor is optimized for membership-based businesses, with built-in tools specifically designed for content monetization.

Subhub website editor

Mobile editor/app

4.0

🏆

Winner: SubHub

. When it comes to mobile editing capabilities, both SubHub and Carbonmade fall short of providing dedicated mobile editor apps. However, SubHub allows users to manage some content on their website using a mobile browser, although it does not support changing the layout and design of the website on mobile. This limited functionality gives SubHub a slight edge over Carbonmade, which does not offer any mobile editing capabilities at all.

In summary, while neither platform excels in mobile editing, SubHub’s ability to manage content via a mobile browser, albeit limited, makes it the better option compared to Carbonmade, which lacks any mobile editing features.

7.0

7.2

Overall Result

:

Carbonmade edges out SubHub

. Carbonmade scores 7.2, slightly higher than SubHub’s 7.0, due to its comprehensive trial version and the ability to test all features within the trial period. SubHub offers a 14-day free trial and a 7-day money-back guarantee, providing a decent window for evaluation but with a slightly lower score.


Free Plan	No	No
Trial Duration	14 days	Yes
Testing Premium Features	During the free trial	All the features within the trial period
Money-back Guarantee	7-day money-back guarantee	No

6.8

7.9

Carbonmade offers more budget-friendly plans compared to SubHub, which is reflected in their respective price scores.

	Offerings	Offerings
$0-$10	No offering at this amount.	BEGINNER ($9/month): 8 Projects, Unlimited images/videos, Basic Blocks, Limited Support, 3 Navigations, SD Video, Audio Uploads. Value for Price: 5.0
$10-$20	No offering at this amount.	PRO ($12/month): 50 Projects, More Portfolio Grids, Premium Blocks, Unbranded, Portfolio statistics, Custom Pages, Private Portfolio, Unlimited images/videos, 5 Navigations, HD Video & Audio, Priority Support. Value for Price: 7.0
$20-$30	No offering at this amount.	UNLIMITED ($22/month): UNLIMITED projects/pages, Everything else, All features in PRO, Extra Karma. Value for Price: 8.5
$40-$50	Starter ($47/month): Up to 500 members, 5 GB storage, secure payment processing, course builder, 5 landing pages, e-commerce. Value for Price: 6.5	No offering at this amount.
$90-$100	Pro ($97/month): Up to 2000 members, 50 GB storage, removes SubHub branding, 15 landing pages, along with Starter features. Value for Price: 7.5	No offering at this amount.
$100+	Premium ($147/month): Unlimited members, 200 GB storage, email white labelling, 30 landing pages, plus all Pro features. Value for Price: 8.5	No offering at this amount.

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.

5.5

6.1

🏆

Winner: Carbonmade

. Carbonmade edges out SubHub with its offering of unlimited storage, making it a more flexible option for creatives with large portfolios. Both platforms lack transparency in uptime statistics and data center locations, but Carbonmade’s unlimited storage gives it a slight advantage.


Do they offer hosting?	Yes, from 5GB to 200GB storage limitation depending on the plan and daily backups.	Yes, with unlimited storage
Data Centers:	Subhub does not disclose the locations of its data centers	Carbonmade does not disclose the locations of its data centers
Type of hosting:	Managed Cloud Hosting	Managed Hosting
Uptime:	Subhub does not provide uptime statistics or guarantees	Carbonmade does not disclose uptime statistics, neither the platform has uptime guarantee

5.6

5.0

🏆 Winner: SubHub

While both SubHub and Carbonmade have their strengths, SubHub edges out Carbonmade in terms of website speed optimization due to its specific strategies for improving performance.


Focus	Membership sites	Creative portfolios
Performance Tools	Image Optimization, Caching	Not specified
Key Strategies	Image Optimization, Caching, Mobile Optimized design	Not specified
Load Times	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity	Varies depending on optimization
Page Speed Scores Range	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity	Varies depending on optimization
Core Web Vitals Improvement	Not specified	Not specified

SubHub is designed specifically for creating and managing membership sites, offering tools tailored for content creators and entrepreneurs. It emphasizes ease of use and efficiency, allowing users to set up subscription models, manage member access, and provide exclusive content without needing advanced technical skills. SubHub employs strategies like image optimization, caching, and mobile-optimized design to enhance website speed and performance. However, specific load times and PageSpeed scores can vary depending on the level of optimization and the complexity of the website.

Carbonmade, on the other hand, is tailored for creatives who want to showcase their work online. It provides customizable layouts and pre-designed templates, making it easy for photographers, illustrators, motion designers, graphic designers, and copywriters to create and manage online portfolios. While Carbonmade emphasizes simplicity in the portfolio creation process, it does not specify any particular strategies for speed optimization. As a result, load times and PageSpeed scores can vary depending on the level of optimization applied by the user.

In conclusion, SubHub’s focus on specific speed optimization strategies gives it an edge over Carbonmade in terms of website performance.

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5.7

🏆 Winner: SubHub.

SubHub scores 5.7, offering essential integrations for membership sites, including payment processors like Stripe and PayPal, email marketing with MailChimp, and community engagement tools like Vanilla forums. These integrations enhance the platform’s core functionalities, making it a versatile choice for content creators and entrepreneurs.

Carbonmade, with a score of 0, does not support any plugins or integrations, focusing solely on providing a simple and streamlined experience for creating online portfolios. While this makes it easy to use, it limits the platform’s extensibility compared to SubHub.

