# Carrd

> One-page website builder for author landing pages — book links, mailing list signups, and 18+ email service integrations from $9/year.

Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/author-websites/carrd
Website: https://carrd.co
Category: Author Websites (https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/author-websites)
Pricing: freemium — $0–$49
AI-powered: no
Tags: one-page, landing-page, affordable, email-integration, mailing-list, book-launch
Last verified: 2026-05-14
Best For: Authors who need only one page — a book launch hub or mailing list signup — at the lowest possible cost ($19/year)
Custom Domain: yes
Ecommerce: no
Platform Type: landing-page

Carrd is a minimalist one-page website builder built for speed, simplicity, and affordability. Founded by indie maker AJ and bootstrapped to over 3 million sites, it excels as an author landing page — a book launch hub, a preorder signup page, or a minimal author bio linking to retailers and social profiles.

## What You Get

- **One-page responsive sites:** 75+ templates; mobile-optimized automatically; custom domain on Pro Standard ($19/year) and above
- **Email integrations:** Pro Standard connects to 18 email service providers, including Kit (ConvertKit), MailerLite, beehiiv, Mailchimp, EmailOctopus, Brevo, ActiveCampaign, Buttondown, GetResponse, and more — covering every major ESP used by indie authors
- **Payment embeds:** Pro Standard allows embedding Stripe Checkout buttons, PayPal buttons, and Gumroad product widgets — no native cart, but direct ebook sales are possible
- **Pro Plus extras ($49/year):** Payment-enabled forms with Stripe, automation via Zapier/Make/n8n, password protection, URL redirects, and custom robots.txt

## Who It's For

- **Authors launching a book:** A Carrd page built in an afternoon covers the basics — cover image, buy links, and a mailing list signup
- **Authors with simple needs:** If you only need one page and a functional email capture, Carrd at $9–$19/year is the lowest-cost professional option available
- **Authors already using Gumroad:** Gumroad product widgets embed cleanly for selling ebooks without a separate cart

**Pricing:** Free (3 sites, 50-element limit, no custom domain, Carrd branding); Pro Lite $9/year (removes branding, no custom domain or forms); Pro Standard $19/year (custom domain, 18 ESP integrations, Google Analytics, Stripe/Gumroad embeds); Pro Plus $49/year (payment forms, Zapier/Make, password protection). Annual billing only — no monthly plans.

## Strengths

- **Lowest cost with real functionality:** $19/year for a custom domain and full ESP integration is unmatched in this price range
- **18 ESP integrations on the standard plan:** Most site builders charge monthly subscriptions before unlocking mailing list connections; Carrd includes them from $19/year
- **Fast setup:** An author with no technical background can have a live page with a mailing list form in under an hour

## Limitations

- **No blog, no multi-page structure:** Carrd is permanently one page. No workaround exists. Authors who need book pages, a blog, or a press kit must use a different platform.
- **Weak SEO:** Single-page structure means one URL, one title tag, and one meta description. Ranking for multiple books or topics is not possible.
- **No autosave:** Page refreshes can delete unsaved work — a recurring complaint across Trustpilot and Capterra reviews. Build in chunks and save frequently.
- **Content moderation risk:** Some fiction authors in dark, mature, or horror genres have had sites suspended without notice. Carrd's content policies are enforced inconsistently.
- **Pro Lite ($9/year) does not include custom domain:** Many buyers expect a custom domain for any paid plan. It requires Pro Standard ($19/year) minimum.

## Alternatives

Wix offers a free plan, 15+ author-specific templates, multi-page structure, and a full blog — worth the step up when one page is no longer enough. For authors specifically wanting a link-in-bio style page, Linktree offers a comparable free option but without custom domains at the free tier. Pub Site (also in this directory) is purpose-built for authors with multi-book catalogues.