Anticode vs Carrd: a one-page site laid out by hand, or a multi-page site from a sentence
Carrd makes simple, responsive one-page sites: you start from a template or a blank page and place each element yourself, and its Pro plans are priced per year. Anticode generates a site from a description, with separate pages if you want them, and checks the design and security before it can be published. For a single page you'd enjoy arranging yourself, Carrd suits; for a business site you'd rather describe, Anticode does.
The short answer
Choose Carrd if you want one page, such as a personal profile, a link page or a sign-up page, you're happy to lay it out yourself, and you want to spend very little. Choose Anticode if you'd rather describe the business and get a finished site with several pages, a design system and forms that already go somewhere, and if you want accessibility and security basics checked before anyone sees it.
How each one builds a page
Carrd's home page describes it as simple, free, fully responsive one-page sites: start from one of dozens of templates or a blank page and make it your own. You place and style each element, and the layout responds to screen size. Carrd's guide to using sections explains that sections divide a site into named regions you can link to and switch between, to simulate multiple pages on a one-page site.
Anticode starts from a sentence. The Architect asks up to three questions where the answer changes the build and shows a plan; the design engine then builds a landing page, portfolio, booking site or small store, with optional separate pages for Work, Shop, Services, About, Pricing, FAQ, Book and Contact. You can still edit by hand: text in place, sections by drag, elements resized on a column grid, or changes requested in words.
Side by side
| Anticode | Carrd | |
|---|---|---|
| Design approach | Seven design systems, nineteen design checks and a design gate | Templates or a blank page, styled element by element |
| How you build | Describe it, answer up to three questions, then edit | Lay out the page yourself in the editor |
| Pages | One page or several separate pages | One page, with sections to simulate several |
| Code ownership and export | One HTML file or a Next.js project; push to GitHub | Download of the site's HTML, CSS and JS on Pro Plus; forms don't work in the download |
| Hosting and custom domains | anticode.dev address free; own domain on paid plans | Free Carrd address; custom domains with SSL from Pro Standard |
| Security checks | Twelve checks on the shipped HTML; failing pages can't be published | No pre-publish security scan described on the pages we read |
| Pricing model | Daily and weekly build allowance, a quote before each build | Free for up to three sites; Pro plans billed per year |
| Best for | Business sites you'd rather describe than arrange | Single pages you want to lay out yourself, cheaply |
How you pay
As of 24 October 2026, Carrd's home page says you can build up to three sites per account with its core features for free. The Pro page lists yearly plans in dollars without naming the currency: Pro Lite from $9 a year for three sites with no Carrd branding; Pro Standard from $19 a year for ten sites, adding custom domains, forms, widgets, embeds and analytics; and Pro Plus from $49 a year for 25 sites with advanced forms, with larger tiers for more sites. Pro can be tried free for seven days without a card.
Anticode is priced by building rather than by site count: each plan has a daily and a weekly allowance measured by what each build actually cost, with a quote before each build and nothing charged for failures. Free sites show a small badge; paid plans remove it and add your own domain. Amounts are on the pricing page.
Forms, payments and what happens to a submission
On Carrd, forms come with Pro Standard and above. Its guide to payment-enabled forms says that on Pro Plus a form can require a Stripe Checkout payment before it's processed, using your own Stripe API keys, which covers order forms and paid email lists.
Anticode's contact, booking and newsletter forms are part of every build. Submissions are saved, sealed at rest, can email you, and can go to Slack, Discord, Telegram, Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Kit or a webhook. The built-in forms have fixed fields, though: name, email and a message for contact. Other fields need a custom form tied to a site function (up to 30 plain-text fields), and no form takes file uploads. For payment, buy and pricing buttons point at a payment link from Stripe, PayPal, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Shopify or Whop.
Taking the site with you
Carrd's download guide says Pro Plus and higher can download the unminified HTML, CSS and JS of any site as a zip, that elements which need the Carrd platform, most notably forms, won't work in the download, and that a downloaded site can't be uploaded back. Anticode's HTML export is one self-contained file, and its Next.js export includes server routes for the contact, booking and newsletter forms, so those keep working once you host the project yourself.
Where Carrd is the better choice
- One page, laid out your way. Full control of where each element sits.
- A very low yearly cost. Pro plans are priced per year, and the free plan covers three sites.
- Many small sites. Larger Pro tiers cover hundreds of sites on one account.
- Custom form fields and paid forms. Carrd's custom forms and Stripe-enabled forms go further than Anticode's built-in forms and its custom forms, which take plain-text fields and no payment step.
Where Anticode is the better choice
- Several real pages. Separate Services, About, Pricing and Contact pages, each with its own address.
- No layout work. The design system decides type, colour and spacing, and the Critic checks them.
- Publishing checks. Missing alt text, keyboard focus or a page language blocks publishing, and twelve security checks run on the HTML.
- Bookings. A booking calendar that refuses double-booked slots, without a third-party embed.
Anticode's limits
No free-form canvas, fixed fields on the built-in forms, no file uploads in forms, no shopping cart and an English-only builder. If you're moving a page across, migrating from Carrd lists what to copy, and Carrd alternatives covers other options. Carrd facts above are from its own pages on 24 October 2026.
Questions people ask
Can Carrd make a multi-page website?
Carrd builds one-page sites. Its documentation says sections can be linked and switched between to simulate several pages on that one page.
Is Anticode more expensive than Carrd?
They charge for different things: Carrd by the number of sites per year, Anticode by a building allowance. Compare Carrd's Pro page with Anticode's pricing page for what you need.
Can I import a Carrd site into Anticode?
No. Describe the page to Anticode, let it build, then paste your text across.
Sources
- Carrd home page, checked
- Carrd Pro plans, checked
- Carrd Docs: Using sections, checked
- Carrd Docs: Setting up a payment-enabled form, checked
- Carrd Docs: Downloading a site, checked