Creating a seamless user experience (UX) begins with understanding how people interact with your website or app. One of the most effective techniques for this is card sorting—a method that helps users organize content in a way that feels intuitive. By categorizing and labeling your content, card sorting ensures that users find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.
Whether you’re a UX researcher, designer, or project manager, having the right tools makes all the difference.
In this blog, we’ll explore the top card-sorting tools for 2025 and why they’re indispensable for creating user-friendly designs.
What is Card Sorting?
Card sorting is a powerful UX research technique that helps you understand how users perceive and categorize information. By organizing content into meaningful groups, you can create intuitive and user-friendly digital experiences. This process involves presenting participants with a set of cards, each containing a piece of content, and asking them to sort these cards into logical groups.
The Benefits of Card Sorting
- Enhanced User Experience: By understanding user mental models, you can design interfaces that are intuitive and easy to navigate.
- Improved Information Architecture: Optimize your website or app’s structure to improve user satisfaction.
- Reduced User Frustration: Minimize confusion and frustration by organizing content in a logical manner.
- Increased User Engagement: A well-organized website or app can lead to longer user sessions and higher conversion rates.
- Data-Driven Design Decisions: Card sorting provides valuable insights that can inform design decisions and improve the overall user experience.
Types of Card Sorting
- Open Card Sorting: Participants create their own categories and group the cards accordingly. This method is useful for exploring user’s mental models and identifying unexpected patterns.
- Closed Card Sorting: Participants sort cards into predefined categories provided by the researcher. This method is helpful for validating existing information architectures or testing specific hypotheses.
Top Card Sorting Tools for 2025
Discover the top card sorting tools to streamline your UX research process. From open and closed card sorting to advanced analysis, these tools empower you to create intuitive and user-centric designs.
1. UXArmy
UXArmy offers versatile tools for open, closed, and hybrid card sorting. It’s designed for UX professionals who want detailed insights without breaking the bank.
Key Features:
- Supports card sorting in 15+ languages
- Provides detailed analytics for decision-making
- Allows easy menu and navigation flow design
- Offers predefined or user-created categories
Best For:
- Startups, small businesses, and enterprises looking for an easy-to-use, data-driven solution.
Pricing:
- Free 7-day trial.
- Paid plans start at $59/month, with options for additional tester invites at $129/month
2. OptimalSort by Optimal Workshop
OptimalSort is a feature-rich platform that goes beyond basic card sorting to offer in-depth data analysis. It’s perfect for UX teams focused on precision.
Key Features:
- Export data in multiple formats for team analysis.
- Tools for dendrograms and 3D clustering.
- Supports moderated and unmoderated studies.
- Easy setup for rapid results.
Best For:
- UX designers, researchers, and managers looking for a robust tool with advanced analytics.
Pricing:
- Free plan available for one study and up to 10 participants.
- Paid plans start at $99/month.
3. UXTweak
UXTweak is ideal for those who need flexibility in card sorting and usability testing. It supports multiple languages and detailed visualizations.
Key Features:
- Multiple sorting options: open, closed, and hybrid.
- Visual analytics such as similarity matrices and dendrograms.
- Session indexing for automatic data management.
Best For:
- UX researchers need a comprehensive tool for usability testing and live website evaluations.
Pricing:
- Free plan available for one study.
- Paid plans start at $90/month.
4. UserZoom
UserZoom offers a premium card-sorting solution packed with features that streamline testing and analysis. It’s great for teams needing robust support.
Key Features:
- Flexible testing options with open and closed sorting.
- Detailed performance metrics for participant analysis.
- Built-in privacy and compliance tools.
Best For:
- Teams of designers, managers, and marketers who want a high-quality, secure tool.
Pricing:
- Starts at $250/month.
5. Miro
Known as an online whiteboard, Miro also excels in card sorting, making it a powerful collaboration tool for UX teams.
Key Features:
- Real-time collaboration capabilities.
- Simple user-centered design tools.
- Clear, actionable insights for improving navigation.
Best For:
- UX researchers and teams who value collaboration and qualitative insights.
Pricing:
- Free plan available; paid plans start at $10/user/month (billed annually).
6. Lyssna
Lyssna combines card sorting with other testing methodologies, making it a comprehensive tool for UX research.
Key Features:
- Open and closed card sorting with full customization.
