Stan vs. Carrd

Link-in-bio products are essential for online creators as they centralize all their content, making it easier to manage and monetize their creator business. We'll compare Stan and Carrd to determine which platform offers the best features for creators.

A Quick Overview of Stan and Carrd

What is Stan?

Stan is a platform designed to help creators monetize their content by hosting courses, digital products, and bookings within a link-in-bio. It offers an all-in-one creator store with features like no coding required for setup, 1-Tap Checkout, and integration with third-party tools. Stan simplifies the process of making money online for creators.

What is Carrd?

Carrd allows users to create simple, free, and fully responsive one-page websites. It offers features like starting with templates or a blank page, ensuring sites look great on all devices, and building up to three sites per account for free. Upgrading to Carrd Pro for $19 per year includes custom domains, more sites, forms, widgets, Google Analytics, and no branding.

Comparing Stan and Carrd: Features and Pricing

Stan Features

Stan offers several unique features that make it a compelling choice for creators.

• All-in-one creator store that hosts courses, digital products, and bookings within a single link-in-bio.
• No coding required to set up the store, making it accessible for all skill levels.
• 1-tap checkout feature to maximize conversion rates.
• Seamless integration with various third-party tools.
• 14-day free trial for new users to test the platform.

Carrd Features

Carrd offers simple, free, fully responsive one-page sites for pretty much anything.

• Simple: Start with one of dozens of templates (or a blank page) and make it your own.
• Responsive: Look great at every screen size right out of the box, from phones to tablets to desktops.
• Free: Build up to three sites per account and use all of Carrd's core features – for free!
• Custom Domains: Publish sites to any custom domains you own with full SSL support (via Let's Encrypt).
• No Branding: Publish sites without the "Made with Carrd" branding in the footer.

Stan and Carrd Similarities

Stan and Carrd both excel in providing user-friendly platforms for creating and managing online content without requiring coding skills. Here are the most important features they share:

• Ease of Use: Both platforms emphasize simplicity, allowing users to set up their online presence quickly.
• No Coding Required: Users can build their pages or stores without needing to write any code.
• Integration with Third-Party Tools: Both support integration with various third-party applications to enhance functionality.
• All-in-One Solution: They aim to provide a comprehensive solution, consolidating multiple functionalities into a single platform.
• Custom Domains: Users can use custom domains for their sites.
• Forms: Both offer the ability to add forms for various purposes, such as contact or sign-up forms.
• Widgets and Embeds: Support embedding custom code and widgets from third-party services.
• Analytics: Provide integration with analytics tools to track and report traffic.
• No Branding: Options to remove platform branding from the user’s site or content.

Stan and Carrd Differences

When comparing Stan and Carrd, the biggest differences in features become evident. Stan focuses on being an all-in-one creator store, while Carrd excels in creating simple, responsive one-page websites.

• All-in-One Creator Store: Stan offers a comprehensive platform for hosting courses, digital products, and bookings directly within a link-in-bio, which Carrd does not.
• 1-Tap Checkout: Stan simplifies the purchasing process to enhance conversion rates, a feature not available in Carrd.
• Free Sites: Carrd allows users to build up to three sites for free, a feature not offered by Stan.

Stan and Carrd Pricing

Stan offers a 14-day free trial for new users, allowing them to explore its features without any initial cost. However, specific pricing plans are not explicitly mentioned on their website. In contrast, Carrd provides a free tier that lets users build up to three sites per account. For more advanced features, Carrd Pro is available at $19 per year, which includes custom domains, additional sites, forms, widgets, and no branding.

While both platforms offer free trials or tiers, Carrd's $19 per year Pro plan is more transparent and affordable, making it a better deal for those looking for cost-effective solutions.

Why Choose One Over the Other?

Why Choose Stan Over Carrd: A consumer might prefer Stan over Carrd if they are a content creator or coach looking to monetize their digital products and services directly through a link-in-bio. Stan's all-in-one creator store and 1-tap checkout make it ideal for those who want a seamless, integrated platform to maximize sales without needing multiple apps.

Why Choose Carrd Over Stan: A consumer might opt for Carrd over Stan if they need a simple, responsive one-page website for personal profiles, landing pages, or portfolios. Carrd's free tier and low-cost Pro plan make it perfect for budget-conscious users and small business owners who want to create professional-looking sites without extensive technical skills.

