Compare / Semirare vs Cargo
The Cargo alternative made for artists.
Cargo is loved by designers for its freeform editor, but many painters and illustrators find it fiddly. Semirare gives you a finished, image-first site in minutes, and you can publish for free.
Semirare
Free
then $72 a year for unlimited works
Cargo
Paid
from about $168 a year
Semirare wins on
4 of 8
things artists ask for most
Semirare vs Cargo
| Semirare | Cargo | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan you can publish on | ✓ | ✕ |
| Unlimited works for under $10 a month | ✓ | ✕ |
| Your own domain, free on every plan | ✓ | ✕ |
| Your own website, not a profile in a feed | ✓ | ✓ |
| No other subscription or hosting needed | ✓ | ✓ |
| No ads on your site | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ready in minutes, no design skills needed | ✓ | ✕ |
| Made for artists, not businesses | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price | $0, or $6 / month | About $14 / month billed yearly, $19 monthly |
Why artists switch from Cargo
- ✓ Pick a theme and upload. No layout editor to learn, and every theme works on phones.
- ✓ Publish for free with up to 12 works. Cargo charges before you can go live.
- ✓ About half the price: $6 a month billed yearly.
- ✓ Persona users moving on after it joined Cargo get the same simplicity here.
What holds Cargo back
- ✕ Hard to learn if you just want to put your paintings online.
- ✕ Layouts can break or feel slow on phones.
Switching takes an afternoon
- Step 1
Sign up free and pick one of 40 themes.
- Step 2
Upload your works and put them in series. Keep your Cargo site running meanwhile.
- Step 3
Point your domain at Semirare, free on every plan. HTTPS is set up for you.
A few Semirare themes
Salon for painting, fine art
Works hung together on a coloured gallery wall.
Folio for graphic design, editorial
An index of projects with a preview that follows the cursor.
Aperture for photography
One photograph at a time, full screen, with a frame counter.
Two plans. That’s all.
No add-ons, no bandwidth bills, no price that doubles after the first year.
Free
For getting started, and for small bodies of work.
$0
- Up to 12 works
- Every theme
- yourname.semirare.com
- Your own domain, with HTTPS
- Contact form and inbox
- PDFs of your work to send, with a share link
Pro
For working artists with a growing archive.
$6 / month, billed yearly
- Unlimited works
- Password-protected pages
- $8 month to month
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Cargo details as published on their website, checked 28 September 2026. Prices marked “about” are from third-party pricing sites. They may have changed since.