- Built-in tools for recording audio, screens, and webcams.
- Insights via similarity metrics and visualizations.
Best For:
- Product managers, marketers, and designers who need multi-functional testing tools.
Pricing:
- Free plan available.
- Paid plans start at $75/month for basic and $175/month for pro plans.
7. XSort
Although XSort is no longer actively maintained, it remains a reliable, free tool for basic card sorting.
Key Features:
- Supports open, closed, and hybrid sorting.
- Offers spreadsheet exports for manual analysis.
- Simple interface tailored for Mac users.
Best For:
- UX professionals and social scientists needing a no-cost, straightforward tool.
Pricing:
- Free.
How to Choose the Right Card Sorting Platform
Selecting the best card-sorting tool depends on your specific needs. Consider these factors:
Project Goals:
- Simple Analysis: If you’re looking for a straightforward tool to analyze user behavior, consider XSort or Miro.
- In-depth Insights: For comprehensive analysis and advanced features, platforms like OptimalSort and UserZoom are excellent choices.
Budget:
- Free Options: XSort offers a free and user-friendly solution for basic card sorting needs.
- Paid Plans: Tools like OptimalSort, UXTweak, and UserZoom offer various pricing plans to suit different budgets and project scales.
Collaboration:
- Remote Teams: Miro’s collaborative features make it ideal for remote teams.
- In-Person Sessions: Tools like OptimalSort and UXTweak offer features for both remote and in-person sessions.
Customization:
- Flexible Options: OptimalSort and UXTweak provide customization options for card sorting exercises and analysis.
Experience the power of UXArmy
Join countless professionals in simplifying your user research process and delivering results that matter
Elevate Your UX Research with UXArmy
UXArmy is a powerful platform designed to empower UX researchers and designers. With its intuitive interface and advanced features, UXArmy simplifies the card sorting process and delivers actionable insights.
Key Benefits of Using UXArmy:
- User-Friendly Interface: Easily create and conduct card sorting studies.
- Advanced Analytics: Gain deep insights into user behavior and preferences.
- Global User Base: Access a diverse pool of participants from around the world.
- Seamless Collaboration: Collaborate with your team in real-time.
Frequently asked questions
What is card sorting and why is it used in UX research?
Card sorting is a UX method where participants organize content cards into groups that make sense to them. It helps researchers understand users’ mental models, improve information architecture, and ensure navigation is intuitive.
How to create card sorting?
Conducting a card-sorting study requires four steps:
Create the cards.
Ask participants to organize the cards into groups.
Have participants label each group.
Analyze the data you’ve collected.
What are the methods used by card sorter?
THE METHOD
There are two types of card sorts: Open Sort: Users are asked to sort items into a group and make up their own groups and give the groups a name. Closed Sort: Users sort items into previously defined category names. MeasuringU provides full services support for each phase of a card sorting study.
What’s the difference between open, closed, and hybrid card sorting?
Open card sorting: Users define categories themselves. Useful for discovering structure.
Closed card sorting: Users sort into predefined categories. Good for validating existing architecture.
Hybrid: A mix—some predefined, some open—to balance both discovery and validation.
Which free card sorting tools are reliable in 2025?
Some tools offer free plans with basic card sorting features. Examples: XSort (for Mac), basic tiers of OptimalSort and UXTweak. They’re great for early testing or small projects, though advanced analytics may require paid plans.
How should I choose a card sorting tool for my UX project?
Consider your goals (discovery vs validation), number of participants, whether you need remote usability testing or in-person, analytics features (dendrograms, similarity matrices), multi-language support, and your budget.
Can a card sorting tool integrate with usability testing software?
Yes many UX research platforms (including UXArmy) provide both card sorting features and usability testing tools. Integration helps you track navigation changes, test prototypes, and analyze behaviour together with card sorting results.
How to use Trello for card sorting?
You can sort cards in a list by selecting the List actions menu to the right of the list name:
1)Select List actions ( )
2)Choose Sort by.
3)Pick a sorting criteria: Alphabetical, due date, date created, etc.
What is the 4 sort method?
We call it the Four-Pile Sort Method, which consists of dividing everything into four giant piles: things to keep, to donate, to throw away, and to sell. Make a plan in advance for each individual pile, and then you know where everything is going. For this method to work, you need a large, empty staging area.