5.7

1.0

🏆

Overall Winner: SubHub

. SubHub excels in providing a comprehensive set of marketing tools tailored for membership sites, including SEO, email marketing, and blogging. Carbonmade, while excellent for portfolio creation, lacks many essential marketing features.


SEO Tools	✓	✗
Email Marketing	✓	✗
Blogging	✓	✗
Social Media Integration	✗	Basic social network links
Analytics and Reporting	Google Analytics integration	Custom analytics within control panel
Ads and Promotions	Promotional codes and coupon codes	✗

6.3

5.8

🏆 Winner: SubHub

. Comparing SubHub vs Carbonmade, SubHub takes the lead in this category with a customer support score of 6.3. SubHub offers email support and a support portal for detailed inquiries, along with an FAQ section for quick answers to common questions. This ensures that users have multiple avenues to seek help and resolve issues efficiently.

Carbonmade, on the other hand, provides support primarily through a ticket-based system. While it does not offer live customer support, users generally receive responses within a few hours. Despite the lack of immediate assistance, Carbonmade’s support system is designed to be responsive and helpful, making it a reliable option for creatives needing help with their portfolios.

4.0

5.8

🏆

Winner: Carbonmade

. Carbonmade scores higher in security compared to SubHub, with a score of 5.8 versus 4.0. Carbonmade emphasizes comprehensive safeguards for user data, including physical, electronic, and managerial protections. It also provides users with control over their personal data, ensuring compliance with privacy regulations and transparent data handling practices.

SubHub, while also compliant with GDPR and CCPA regulations, does not disclose specific website security measures. Its focus is on data privacy and user rights, but the lack of detailed security protocols may be a concern for users prioritizing robust security features.


AI Builder	Not available	Not available
AI Ecommerce Features	Not available	Not available
AI Content Generation	Not available	Not available
Additional AI Features	Not available	Not available

🏆 Winner: None

. Both SubHub and Carbonmade do not offer any AI capabilities. They focus on their core functionalities without integrating AI tools. SubHub is tailored for creating and managing membership sites, while Carbonmade is designed for creatives to showcase their work online. Neither platform provides AI-driven features for content generation, ecommerce, or additional functionalities.

5.2

2.8

🏆 Winner: SubHub

. When it comes to managing users, SubHub offers more flexibility compared to Carbonmade.

SubHub allows multiple user accounts, although the exact number is not specified. It provides various roles with different access levels, making it suitable for teams and collaborative projects.
Carbonmade, on the other hand, allows only one user to manage and edit a website, which can be limiting for larger projects or teams.

SubHub User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Administrator	Full access to the platform except for Homepage and Course Editor.	Can manage all aspects of the platform, including content, store, and member management.
Content Management	Focuses on managing and organizing content within the platform.	Can access and manage content-related features but does not have access to Homepage or Course Editor.
Store (access only)	Specializes in handling the platform’s store features.	Limited to store management functions; no access to Homepage, Course Editor, or member management.
Member Manager (access only)	Oversees member accounts, roles, and subscriptions.	Can manage members and their subscriptions but cannot access Homepage, Course Editor, or store management.
Origin Admin Email	The initial administrator with the highest level of access, including Homepage and Course Editor.	Exclusive access to Homepage and Course Editor, on top of what the Administrator role provides.

Additional Features


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

User Feedback

SubHub

11 reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

Carbonmade

27 reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

User feedback on SubHub presents a mix of positive and negative experiences, emphasizing the platform’s feature-rich environment and customizable templates. Users appreciate the flexibility and the quality of customer service, highlighting the platform’s continual updates and support as key benefits. However, some users express dissatisfaction with aspects such as the platform’s interface, lack of community features, and service fees for ticket resale. Concerns were also raised about the custom design service and mobile-friendly solutions taking longer than expected.

Users appreciate Carbonmade for its ease of use, modern design templates, and no-code platform, which simplifies creating professional portfolios. However, some express a desire for a freemium plan and note limitations in customization and mobile site loading times. The platform is highly recommended for creatives, particularly illustrators and graphic designers, for its variety of design options and efficient customer service. Despite concerns over pricing, the overall sentiment is positive, with users finding value in Carbonmade’s ability to showcase their work effectively and streamline portfolio management.

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 creatives looking to showcase their work?

Carbonmade is specifically designed for creatives such as photographers, illustrators, and designers, offering customizable layouts and a user-friendly interface that emphasizes design flexibility. SubHub, while versatile, is more focused on membership and subscription management and may not offer the same level of design customization as Carbonmade.

Can I manage a membership site using Carbonmade?

No, Carbonmade does not support membership or subscription-based functionalities. It is tailored for creating online portfolios. SubHub, on the other hand, specializes in membership sites and offers comprehensive tools for managing subscriptions, member access, and content monetization.

What are the main differences in pricing between SubHub and Carbonmade?

SubHub offers plans that cater to larger scale operations with features like membership management and e-commerce, which are reflected in its higher pricing tiers. Carbonmade provides more budget-friendly options suitable for individual creatives and smaller projects, focusing on portfolio presentation without e-commerce capabilities.

How do SubHub and Carbonmade handle user management?

SubHub allows for multiple user roles with varying access levels, making it suitable for teams and collaborative projects. Carbonmade, however, limits its platform to single-user management, which may not be ideal for larger teams or collaborative environments.

Which platform offers better customer support?

SubHub provides a more comprehensive support system with multiple channels including email support and a detailed support portal. Carbonmade offers efficient support through a ticket-based system, but lacks the immediate assistance options provided by SubHub.