Haystack vs Sansan (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Haystack if

• Fits if you want free digital cards and scan a lot of paper cards
• Works for companies that want staff cards created and switched off from their directory

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a physical NFC card, as Haystack sells none and suggests printing your QR code on paper
• Watch out: prices carry a dollar sign without saying US or Australian dollars, and the page takes both
• Not for you if you want your own card design, email signatures or CRM links for free: those need Pro or Business
• Tight if your team is under 10, as Business starts at 10 users, and HRIS sync and custom fields need Enterprise from 250
• Pricey if you pay monthly: Pro is $7.95 against $4.50 yearly, and the 14-day trial takes your card up front

Pick Sansan if

• Fits if a sales team wants every employee's cards in one company-wide database
• Works for firms with offices in several countries, as cards in 11 languages are read

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you are an individual, as it is sold to companies with a minimum of 10 users
• Watch out: no prices are published and the standard contract term is 1 year
• Skip it if you want a free plan or a trial, as none is listed
• Tight if you are outside Japan and want signature capture, which is Japan only
• Watch out: scans include a human data-entry step, so it is not fully automatic

Haystack

• Prices carry a dollar sign without saying whether they are US or Australian dollars; the page lists USD and AUD as payment options.
• Haystack sells no NFC cards; it suggests printing your card's QR code on paper cards if you want something physical.
• Card design, smart email signatures and CRM integrations need Pro or Business; HRIS integrations and custom fields are Enterprise features.
• Business is for teams of 10 or more, and Enterprise starts at 250 users with usage-based pricing.

Sansan

• No prices are published: every plan is quoted after a consultation, and the standard contract term is 1 year.
• The FAQ states a minimum of 10 users.
• Scanning uses a human data-entry step, since the vendor says AI alone is not yet accurate enough.
• The Contact Inbox feature that pulls contacts from email signatures is, per the features page, available only in Japan.

Haystack

Digital cards

Unlimited cards with a logo, profile image, gallery, theme colors, social and video links, a portfolio, brochures and a calendar scheduler.

AI card scanner

Scan paper business cards into contacts without limit on every plan, including the free one, and add notes and tags.

Sharing

Share by QR code, personalized link, iOS and Android home screen widgets, or a smart email signature.

Directory sync

Sync employees from Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace or an HR system so new hires get a card on day one and leavers' cards switch off.

Admin controls

An admin dashboard with card templates and employee permissions, such as locking synced job titles while people add their own links.

CRM, Zapier and API

Send new contacts met in person or over Microsoft Teams to a CRM, or connect other tools through Zapier, webhooks and a public REST API.

Sansan

Card scanning with human checking

Paper cards are scanned with a dedicated scanner or photographed on a phone. Sansan says AI reads each card and a person then checks it, giving 99.9% accuracy across 11 languages.

Shared contact database

Every employee's contacts go into one company database that anyone can search, so staff can see who in the company already knows a given person.

Organization charts and activity history

An organization tree is built for each customer company, and emails, calls and meetings can be attached to a company or a person.

Virtual Cards

Online business card exchange is part of the standard contract, and contacts added this way are managed like ones met in person.

Email to contact lists

Contacts can be turned into lists by business type, department or position, used to send bulk emails, and tracked for opens and clicks.

Integrations and security controls

The features page lists Salesforce integration, an API, two-factor authentication, SAML, IP address restrictions and usage log downloads.

Haystack

• Personal$0

  For sole operators: unlimited cards, shares, contacts and AI card scans, with logo, photos and social links.

• Pro$4.50

  per user / month, billed annually ($7.95 billed monthly)

  Custom card design, user permissions, custom links, smart email signatures, CRM integrations and analytics. Currency not stated.

• Business$2.50

  per user / month, billed annually ($4.95 billed monthly)

  For teams of 10 or more: everything in Pro plus teams for organizing shared contacts. Currency not stated.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For 250+ users: usage-based pricing, HRIS integrations, custom fields, contract terms and dedicated customer success.

Sansan

Pricing could not be confirmed. See sansan.com.

Haystack

• Annual discount

  Up to 40% off with annual billing

  Haystack's pricing page marks annual billing -40%: Pro is $4.50 per user a month billed annually against $7.95 monthly, Business $2.50 against $4.95.

Sansan

No public discounts listed.