Linq vs Popl (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick Popl: it is third in our ranking of digital business cards, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Popl grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Linq
NFC business cards and a pocket CRM with a second phone line
Popl
Digital business cards and event badge scanning for sales teams
Which one is for you
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
Pick Popl if
- Fits if you work trade shows and want badge scans sent straight to a CRM
- Works for one person who wants a free card with a form for people to leave their details
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to see a team price before talking to sales, since team plans are quoted after a demo
- Tight if you're staying free: exporting leads and custom QR codes need Pro, and custom form options need Pro+ or Teams
- Watch out: Pro and Pro+ prices appear only in the App Store, not on Popl's own pricing page, and the trial length isn't stated
- Skip it if you want a card app for one person, as Popl's site is now built around event lead capture for B2B teams
How we grade them
| 2.0GPALinqFair | 3.0GPAPoplVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CPro is $76.99 a year on the US App Store, about $6.42 a month, between this category's middle ($5) and its dearer quarter ($7.50). Pro+ is $144.99 a year. Team plans are quoted, with no published price. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BThe free card comes with a lead capture form, an email signature, virtual backgrounds and insights, with no time limit. One person can share a card on that; exporting the leads it collects needs Pro. |
| Features | 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. | BSharing by QR, NFC accessory, wallet and watch, a badge scanner that reads printed names, contact enrichment, AI follow-up emails and native CRM sync with field mapping. That's the whole job, though most of it sits on the team plans. |
| Ease of use | 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. | APopl rates 4.8 on the US App Store from 103,265 ratings, the top of our ease ladder. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Zapier, webhooks, Calendly, Acuity Scheduling and Apple Wallet. No desktop app and no native CRM integration. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with native sync to Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho and monday.com, plus Slack. No desktop app. |
| Best for | an NFC card with a second work phone line | event badge scanning that feeds a CRM |
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: Linq and Popl. How we grade
Price against what you get
Linq starts at $29 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Popl starts at $6.42 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.3.
Popl scores higher and starts $22.58 a month lower. Of the other digital business cards on the chart, 6 score higher than Linq for less, and none scores higher than Popl 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.
At a glance
| Linq | Popl | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $29 per user / month (Linq One) | $76.99 per year for Pro (US App Store) |
| Free plan | 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 plan for individuals: a digital card, a lead capture form, an email signature, virtual backgrounds and personal insights. Exporting leads and custom QR codes need Pro. |
| Free trial | Free trial on Linq One's monthly plan in the iOS app; the length is not stated | Free trial of Pro and Pro+; the length is not stated on the pages read |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Linq, LLC | Popl Co |
| Price read from | linqapp.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Popl
- Team plans are priced only by quote after a demo; Popl says they carry no per-seat, per-scan or credit charges.
- Pro and Pro+ prices are read from the US App Store listing; Popl's own pricing page does not publish them.
- On the free plan, leads collected through the form cannot be exported; that needs Pro, Pro+ or Teams.
- Popl's site is now built around event lead capture for B2B teams, and the individual card app gets little space there.
Key features
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.
Popl
- Digital card and sharing
- Share a card by QR code, NFC accessory, Apple Wallet, Apple Watch, phone widgets or an email signature, in several layouts and languages.
- Universal Badge Scanner
- Reads the printed name and company on any event badge, even when the QR code is encrypted, and also scans paper cards and LinkedIn QR codes. Works offline.
- Contact enrichment
- Fills in verified business email, direct phone where available, LinkedIn profile and company size, industry and headquarters for scanned leads.
- Lead form and AI follow-ups
- Everyone gets a lead capture form when sharing a card. Pro and up export leads and draft follow-up emails with AI; custom form options need Pro+ or Teams.
- CRM sync
- Native sync with Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho and monday.com, with custom field mapping, duplicate checks and real-time auto sync.
- Team dashboard and insights
- Team admins set email signature templates, manage members and subteam admins, and see campaigns, top performers and engagement across the team.
Plans
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.
Popl
Free$0
One person's card with a lead capture form, email signature, virtual backgrounds and personal insights.
Pro$76.99
per year (Popl Pro Yearly, US App Store)
Adds lead export, AI follow-up emails, custom QR codes and single link mode. The store also lists Pro at $7.99 with no period shown.
Pro+$144.99
per year (Popl Pro Plus Yearly, US App Store)
Adds custom lead capture form options. The store also lists Pro Plus at $14.99 with no period shown.
Teams: Digital Business CardsCustom
Cards for a whole team, email signature templates, an admin dashboard and CRM sync. Quoted, with no per-seat charge.
Teams: Event Lead CaptureCustom
Universal Badge Scanner, contact enrichment, event campaigns and qualifiers, CRM sync and a dedicated CSM. Quoted.
Ways to pay less
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.
Popl
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Linq or Popl?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Linq starts at $29 per user / month (Linq One), and Popl starts at $76.99 per year for Pro (US App Store). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Linq or Popl?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Linq and Popl have a free plan.
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.