Dot vs Linq (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Dot grades higher than Linq: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 and Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Dot grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. Linq grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Dot
NFC cards, bands and stickers that share a free browser-based profile
Linq
NFC business cards and a pocket CRM with a second phone line
Which one is for you
Pick Dot if
- Fits if you want an NFC card or sticker for $30 once and no subscription
- Works for people who'd rather share contacts without either side installing an app
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as Dot runs only in the browser
- Pricey if you want the card scanner, contact export or your own logo, which need Profile+ at $12 a month yearly or $15 monthly
- Not for you if you need CRM sync at a listed price: Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier are on dot.Teams Growth, which is quoted
- Tight if you're staying free, since insights only go back 7 days and dot. branding stays on your profile
Pick Linq if
- Fits if you want a separate work number with call notes in the same app as your card
- Works for teams buying many cards or badges at once, with 15% to 60% off bulk orders
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you just want a card, because every Linq product needs Linq One at $29 a user a month to activate
- Tight if you're staying free: the app shows only your 5 most recent contacts and can't switch on a card
- Not for you if you want a native CRM link, as Linq connects through Zapier or webhooks only
- Watch out: Linq's main site now sells an iMessage API and says it's no longer a digital business card company
- Watch out: the App Store still sells older Linq Pro plans the help pages no longer describe, and the trial length isn't stated
How we grade them
| 2.4GPADotFair | 2.0GPALinqFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CProfile+ is $12 a month on yearly billing ($15 monthly), and dot.Teams Essential $8 a user, both above this category's dearer quarter at $7.50 but short of its dearest tenth. A dot.card is $30 once and the free profile asks nothing more. | DLinq One is $29 a user a month, or $249 a year (about $20.75 a month), in this category's dearest tenth, where the middle is $5. A card bought on top, $14.99 to $59.99, won't work without it. |
| Free plan and trial | Bdot.Profile is free for life: unlimited links, 190+ themes, two-way contact exchange, basic contact management and wallet passes. One person can share on that; insights stop at 7 days and the scanner and export are Profile+. | CThe app is free, but a free account shows only your 5 most recent contacts and can't activate a Linq card or any other NFC product. You hit that cap on day one. |
| Features | CCards, stickers, bands and a counter display, a profile with unlimited links, two-way exchange, follow-up reminders, branded QR codes and team templates. The listing's gaps: no mobile app, and CRM sync only on the quoted Growth plan. | CContact pages, NFC cards and badges, lead forms, a card scanner, enrichment, a second phone number with call transcription and AI summaries, and a team dashboard. The listing's gap: no native CRM, only Zapier or webhooks. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. You set up the profile in your phone's browser and share it by tap or QR, with no app to install on either side. | CNo store rating on record. Before a card works you buy it, subscribe to Linq One and activate it in the app, and the trial length isn't stated. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only: no iPhone or Android app, so everything runs in the phone's browser and wallet passes. Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier sync exist only on the quoted dot.Teams Growth plan. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Zapier, webhooks, Calendly, Acuity Scheduling and Apple Wallet. No desktop app and no native CRM integration. |
| Best for | a one-off NFC card with a free browser profile | an NFC card with a second work phone line |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Dot and Linq. How we grade
Price against what you get
Dot starts at $8 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Linq starts at $29 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Dot starts $21 a month lower. Of the other digital business cards on the chart, 6 score higher than Dot for less, and 6 score higher than Linq for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Linq also covers business phone line and email signature.
At a glance
| Dot | Linq | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8 per user / month, billed annually (dot.Teams Essential) | $29 per user / month (Linq One) |
| Free plan | Dot.Profile, free for life: 190+ themes, unlimited links, two-way contact exchange, basic contact management, 7 days of insights, a basic QR code and Apple and Android wallet passes. | The app is free and Linq calls Linq One optional, but a free account shows only the 5 most recent contacts and cannot activate a Linq card or other NFC product. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of dot.Profile+ | Free trial on Linq One's monthly plan in the iOS app; the length is not stated |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | dot. cards, inc. | Linq, LLC |
| Price read from | dotcards.net | linqapp.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Dot
- Dot has no mobile app; everything runs in the phone's browser and on the web.
- The AI card scanner, contact export, your logo and removing dot. branding need Profile+, at $12 a month yearly or $15 monthly.
- Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier sync are on dot.Teams Growth, which is quoted; Essential lists no CRM integration.
