Before comparing features and pricing, there's something worth knowing upfront if you're considering Linq for a digital business card: Linq pivoted away from digital business cards toward AI messaging infrastructure in 2025, raising $20M to fund that new direction. Its original card product — the NFC cards, app, and profile platform — has been effectively deprioritized as a result, with multiple independent reviewers noting the long-term future of the digital card product is uncertain.
That context matters more than any feature comparison, so here's the full picture.
Pricing, side by side
The pricing jump is the headline here: Linq's individual tier went from an affordable plan to $29/seat/month — roughly six times what Cardlyx charges for its equivalent Professional tier — while the core card product it's attached to is no longer the company's stated focus.
Lead capture and CRM
To Linq's credit, its built-in CRM with lead scoring and follow-up automation is a genuinely capable feature, and it's somewhat unique in bundling a phone/messaging system directly with the card. But that CRM and phone system is now the company's primary product — the digital card is the legacy feature bolted onto a pivot, not the other way around. Cardlyx's lead capture gate is the core product, not a leftover from a company that's moved on to something else.
Should you even consider Linq right now?
If you're already on Linq, the practical concern isn't features — it's continuity. Reviewers have flagged that existing cards may stop working or lose support without much notice as the company continues shifting toward its new direction. If you're evaluating Linq for a new digital business card today, you'd be adopting a product the company itself has moved away from, at nearly 6x the price of alternatives built specifically for this use case.
The bottom line
Linq's built-in CRM and phone system are interesting if that combined AI-messaging-plus-card bundle is genuinely what you need, and you're comfortable with an uncertain product roadmap. If you just need a dependable digital business card with lead capture, built by a company that isn't in the middle of pivoting to something else entirely, Cardlyx is the safer and cheaper choice.
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