Best digital business card apps in 2026: free and paid
An honest look at the best digital business card apps, including the best free ones: Linq, Blinq, HiHello, Wave Connect, Popl and Dot, compared on price and features.
There are dozens of digital business card apps, and most of them look alike at first glance. The differences show up in the details: what the free plan really includes, how much teams cost, and whether you need to buy hardware.
A quick disclosure: we make Linq. To keep this fair, every price below comes from each company’s own website, checked on October 20, 2026, and we say where each app beats us. Prices change, so check before you buy.
What makes a good digital business card app
Whichever app you choose, look for these:
- A free plan you can actually use: create, publish and share a card without paying.
- No app for the people you meet. Your card should open in any browser when someone scans your QR code or taps your link.
- A QR code and a link that never change, so printed codes keep working after you edit your card.
- One-tap save contact, so people can add you to their phone’s contacts.
- A way to hear back, such as a contact form on your card, and somewhere to track follow-ups.
- A quick way to add the people you meet, such as scanning their QR code, so you don’t depend on them reaching out.
- Fair team pricing, if you’re buying for colleagues.
The apps at a glance
| App | Free plan | Paid plan for one person |
|---|---|---|
| Linq | 1 card, QR code, two-way exchange, QR contact scanning, email signature, 7-day insights | Pro: $5.99/month |
| Blinq | Up to 2 cards, QR code, Wallet passes | Premium: $9.99/month, or $7.33/month yearly |
| HiHello | Personal plan, QR code, Wallet passes | Professional: $6/month, or $72/year |
| Wave Connect | Card, analytics, lead form, Wave branding | Pro: $7/month, billed yearly |
| Popl | Free mobile app | Not published |
| Dot | Profile linked to a Dot NFC card | You buy the card |
Linq
Best for: individuals and small teams who want a free card with a built-in contact inbox, and a low price for a small team.
Linq’s Free plan covers the essentials: a card with its own link and QR code, one-tap save contact, a Stay in touch form that sends people’s details and message to your Contacts, and insights for the last 7 days. People who save your contact are asked to share theirs back, and you can scan someone’s QR code to add them yourself, then note where you met and set a follow-up reminder. A free Share kit adds an email signature, a video call background and a lock screen QR code. Linq Pro is $5.99 a month, billed monthly, and adds up to 10 cards, 30 and 90-day insights, a custom card link, contact export, webhooks that send new contacts to Zapier, Make or your CRM, and any card color.
Teams are where Linq is most different: they’re included in Pro. The owner’s subscription covers a team of three (the owner and two colleagues), each extra member is $2.99 a month, and there’s no minimum number of users. Colleagues join with a free account, and owners manage everyone’s on-brand cards and see team insights. Linq is also available in English, French and Arabic, with a full right-to-left layout.
Good to know: Linq runs in your browser rather than as an App Store or Google Play app, and it doesn’t offer Wallet passes, paper card scanning or built-in CRM connectors yet (Pro sends contacts to your CRM through webhooks, Zapier or Make). Linq NFC cards can be designed in the app now, with orders opening country by country.
Blinq
Best for: people who want native apps and Wallet passes, and companies that need CRM integrations.
Blinq’s free plan includes up to two cards, unlimited sharing, a QR code, Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes, an email signature and virtual backgrounds for video calls. Premium is $9.99 a month, or $7.33 a month billed annually, and adds up to five cards, custom colors, a branded QR code, contact export and AI tools. Business costs $6.99 per user per month, or $4.99 billed annually, with a five-card minimum. Blinq also sells NFC cards.
Read our full Linq vs Blinq comparison.
HiHello
Best for: people who live in video calls, and larger companies that need SSO.
HiHello’s free Personal plan includes a QR code, Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, an email signature, virtual backgrounds and a few paper card scans a month. Professional is $6 a month, or $72 a year, and adds custom colors, a branded QR code, a personalized link and card analytics. Business is $5 per user per month with a five-user minimum and adds SSO, an admin dashboard and CRM integrations.
Read our full Linq vs HiHello comparison.
Wave Connect
Best for: teams that capture leads at trade shows.
Wave Connect’s free plan is generous: a card with analytics, a lead capture form and Wallet passes, with Wave branding on your card. Pro is listed at $7 a month, billed annually, and Teams at $5 per user per month, billed annually, with a three-user minimum. Its AI tools scan event badges and paper business cards using credits, and it sells NFC cards.
Read our full Linq vs Wave Connect comparison.
Popl
Best for: companies that want NFC accessories and event lead capture.
Popl is known for NFC accessories, including phone tags, cards, wristbands and keychains. Individuals can use its free mobile app, and team plans, focused on event lead capture with a badge scanner and CRM integrations, are priced by custom quote after a demo.
Read our full Linq vs Popl comparison.
Dot
Best for: people who mainly want a physical card to tap.
Dot is built around a physical NFC card linked to your digital profile. People tap the card with their phone, or scan the QR code on the back, to open your details. If you don’t want a physical card, it’s less of a fit than an app with a free digital card.
Read our full Linq vs Dot comparison.
What’s the best free digital business card?
It depends on what you need from the free plan:
- For hearing back from people, Linq’s free plan includes a contact form, a Contacts inbox to track follow-ups and 7 days of insights.
- For more than one card, Blinq’s free plan includes up to two.
- For Wallet passes and video-call backgrounds, Blinq, HiHello and Wave Connect all include them for free.
- For analytics without paying, Wave Connect and Linq both include them, with Wave’s branding on Wave’s free card.
All of them let you create and share a card with a QR code for free, so you can try two or three and keep the one you like.
Do you need a digital business card app?
You need an account, but not necessarily an app download. The people you meet never need an app with any of these: your card opens in their browser. For you, Blinq, HiHello, Wave Connect and Popl offer iPhone and Android apps, while Linq runs entirely in your phone’s browser, so there’s nothing to install or update.
The bottom line
If you want native apps and Wallet passes, Blinq and HiHello are strong choices. If your team captures leads at events, look at Wave Connect or Popl. If you mainly want a physical card, Dot fits. And if you want a free card that helps you follow up, plus a small team included in Pro, try Linq. It takes two minutes, and our guide on how to make a digital business card walks you through it.