# ConnectMachine vs Linq, an honest comparison > ConnectMachine is a Linq alternative for people whose digital business card needs outlived the product. Linq's site today centers on iMessage, RCS, SMS and Voice APIs for AI assistants, and no card product is advertised. ConnectMachine starts free, costs $5.99 per month for everything, and adds AI notes and memory to every contact. ConnectMachine is an AI agent for digital business cards and contact management. Web version of this page: https://www.connectmachine.ai/compare/linq-alternative/ ## ConnectMachine vs Linq at a glance | | ConnectMachine | Linq | | --- | --- | --- | | What it is today | A digital business card with AI contact memory, for individuals and teams | iMessage, RCS, SMS and Voice APIs for teams building AI assistants | | Digital business card | The core product: your card, AI card scanning, and contact memory | No longer advertised on linqapp.com | | Who it is for | Individuals first, with a Team plan when you need it | Developers and teams building customer messaging workflows | | Pricing transparency | Public pricing: free plan, $5.99 Individual, $5.99 per seat Team | No card pricing published; the messaging platform offers a sandbox | | NFC hardware | None needed: share by QR code, link, and wallet pass | Previously known for NFC cards; none advertised on the site today | | Contact memory | Notes and voice memos attached to every contact, built for personal recall | No equivalent advertised | | Ask your network in plain language | AI Concierge searches your contacts and calendar conversationally | No equivalent advertised | | Security and privacy | GDPR compliant with data localization; data encrypted in transit and at rest; contacts private by default and never sold | SOC 2 Type II and end-to-end encryption advertised for the messaging platform | ## How ConnectMachine works ### Get your contacts out first If you still have access to a Linq account, export your contacts before anything else and keep the file somewhere safe. When a vendor changes direction, the export button is the part you will miss most. ### Create your ConnectMachine card in minutes Download the app or use the free web builder, add your details, and share by QR, link, or wallet pass. The person you meet needs no app and no account to save you. ### Let the AI carry the memory Attach a voice memo or note while the conversation is fresh. Later, ask the AI Concierge who you met at last month's conference or who mentioned hiring, and get an answer from your own network. ## Where ConnectMachine stands apart ### A card that cannot be sunset out from under you ConnectMachine's card is the product, not a side business. Your details live at a public URL you can share anywhere, your QR downloads as a print-ready file, and everything exports to CSV whenever you want. ### No hardware, nothing to replace Share by QR code, link, or a pass in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. When your title or number changes, the card updates live and there is nothing to reprint or re-order. ### A memory layer no card platform matches Notes, voice capture, and an AI concierge you can ask about your own network turn a card exchange into a relationship you can actually resume months later. ### Pricing you can see Free to start, $5.99 per month for everything on Individual, $5.99 per seat on Team. No request-pricing form, and you know the cost before you commit. ## Choose ConnectMachine if - You used Linq for a digital business card and want a platform where the card is the whole point, not a discontinued product line. - You want to remember people, not just share details: notes, voice memos, and an AI you can ask about your own network. - You want transparent pricing: free to start and $5.99 per month for everything, with CSV export on the free plan. - You care about privacy and compliance: GDPR compliant, data localization, contacts private by default and exportable any time. ## Choose Linq if - You are a developer or team building AI assistant messaging over iMessage, RCS, SMS, or Voice: that is what Linq builds now. - You need messaging infrastructure with SOC 2 Type II certification and end-to-end encryption, which Linq advertises for its current platform. ## How to switch from Linq ### Export your Linq contacts while you can Sign in to your Linq account and export your contacts to a file. Do this first: once a product is no longer the company's focus, access can change with little notice. ### Create your ConnectMachine card Build your first card in a few minutes on the free plan. Add your links, photo, and the details each audience should see, and put the pass in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. ### Repoint your share surfaces Swap the link in your email signature, replace the QR on your lock screen, and print the new QR wherever the old tap card used to do the job. From that moment every new exchange lands in ConnectMachine. ## The verdict Linq earned its place in this category, but its website today is about messaging APIs for AI assistants, and no digital business card product is advertised there. If you are building AI messaging over iMessage or RCS, Linq's new platform is aimed at you. If you came here because your card needs a home, ConnectMachine starts free, keeps pricing public at $5.99, and remembers every contact for you. ## FAQ ### What is the best Linq alternative? For a digital business card, ConnectMachine: it starts free, shares by QR, link, and wallet pass, and attaches AI notes and memory to every contact. Linq's own site now centers on messaging APIs for AI assistants, so card users need a new home either way. ### What happened to Linq's digital business card? linqapp.com today advertises iMessage, RCS, SMS and Voice APIs for teams building AI assistants, and no digital business card product is advertised on the site. If you still have a Linq account, export your contacts while you can still reach them. ### Can I keep using a Linq NFC card? A Linq NFC card points to a profile that Linq's service resolves, so what a tap does depends on what Linq keeps running. ConnectMachine does not depend on NFC hardware: your card shares by QR code, link, and wallet pass from the phone you already carry. ### Do I need NFC hardware for a digital business card? No. Your ConnectMachine card shares by QR code, link, and wallet pass, and the other person needs no app to save you. There is nothing to buy, lose, or reprint when your details change. ### Is ConnectMachine free? Yes. The free plan includes up to 4 cards, 3 paper card scans, wallet passes, widgets, the WhatsApp Assistant, and CSV export. Individual is $5.99 per month for everything, and Team is $5.99 per seat. ### How do I move my contacts from Linq to ConnectMachine? Export your contacts from Linq while you still have access and keep the file. Your phone contacts stay where they are, and any paper cards in the drawer can be scanned straight into ConnectMachine with the AI scanner. ## Keep exploring - [Digital Business Card](https://www.connectmachine.ai/use-case/digital-business-card.md): A digital business card is the modern replacement for the paper card you used to hand out and hope people kept. - [Business Card Scanner](https://www.connectmachine.ai/use-case/business-card-scanner.md): A business card scanner saves you from the shoebox of paper cards you never look at again. - [QR Business Card](https://www.connectmachine.ai/use-case/qr-business-card.md): A QR business card puts your entire professional identity behind a single square code. - [Contact Manager App](https://www.connectmachine.ai/use-case/contact-manager.md): A contact manager app is only as good as what it helps you do next.