About
Card sorts, tree tests, first-click studies, and surveys in one place.
kardSort helps UX designers, product teams, and researchers understand how people structure information and interact with interfaces. Run card sorts, tree tests, first-click studies, and surveys in the browser with built-in analytics, flexible exports, and participant flows in seven languages.
Card Sorting
Discover how users group and label your content.
- Open, closed & hybrid
- Rich media + user-created cards
- XLSX import · card duplication across categories
- 15 KPIs, Power Filter, Casolysis & SynCaps
Tree Testing
Validate navigation before you ship.
- Text, sitemap, or card-sort import
- Multiple correct answers per task
- 25+ KPIs: Sankey, paths, heatmaps
- Link to card sorts for IA correlation
First-Click Testing
See where users click first on your designs.
- Screenshots / wireframes or Figma
- Draw correct click areas
- 16 KPIs: heatmaps, accuracy, time
- CSV export · multi-click corrections
Survey
Ask questions and collect standalone feedback.
- Text, single- & multi-select questions
- Question & response limits that scale with your plan
- Built-in analytics for every response
- CSV export · recruit via Prolific
Built into every study type
AI-Powered Features Paid Plans
Features
Everything you need for IA research, in one product.
Four study methods in one product
- Card sorting: open, closed, hybrid · rich media (image, audio, video, YouTube) · participant-created cards · card duplication across categories · randomize · require all sorted · remarks · Power Filter · Casolysis & SynCaps export
- Tree testing: hierarchical tree · multiple correct nodes · randomize or skip tasks · import from text, sitemap.xml, or a completed card sort
- First-click: upload screenshots and wireframes · Figma frame import · draw correct areas · multi-click with corrections · keyboard accessible
- Survey: standalone surveys with text, single-select, and multi-select questions · up to unlimited questions and responses on Premium · built-in response analytics · CSV export
Analytics that go deep
- Card sort, 15 KPIs: similarity matrix, dendrogram, ambiguity, agreement, co-occurrence, label consistency, split-half reliability · Power Filter to segregate by questionnaire answers · Casolysis & SynCaps export
- Tree test, 25+ KPIs: success and directness, path analysis, Sankey and sunburst, node visit heatmaps, task difficulty, linked card-sort IA validation score
- First-click, 16 KPIs: first and final accuracy, heatmaps, misclick hotspots, time-to-click, correction rate, skip rate
- Survey analytics: built-in per-question results for every response, with full CSV export
AI-powered research
- Study Analysis: get 3-5 evidence-linked findings from your analytics, each citing the exact KPI and linking to the supporting chart. Executive summary included
- Normalization: auto-group synonyms, spelling variants, and junk entries in card labels. Apply or skip each suggestion individually
- Study Setup: generate questionnaire items and page content from a project description. Review everything before saving
- Privacy: no participant PII in prompts. Anonymized data only. No training on your data. Every claim is traceable to participant data
Participant experience
- 7 languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian
- Password-protected studies · scheduled start and end with timezone
- Pre- and post-study questionnaires (text and single/multi select)
- Custom welcome, instructions, and thank-you pages (rich HTML)
- Browser-based, mobile-friendly · no install · shareable study URL
- Recruit participants via Prolific · auto-approval · real-time status tracking
- Public demos for all four methods
Researcher workflow and export
- XLSX bulk import for cards and categories · tree text / sitemap / card-sort to tree · Figma import
- Duplicate studies · preview unpublished · clear results · participant management on paid plans
- Link tree tests to card sorts for cross-study IA correlation
- Export: CSV for all study types · SynCaps V3 and Casolysis for card sort
- Flexible subscriptions: start free, upgrade when you're ready · Starter · Premium (€99/year)
Who's using it
Used by universities, research teams, and companies worldwide
And many more. Join the researchers improving their information architecture with kardSort.
Pricing
Start free. Upgrade for AI features, more studies, and longer data retention.
Simple, transparent pricing
Full analytics on every plan, including free. Recruit participants via Prolific at base rate with no markup - on every plan. Cancel anytime, no questions asked. Premium at €99/year includes AI features and everything kardSort offers.
