- Eight card sorting tools from A to Z
- Check the methods list before anything else
- How they compare at a glance
- Broad research platforms with card sorting built in
- Lighter tools for teams with their own participants
- When you want real users recruited for you
- Advice for designers choosing a card sorting tool
- Plan the study before you pick the tool
- Frequently asked questions
The best card sorting tool depends on whether you only need card sorts and tree tests, or a wider research platform that includes them. A small team testing site navigation can do well with a dedicated tool, while a team that also runs interviews, surveys and prototype tests may prefer everything in one platform.
Card sorting asks people to group your content into categories that make sense to them. Tree testing then checks whether they can find things in the structure you've built. Between them, they're how you test a website's navigation before anyone writes a line of code, and they're far quicker to run than a redesign that misses.
Here are eight tools that run those methods, in no particular order. They're listed first so you can scan them, with the groupings and the comparison table further down.
Eight card sorting tools from A to Z
kardSort
Best for: Small UX teams who want card sorts, tree tests, first-click studies and surveys in one tool, with built-in analytics and Figma import, per the vendor.
Lyssna
Best for: Researchers who want card sorting alongside first click and five second testing, on a platform the vendor calls a go-to for understanding your audience.
Maze
Best for: Product teams wanting recruiting, testing and analysis together, card sorts and tree tests included, on a platform where the vendor says every study builds on the last.
Optimal Workshop
Best for: Research teams running card sorting, tree testing, first-click and prototype tests in one place, which the vendor sums up as insights made efficient.
Useberry
Best for: Designers testing websites, designs and prototypes remotely, moderated or not, who want card sorting to see how users group content, as the vendor puts it.
Userfeel
Best for: Anyone wanting card sorting and tree testing modes inside usability testing with real users, which the vendor says comes with AI-assisted insights.
UX Metrics
Best for: Teams with their own participants who want card sorts, tree tests, surveys and usability tests shared by links or embeds, with what the vendor calls shareable analysis.
UXtweak
Best for: Research teams running moderated and unmoderated studies with global recruiting, on a platform the vendor says has all the tools for UX research.
Check the methods list before anything else
Not every usability testing platform runs card sorts or tree tests, even well-known ones. Loop11, Helio and UserZoom don't mention card sorting on their own sites, which is why they're not here. If a platform's methods page doesn't name card sorting and tree testing, assume it doesn't do them until a salesperson shows you.
It's telling that UXtweak's own site files card sorting and tree testing under a separate category of specialised tools, while kardSort is built around exactly those methods. The vendors themselves treat information architecture testing as its own job. Two address changes matter too if you're reading older reviews: UserZoom's page now sits under UserTesting, and Trymata's address lands on QuestionPro's UX product.
How they compare at a glance
| Tool | Kind of tool | Good at |
|---|---|---|
| kardSort | Card sorting and tree testing tool | Card sorts and tree tests without a big platform |
| Lyssna | Research and usability testing | Card sorting next to first click and five second tests |
| Maze | Research platform with card sorting | Recruiting, testing and analysis in one place |
| Optimal Workshop | Research platform with card sorting | Dedicated information architecture research |
| Useberry | Remote UX research platform | Remote tests on websites, designs and prototypes |
| Userfeel | Usability testing and surveys | Card sorts inside usability testing with real users |
| UX Metrics | Card sorts and tree tests with your own participants | Studies with your own participants via links or embeds |
| UXtweak | UX research platform | Moderated and unmoderated studies with recruiting |
Broad research platforms with card sorting built in
Optimal Workshop is the name most UX researchers know for card sorting, and it still lists card sorting, tree testing, first-click and prototype testing among its methods. Maze brings recruiting, testing and analysis together, with card sorting and tree testing as part of a much wider research platform. Lyssna pairs card sorting with first click testing and five second testing. Useberry runs remote moderated and unmoderated tests on websites, designs and prototypes, including card sorts.
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These make sense if card sorting is one method among many in your research plan. For the wider field, see my list of user research tools.
Lighter tools for teams with their own participants
UX Metrics runs card sorts, tree tests, surveys and usability tests with your own participants, shared through links, embeds and live URLs. That suits an in-house designer who already has a customer panel or a mailing list of willing testers, and who wants a focused tool rather than a full research suite.
When you want real users recruited for you
Userfeel is a usability testing service with real users that includes card sorting and tree testing modes. If you don't have participants of your own, a recruit-first service saves you the hardest part of the study. My list of usability testing tools covers more options that recruit testers for you.
Advice for designers choosing a card sorting tool
Start from the decision you're trying to make. If you're building navigation from scratch, you need an open card sort to see how people group things in their own words, then a tree test to check the structure you build from those results. If you're tidying an existing menu, a tree test on its own might answer the question faster.
Then look at participants. A tool with recruiting built in is easier for a one-off study; a tool that works with your own participants is better value of your time if you test regularly with customers. Whatever you pick, run a short pilot with a couple of colleagues first. Confusing card labels ruin a sort, and you only find that out by watching someone struggle.
Plan the study before you pick the tool
- Write down the one navigation question the study has to answer.
- Choose open, closed or hybrid sorting: open to discover groups, closed to test the groups you already have.
- Pick the cards: real content titles, written the way your visitors would read them.
- Decide who takes part and whether you'll recruit them yourself.
- Follow the sort with a tree test on the structure it suggests.
- Share the results with whoever owns the menu, before anyone starts designing.
Do you make card sorting or tree testing software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between card sorting and tree testing?
Card sorting shows how people group your content. Tree testing checks whether they can find items in a structure you've already drafted. Most navigation projects use both, sorting first.
Should I run an open or closed card sort?
Run an open sort when you're building categories from scratch and want people to name the groups. Run a closed sort when you already have categories and want to see where people place things.
Do I need a full research platform for card sorting?
Not if card sorting and tree testing are the only methods you use. A dedicated tool is often simpler. A broad platform helps when you also run interviews, surveys and prototype tests.
Why aren't some usability testing platforms on this list?
Some well-known usability platforms don't mention card sorting on their own sites, so they're left off. Check each tool's methods list before you buy.
Is this list ranked?
No. The tools are in no particular order, listed alphabetically and then grouped by scope.
