Free card sorting tool

Run a free card sort online — open or closed — share a link with participants, and get real analysis, not just a CSV dump. No credit card, no 20-card cap, no 10-participant limit.

Start a free card sort →

What you can do free

Open and closed sorts — let participants name their own groups, or sort into your predefined categories.
Unlimited participants per study — share one link with your whole panel.
Mobile-friendly runner — drag-and-drop plus a tap-to-move menu so participants can sort on any device.
Built-in analysis — a cross-participant similarity matrix (shaded by agreement) and agreement-based suggested clusters, automatically. No spreadsheet gymnastics.

Why researchers use it

Most "free" card sorting tools are demos in disguise — OptimalSort's free tier caps you at 20 cards and 10 participants, and others limit studies or responses. This one is genuinely usable for a real study, and it's part of an all-in-one platform, so when you're ready you can tree-test the resulting IA and run usability studies in the same place.

How the free plan works

Your first card sort is free — a complete, real study, not a locked demo. Inside that study you get unlimited cards and unlimited participants (no 20-card or 10-participant cap like OptimalSort's free tier), open or closed sorting, the mobile-friendly runner, and the full similarity-matrix and suggested-cluster analysis.

When you need to run more than one study — additional card sorts, tree tests, usability tests, surveys, and the rest of the research stack — that's when you move to a paid plan. There's no per-seat minimum and no enterprise sales gate; card sorting simply stays part of the all-in-one platform as your research program grows. In other words: your first study is on us, and you only pay when you're doing enough research to need more than one.

How to run your card sort

Add your cards — the content items or features you want organized.
Choose open or closed — open to discover categories, closed to validate ones you have.
Share the link with participants (email list, Slack, QR code).
Read the similarity matrix to see what people group together, then draft your IA.
Validate it with a tree test.

New to the analysis side? Read the card sort analysis guide.

FAQ

Is this card sorting tool really free? Yes — you can run a card sort with open/closed sorting, unlimited participants, and built-in similarity-matrix analysis at no cost, no credit card.

Is it better than OptimalSort's free plan? For most needs, yes — OptimalSort's free tier caps cards (20) and participants (10). This free card sort doesn't impose those limits and includes analysis.

Can participants sort on their phones? Yes — the runner supports drag-and-drop and a tap-to-move menu, so it works on mobile.

What do I do with the results? Use the similarity matrix and suggested clusters to draft an information architecture, then validate it with a tree test. See the card sort analysis guide.

Start your free card sort →