| Free Tier | Starter | Premium Best value | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Applies to all study types |
For organizations that need unlimited flexibility, multiple accounts for teams, custom integrations, dedicated support, and enterprise-grade security. Let's design a plan around your needs Talk to us |
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| Published Studies | 1 | 5 | 100 | |
| Questions per Study | 2 | 100 | 100 | |
| Participants per Study | 10 | 1000 | 1000 | |
| Duplicate Study | ||||
| Data Retention | 7 days | 30 days | 90 days | |
| Analytics | ||||
| Participant Management | ||||
| Export | ||||
| Support | Community support | Priority support | Priority support | |
| Recruit Participants no markup | ||||
| AI-Powered Features Included on paid plans | ||||
| AI Study Analysis | ||||
| AI Normalization | ||||
| AI Study Setup | ||||
| Card Sorting | ||||
| Cards | 10 | 1000 | 1000 | |
| User-Created Cards | 1 per participant | Up to 50 per participant | Up to 50 per participant | |
| Tree Testing | ||||
| Tree Nodes | 20 | 500 | 500 | |
| Tasks | 3 | 100 | 100 | |
| Correct Answers per Task | 1 | 1000 | 1000 | |
| Sitemap Import | ||||
| First Click Testing | ||||
| Images per Study | 3 | 50 | 50 | |
| Tasks per Study | 3 | 100 | 100 | |
| Figma Import | ||||
| Survey | ||||
| Questions per Survey | 10 (10 responses) | 50 (Unlimited responses) | Unlimited (Unlimited responses) | |
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Free
No credit card required. Full analytics on all participants. Prolific recruitment with no markup.
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€21 / month
More studies, more participants, AI-powered insights. Ideal for growing teams.
Auto-renews, cancel anytime
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Save €153 (61% off)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is kardSort better than other apps like OptimalSort or UXTweak?
kardSort combines card sorting (open, closed, hybrid with rich media), tree testing, first-click testing, and surveys in one dashboard with 50+ KPIs, Power Filter segmentation, and cross-study IA correlation. Built-in Prolific recruitment, 7 participant languages, and AI-powered analysis, normalization, and study setup on paid plans with no per-credit billing. Premium is €99/year with all features included.
Does kardSort come with built-in analytics?
Yes, kardSort includes built-in analytics for card sorting, tree testing, first-click, and survey studies. For card sorting, you get 15 KPIs including similarity matrices, card ambiguity, participant agreement, category co-occurrence, hierarchical clustering dendrograms, and split-half reliability, plus Power Filter to segment by questionnaire answers. For tree testing, you get 25+ KPIs across 5 analytics tabs including success rates, directness scores, path analysis, node visit heatmaps, Sankey navigation flows, and linked card-sort IA validation. For first-click testing, you get 16 KPIs including heatmaps, click accuracy, time to first click, misclick hotspots, correction rate, and CSV export. For surveys, you get built-in analytics that summarize results for each question, plus full CSV export of every response. You can also link card sort and tree test studies for correlation analytics. Card sort results can export to SynCaps or Casolysis (free external tools); all study types support CSV.
Which export formats do you support?
All study types: CSV result export (and questionnaire / participant info where collected).
Card sort additionally:
- Cards & Categories (.csv)
- Cards & Categories with remarks (.csv)
- Casolysis Data (.csv) - Recommended
- Casolysis Data with user ID mapping (.csv)
- SynCaps Data (.txt)
What are Power Filters?
Power Filter is available on card sort, tree test, and first-click analytics and export. It lets you segregate participants by their questionnaire answers and recompute insights for that group. You need a questionnaire on the study for it to work. Filtered CSV exports honor the active filter; stakeholder share and PDF stay unfiltered by design.
How does the AI work? Is my participant data safe?
kardSort's AI features use structured statistical summaries - never raw participant data. No personally identifiable information (PII) is sent to AI models. The AI sees only aggregated KPIs, anonymized labels, and study metadata. All AI calls go through API-only connections with no training on your data. AI features are included on paid plans with no per-credit billing.
What can the AI do specifically?
Three AI features are available on paid plans:
- AI Study Analysis: Get 3-5 key findings about your information architecture, each citing the exact KPI and linking to the supporting chart. An executive summary gives you the overall picture.
- AI Normalization: Auto-groups synonyms, spelling variants, junk entries, and duplicates in your card labels. Apply or skip each suggestion. Works across all 7 supported languages.
- AI Study Setup: Generates pre- and post-study questionnaire items, plus welcome, instructions, and thank-you page content from your project description. You review everything before saving.
How does participant recruitment work?
kardSort integrates with Prolific so you can recruit real participants directly from your dashboard. Available on every plan, including free. Prolific handles participant payments (approximately £2 per response at base rate) - kardSort does not charge for recruitment or add any markup. Completed submissions are auto-approved and you can track response status in real time. You'll need a Prolific account with funds to recruit.
PayPal or Stripe are not supported in my country. What should I do?
Paid plans are billed through Stripe. If Stripe is not available in your region, please write to us at support[at]kardsort.com and we'll help you find an alternative payment solution.
The premium package doesn't cover my needs. I need a plan for my team or company.
We offer enterprise plans specifically designed for teams and companies with advanced requirements. Please write to us at support[at]kardsort.com and we'll work with you to create a custom solution that meets your organization's needs.