Considering Beacons vs. Stan and Carrd

What is Beacons

Beacons is the all-in-one creator platform designed to help you manage and monetize your online presence effortlessly. With millions of users worldwide, Beacons offers unique features like customizable link-in-bio, email marketing, online stores, media kits, invoicing, and AI brand outreach, all from a single interface.

Beacons's Pricing

Pricing Packages

• Free Plan: $0 (Free forever)
• Creator Pro: $8.33 per month (billed annually) or $10 per month (monthly)
• Store Pro: $25 per month (billed annually) or $30 per month (monthly)
• Business Pro: $75 per month (billed annually) or $90 per month (monthly)

Comparing Beacons to Stan and Carrd

Choosing Beacons over Stan and Carrd offers a comprehensive solution for creators looking to maximize their online presence and monetization efforts.

• All-in-One Platform: Unlike Stan and Carrd, Beacons integrates customizable link-in-bio, email marketing, online store, media kit, invoicing, and AI brand outreach in one place.
• AI-Powered Tools: Beacons leverages AI for media kits, emails, product descriptions, and more, streamlining tasks and enhancing productivity.
• Income Dashboard: Track and manage your earnings effortlessly with Beacons' income dashboard, a feature not available in Stan or Carrd.
• Audience Manager: Engage and grow your audience with advanced management tools, setting Beacons apart from its competitors.
• Additional Utilities: Beacons offers unique tools like a link shortener, post activity tracker, pricing calculator, W-9 generator, and QR code generator, providing more value than Stan and Carrd.
• Mobile Customization: Easily customize your site and tools via Beacons' mobile app, ensuring flexibility and convenience.

With Beacons, you get more than just the basics—it's a complete toolkit for creators aiming to elevate their brand and income.

What Are the Customers Saying?

Stan Reviews

Overall, users have given Stan a mixed rating of 2.9 out of 5. While some appreciate the good video quality and ease of use, others find the frequent stalling and issues with the casting feature frustrating.

Great for Watching Sports (5/5) - "Giving Stan 5 stars because I got Stan to watch the Olympics on my big TV (& mobiles). Video quality great, worked out how to correct that thing when you start a stream (live game streams in particular) and it starts at low res at first, force max res by a quick one-tap rewind & boom. Was easy to pause, rew, fwd etc." - Earl Digby

Frustrating Experience (1/5) - "Its just terrible... signed up after a couple of years break (it was bad last time) to watch a couple of TV series and it just keeps stalling or pausing to load. The casting feature also breaks and struggles to reconnect." - Cheryl Kam

For more reviews, visit Carrd Reviews.

Carrd Reviews

Overall, users have given Stan a mixed rating of 3.0 out of 5. While some appreciate the good video quality and ease of use, others find the frequent stalling and issues with the casting feature frustrating.

Great for Watching Sports (5/5) - "Giving Stan 5 stars because I got Stan to watch the Olympics on my big TV (& mobiles). Video quality great, worked out how to correct that thing when you start a stream (live game streams in particular) and it starts at low res at first, force max res by a quick one-tap rewind & boom. Was easy to pause, rew, fwd etc." - Earl Digby

Frustrating Experience (1/5) - "Its just terrible... signed up after a couple of years break (it was bad last time) to watch a couple of TV series and it just keeps stalling or pausing to load. The casting feature also breaks and struggles to reconnect." - Cheryl Kam

For more reviews, visit Carrd Reviews.

Beacons reviews

Overall, users have given Beacons an impressive rating of 4.9 out of 5. Here are some of the positive experiences shared by our customers:

Incredible App (5/5) - "Incredible app with a bunch of useful creator business tools. Love the email marketing and store apps!" - Christopher Wong

Outstanding Link App (5/5) - "Probably the most outstanding link app w/ tons of features especially for building and connecting community!" - Viva Stylez

Final Decision: Stan, Carrd, or Beacons?

Whether you're a creator looking to monetize your content, build a stunning one-page site, or manage your online presence, Stan, Carrd, and Beacons all offer fantastic tools to help you succeed. However, if you're aiming to grow your audience and streamline your workflow with a comprehensive set of features, Beacons stands out as the top choice. With its all-in-one platform, AI-powered tools, and unique utilities, Beacons makes managing your creator business a breeze.