- The free profile shows only the last 7 days of insights.
Linq
- Every Linq card or NFC product needs an active Linq One subscription ($29 per user a month) to work; buying the product does not include account access.
- Linq's main site now sells an iMessage API and says it is no longer a digital business card company, though the card store and apps are still live.
- CRMs connect through Zapier or webhooks; Linq's help says the app has no native one-click CRM integrations.
- The US App Store still lists older Linq Pro ($4.99 a month or $49.99 a year) and Pro Plus purchases that Linq's help pages no longer describe.
Key features
Dot
- dot.devices
- Cards, classic and thin phone stickers, metal cards, wristbands and a counter display for shops. A tap or QR scan opens your profile.
- No app on either side
- Profiles are set up and shared through the phone's browser, and the person you meet saves your contact straight from the page.
- dot.Profile
- Bio, banner and profile picture with unlimited contact, social, payment, music and productivity links, updated in real time.
- Contact tools
- The contact tools include two-way exchange, follow-up emails and reminders, meeting notes and meeting location; the AI card scanner, lead map and bulk CSV export need Profile+.
- Branded QR codes
- Profile+ styles your QR code with your logo, text and colors and lets you download it for print.
- dot.Teams
- Admins build profile templates, lock fields, control devices and track invites. Growth adds white-label profiles, a contact map and Salesforce and HubSpot sync.
Linq
- Linq pages
- A contact page with links, photos, video, Calendly embeds and a lead form. Linq One allows more than one page, with two pages per seat.
- NFC and QR products
- Cards, mini cards, badges and hubs open your page with a tap or scan; Hyper Linq products show an iPhone App Clip preview that Linq One can customize.
- Contact capture and follow-up
- People who tap your card can send their details back. Linq One adds a paper card scanner, contact enrichment, reminders, follow-up templates and message snippets.
- Linq Phone
- Linq One includes a second phone number with call forwarding, call recording and transcription, AI call summaries, text suggestions and auto-replies.
- Team admin dashboard
- Admins add team members, activate and reassign products, manage phone numbers, bulk-edit pages and publish a team directory.
Plans
Dot
dot.Profile$0
Free for life: unlimited links, two-way contact exchange, basic contact management, wallet passes and 7 days of insights.
dot.Profile+$12
per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
480+ themes, AI paper card scanner, contact export and map, your logo, no dot. branding, styled QR codes and lifetime insights.
dot.Teams Essential$8
per user / month, billed annually
A standard device free for each member, profile templates, locked content, bulk profile creation and team management.
dot.Teams GrowthCustom
Custom devices for each member, Profile+ features, white-label profiles, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier sync, team insights.
dot.card$30
one-time, per device
Tap-and-QR card for your dot.Profile with no subscription needed. dot.metal is $50 and custom designs start at $75.
Linq
Free$0
A Linq page in the app that shows only your 5 most recent contacts. Cards and other NFC products cannot be activated.
Linq One$29
per user / month, billed monthly ($249 per user billed yearly)
2 pages per seat, lead forms, card scanner, enrichment, a second number with call transcription and AI summaries, CRM links and admin tools.
Linq Card$14.99
one-time, per card
NFC and QR card that opens your Linq page; needs Linq One to activate. Custom printed $34.99, metal $39.99, engraved metal $59.99.
Ways to pay less
Dot
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual Profile+
Dot's profile page shows Profile+ at $144 a year ($12 a month) against $15 a month billed monthly, and labels the yearly option save 20%.
- Other savings
Free devices with dot.Teams
Every dot.Teams member gets a complimentary device with an extended warranty: a standard device on Essential and a custom one on Growth.
Linq
- Annual discount
Save 29% with yearly Linq One
Linq One is $29 per user a month, or $249 per user a year, which Linq's page says saves 29%.
- Other savings
15% to 60% off products ordered in bulk
Orders of 10 to 24 products get 15% off, rising by tiers to 30% at 100, 50% at 1,000 and 60% at 10,000 or more, applied automatically at checkout.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Dot or Linq?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Dot is cheaper to start with: $8 a month for each person, against $29 a month for each person for Linq. Dot starts at $8 per user / month, billed annually (dot.Teams Essential), and Linq starts at $29 per user / month (Linq One).
Which has a free plan, Dot or Linq?
As of Oct 24, 2026, both Dot and Linq have a free plan.
Which platforms do Dot and Linq run on?
As of Oct 24, 2026, only Linq lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.