Haystack review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Digital-only business cards with directory sync for large companies
Our verdict
Second of our top three digital business cards
For: Anyone who wants to pay nothing, card scanner included
Haystack's free Personal plan puts no cap on cards, shares, contacts or AI scans of paper cards, with your logo, photos, notes and tags and the iPhone and Android apps. Pro is $4.50 a user a month billed yearly ($7.95 monthly), and Business is $2.50 a user for teams of 10 or more, and larger companies can create staff cards from Entra ID or Google Workspace. It is second because it sells no NFC cards, custom card design, email signatures and CRM links need Pro, the prices don't say whether they are US or Australian dollars, the 14-day trial charges your card when it ends, and no store rating is on record.
See all three and how we rankHaystack report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 24, 2026
Best for free digital cards with unlimited card scans
Haystack's free plan gives one person unlimited digital cards, contacts and AI card scans, and larger companies can create cards from their staff directory. It sells no NFC cards, your own card design and CRM links need Pro, and the prices don't say whether they're US or Australian dollars.
Who Haystack is for
- 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
Who Haystack is not for
- 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
Why Haystack gets a 3.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyPro is $4.50 a user a month on yearly billing, inside this category's cheapest quarter ($4.99), though $7.95 monthly. Business is $2.50 a user for 10 users or more, $25 a month at the least. The page doesn't say which dollar.
- AFree plan and trialPersonal is free with no cap on cards, shares, contacts or AI card scans, plus your logo, photos, notes, tags and both phone apps. Custom card design, email signatures and CRM links are the paid part.
- CFeaturesUnlimited cards, a paper card scanner, sharing by QR, link, widget and email signature, directory sync, admin templates, CRM links, Zapier, webhooks and a REST API. The listing's gap: no NFC cards, so a physical card means printing its QR code.
- BEase of useNo store rating on record. You make a card in the iOS or Android app and share it by QR, link or widget. Directory sync and admin templates are for companies setting up their staff.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, with Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Zapier, webhooks and a public REST API. No desktop app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Haystack's own pages on 24 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/haystack#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/haystack.svg" alt="Haystack: 3.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Haystack stands among digital business cards
Haystack's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 7 of the 10 other digital business cards we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 10 of 10) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $2.50 a month for each person, against a middle price of $5 for the category: 0 of the 8 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 11 digital business cards we grade, cut by the letter each got. Haystack’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 7 of 10, level with 2
- AFree plan and trialAbove 10 of 10
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 10, level with 6
- BEase of useAbove 4 of 10, level with 2
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 10, level with 9
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 9 digital business cards. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Haystack, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of Haystack you could make: digital business card and email signature. What surrounds it you could not. The 6 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 7 of the 10 other digital business cards we grade. It costs $30 a year.
What you could make
- Digital business card and email signature: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace and Zapier among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- Hooks into the device itself: widgets.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
What this rests on. Haystack’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Haystack?
Haystack makes digital business cards shared by QR code, link, phone widget or email signature, and sells no physical NFC cards. Individuals get unlimited cards and AI card scans free. Paid plans add custom card designs, smart email signatures and CRM integrations, and larger companies sync employee cards from Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace or an HR system.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Haystack pricing
As of Oct 24, 2026, Haystack has a free plan, and paid plans start at $2.50 per user / month, billed annually (Business, 10+ users).
- Starts at
- $2.50 per user / month, billed annually (Business, 10+ users)
- Free plan
- Personal plan, free: unlimited cards, shares and contacts, unlimited AI card scans, logo and photos, social links, notes and tags, and the iOS and Android apps.
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of Pro and Business; the card is charged only when the trial ends
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | $0 | For sole operators: unlimited cards, shares, contacts and AI card scans, with logo, photos and social links. |
| Pro | $4.50per 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 | $2.50per 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. |
| Enterprise | Custom | For 250+ users: usage-based pricing, HRIS integrations, custom fields, contract terms and dedicated customer success. |
Read from thehaystackapp.com on Oct 24, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Haystack before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountUp 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.
Stated on thehaystackapp.com
Works with
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Common questions
Does Haystack have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 24, 2026. Haystack is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Haystack have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 24, 2026. Haystack is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Haystack open source?
Haystack is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 24, 2026.
Does Haystack have an API?
Yes. Haystack offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 24, 2026.