The 8 Best Linq Alternatives in 2026 (Prices, and Which Cards Need a Plan)

Linq's NFC card is popular. Its app has about 12,000 ratings on the App Store. You tap the card on a phone, and your page opens with nothing to install.

The catch is the plan. Linq's store says: "Product purchases do not include account access." So the card is the start of the bill, not the end of it.

That's a common complaint. In the reviews we mined, 189 name a feature locked behind a paywall. One buyer told us before ordering: "Looking to drop my Linq card for a better brand."

8 alternatives follow, each priced from its own pages, so you can see which cards work with no plan at all.

I'm Haydn, and I started V1CE.

More than 510,000 professionals now use V1CE. Teams at SpaceX, Lotus Cars and Air Canada carry our cards.

One result I'm proud of: Lotus Cars cut the time spent typing contacts into their CRM by 75% and saved $18,000 a year. James Woodward, their Head of IT Business Partnering, tells the story here:

I built V1CE, so I'm not neutral. That's why every tool below gets its real price, its public rating where it has one, and an honest verdict. Where Linq or a rival wins, I say so.

V1CE sits at 4.4 on Trustpilot from 1,100 reviews.

Linq started as a digital business card company. Today its homepage reads "Communication APIs for Messaging and Voice." In February 2026 it raised a $20 million Series A to build that.

Linq still sells cards. Its store, on November 2 and 3, 2026:

Linq Card: $14.99 with Linq branding, or $34.99 with your design.

Metal card: $59.99, laser engraved.

Other products: a badge for $39.99, a MiniCard for $24.99 and a Hub for $34.99.

The plan: "All products require an active subscription before activating to your account." Linq One is $29 a month or $249 a year per user. The App Store also lists Linq Pro from $4.99 a month.

Returns: faulty products can be replaced within 30 days. Linq's policy says "No Returns for Change of Mind," and no refunds on plan charges.

Where Linq wins: the card works on iPhone and Android, and the other person needs no app. It's rated 4.9 on the App Store from about 12,000 ratings and 4.8 on G2 from 554 reviews.

Where it falls short: the card needs a plan to work, and you can't send it back if you change your mind.

Three reasons push people to look elsewhere. Each one comes from Linq's own pages.

1. The card needs a plan

Buying a Linq card doesn't give you an account. Linq's card page says: "An active subscription is required to link the product to your account." Linq One is $249 a year per user, every year.

2. The company now sells messaging APIs

Linq's homepage now sells messaging and voice APIs to other companies. Its pricing page lists API plans, not card plans. Cards are still on sale, but they're no longer the headline.

3. No refunds on the plan

Linq's refund policy says it doesn't refund plan charges unless the charge wasn't authorized. Change your mind about a card, and you can't return it.

So this list looks for the opposite: a card that works with no plan, and a company that still puts the card first.

Linq puts CRM sync, follow ups, export, tracking and booking behind Linq One, at $29 a month. Every other tool on this page charges for CRM sync too. Here's what V1CE's free plan includes, and what Linq and the tools here charge for the same thing. You can make your own call.

CRM sync. Free on V1CE. Linq needs Linq One, at $29 a month. Blinq needs Business, at $4.99 a card with a 5 card minimum. HiHello needs Business, at $5 a user with a 5 user minimum. Wave needs Pro, at $7 a month billed yearly. Mobilo puts native sync on Teams, at $4 a person a month. Popl and Dot price it by quote.

Follow up emails that send themselves. Free on V1CE. Linq needs Linq One. Wave includes them free. The other tools here don't list them.

Export your contacts. Free on V1CE. Linq needs Linq One. Blinq needs Pro, at $16.58 a month billed yearly. Dot needs Profile+, at $144 a year. Popl needs a paid plan. Wave includes it free.

Views, taps and scans. Free on V1CE, with email opens and who shared your details. Linq needs Linq One. HiHello needs Professional, at $6 a month billed yearly. Blinq puts it on Business. Wave includes it free.

A booking link. One is free on V1CE, with a scheduler built in, so you don't need Calendly. Linq needs Linq One. Blinq needs Pro, at $16.58 a month billed yearly. Wave only lets you add an outside booking link.

Event badge scanning. Free on V1CE. Wave charges 4 credits a badge, at $2.50 a credit. Popl puts it on its team plan, priced by quote. HiHello gives 5 paper card or badge scans a month free. Blinq's free plan has a universal contact scanner, and puts event badge capture on Business at $9.99 a contact.

Sell your services, with checkout. Free on V1CE, with a 5% fee on what you sell. Neither Linq nor any other tool on this page lists it, at any price.

Agreements signed in the app. 10 a month are free on V1CE. Neither Linq nor any other tool on this page lists it.

A video and voice intro. Free on V1CE. HiHello charges $6 a month for branded video. Linq's pricing page doesn't list one.

No V1CE logo on your page. Free on V1CE. A Linq card needs a paid plan to work at all. Blinq charges $7.33 a month to remove its branding, Wave $7 a month, and Mobilo $36 a year.

Also included, as on several tools here: a wallet pass, QR code and email signature, virtual backgrounds for calls, two way contact exchange and no cap on new contacts.

The free plan has limits: 1 page, 1 booking link, 3 AI runs a month (card scans don't count) and a 5% fee on what you sell. The card comes with 30 days money back, and you keep it. See the full list on our pricing page.

Save your contacts first, then cancel. Follow these steps in order.

1. Save your contacts

Check Linq's help centre for how to export your contacts, and save the file while your plan is still active.

2. Import them into V1CE

Log in at app.v1ce.co and open CRM. Choose Import and upload your CSV. Match the columns to name, email, phone, company and job title, then confirm.

3. Cancel your Linq plan

Cancel once your contacts are safe. Linq doesn't refund plan charges, so time it before your next renewal date.

4. Hand out the new card

Your V1CE page opens on their phone with nothing to install, and their details come back to you.

Moving a whole team? Start a chat with us and we'll help.

Choose V1CE if you want a card designed for you that works with no plan.

Choose Blinq if you want a big free app, with a card that needs no plan.

Choose Popl if your team works trade shows and you're fine with a quote.

Choose HiHello if you don't need a card and want a free plan today.

Choose Wave Connect if you want a $42 custom card and a free capture form.

Choose Dot if you only need to share and want a $30 card.

Choose Tapni if you want a custom card for $29.90 that you pay for once.

Choose Mobilo if you want design help and a card that ships within 48 hours.

Stay on Linq if Linq One's team tools are worth $249 a year per user to you.

Still not sure? See your logo on a V1CE card. It's free, with nothing to fill in.