Popl vs Wave Connect (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick Popl: it is third in our ranking of digital business cards, and they share a 3.0 GPA.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 and Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Popl
Digital business cards and event badge scanning for sales teams
Wave Connect
Digital business cards with AI badge scanning on prepaid credits
Which one is for you
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
Pick Wave Connect if
- Fits if you staff a booth and want badge scans sent to a CRM without renting the show's scanner
- Works for a team of three or more that wants cards and CRM sync on one plan
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you scan a lot: credits cost $250 for 115, a badge takes 4 and they expire after 12 months
- Tight if you want CRM sync alone or as a pair, since it starts on Teams, which bills three users at least
- Watch out: removing Wave branding and a branded QR code need Pro, at $7 a month yearly or $9 monthly
- Not for you if you need SSO, SCIM or unlimited lead-capture users without a quote, as those are Enterprise only
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAPoplVery good | 3.0GPAWave ConnectVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CPro is $7 a month on yearly billing ($9 monthly in the iOS app), near this category's dearer quarter at $7.50. Teams is $5 a user, the middle, with three users at least. Scanning credits cost extra: $250 for 115. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BThe free card comes with a personal email signature, unlimited sharing and contacts, wallet passes, a lead form and personal analytics, with no end date. The 10 AI scanning credits are a one-off taste. |
| Features | 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. | BCards with galleries, video and booking, a scanner that reads badges, paper cards and LinkedIn QR codes offline, waterfall enrichment, signatures for Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, team templates and native CRM sync. That covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | APopl rates 4.8 on the US App Store from 103,265 ratings, the top of our ease ladder. | AWave Connect rates 4.8 on the US App Store from 1,604 ratings, the top of our ease ladder. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with native sync to Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho and monday.com, plus Slack. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with native sync to HubSpot, Salesforce, Dynamics 365, Zoho, Pipedrive and HighLevel, and Zapier to 5,000+ apps. No desktop app. |
| Best for | event badge scanning that feeds a CRM | small teams scanning event badges into 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: Popl and Wave Connect. How we grade
Price against what you get
Popl starts at $6.42 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wave Connect starts at $5 a month for each person and scores 3.3.
They score the same, and Wave Connect starts $1.42 a month lower. Of the other digital business cards on the chart, none scores higher than Popl for less, and none scores higher than Wave Connect 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
At a glance
| Popl | Wave Connect | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $76.99 per year for Pro (US App Store) | $5 per user / month, billed annually (Teams, three-user minimum) |
| Free plan | 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. | a digital card, a personal email signature, unlimited sharing and contacts, Apple and Google Wallet, a lead capture form, personal analytics and 10 trial credits for AI scanning. |
| Free trial | Free trial of Pro and Pro+; the length is not stated on the pages read | 7-day free trial of Pro; 14-day free trial of Teams |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Popl Co | Wave Connect Inc. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | wavecnct.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Wave Connect
- AI scanning uses credits: 4 per event badge and 1 per paper card, LinkedIn QR or lead form; 100 credits plus 15 free cost $250 and last 12 months.
- Teams needs at least 3 users, and CRM sync, templates and locked fields start there.
- Enforced SSO, SCIM provisioning and unlimited lead-capture users need Enterprise, which is quoted.
- Removing Wave Connect branding and using a branded QR code need Pro or higher.
Key features
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.
Wave Connect
- Digital card and sharing
- Contact details, photo gallery, video and files, calendar bookings and a link in bio, shared by QR code, text, email, wallet pass, phone widget or offline.
- AI badge and card scanner
- Snap an event badge with only a name and company and Wave finds the rest; it also reads paper cards and LinkedIn QR codes, and keeps scanning offline.
- Waterfall enrichment
- Several data sources plus AI search look for each contact's email, phone and LinkedIn. Failed lookups and duplicate scans are not charged.
- CRM sync
- Teams syncs leads natively to HubSpot, Salesforce, Dynamics 365, Zoho, Pipedrive and HighLevel with custom field mapping, or to 5,000+ apps through Zapier.
- Email signatures
- Branded signatures for Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail; Teams admins set signatures for the whole team.
- Team admin
- Templates, bulk import from a spreadsheet, bulk edits and locked fields, admin, manager and viewer roles, and a shared lead dashboard.
Plans
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.
Wave Connect
Free$0
A digital card and personal email signature, unlimited sharing and contacts, wallet passes and a lead form.
Pro$7
per month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly in the iOS app)
Branded QR code and profile, custom colors and fonts, no Wave branding, AI lead capture with enrichment and offline mode.
Teams$5
per user / month, billed annually (3-user minimum)
Admin platform, templates and locked fields, team lead capture with qualifiers and voice notes, CRM sync and a shared credit pool.
EnterpriseCustom
Enforced SSO, SCIM, unlimited lead-capture users on an annual credit package, CRM setup and a dedicated account manager.
Wave NFC Business Card$23
one-time, per card
NFC card linked to your Wave profile. Custom printed $42, metal $53, phone tap or bracelet $23.
Ways to pay less
Popl
No public discounts listed.
Wave Connect
- Annual discount
Save about 22% with yearly Pro
The US App Store lists Pro at $84 a year against $9 a month, and Wave's pricing page shows Pro at $7 a month billed annually.
- Other savings
Bonus credits on larger lead capture packs
Wave adds free credits to bigger packs: 5 extra with 50, 15 with 100, 35 with 200 and 70 with 400 credits.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Popl or Wave Connect?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Popl starts at $76.99 per year for Pro (US App Store), and Wave Connect starts at $5 per user / month, billed annually (Teams, three-user minimum). 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, Popl or Wave Connect?
As of Oct 24, 2026, both Popl and Wave Connect 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.