Linq business card alternative: ConnectMachine vs Linq
ConnectMachine is a Linq alternative for people who want a digital business card from a company whose main product is the card. Linq's homepage today centers on iMessage, RCS, SMS and Voice APIs for AI assistants, while the Linq digital business card app is still listed on Google Play. ConnectMachine starts free, costs $5/month billed annually ($59.99/year) or $5.99 month-to-month for everything, and adds AI notes and memory to every contact.
ConnectMachine vs Linq.
What it is today
ConnectMachine: A digital business card with AI contact memory, for individuals and teams
Linq: iMessage, RCS, SMS and Voice APIs for teams building AI assistants
Digital business card
ConnectMachine: The core product: your card, AI card scanning, and contact memory
Linq: No longer advertised on linqapp.com
Who it is for
ConnectMachine: Individuals first, with a Team plan when you need it
Linq: Developers and teams building customer messaging workflows
Pricing transparency
ConnectMachine: Public pricing: free plan; Individual $5/month billed annually or $5.99 month-to-month; Team the same per seat
Linq: No card pricing published; the messaging platform offers a sandbox
NFC hardware
ConnectMachine: None needed: share by QR code, link, and wallet pass
Linq: Previously known for NFC cards; none advertised on the site today
Contact memory
ConnectMachine: Notes and voice memos attached to every contact, built for personal recall
Linq: No equivalent advertised
Ask your network in plain language
ConnectMachine: AI Concierge searches your contacts and calendar conversationally
Linq: No equivalent advertised
Security and privacy
ConnectMachine: GDPR compliant with data localization; data encrypted in transit and at rest; contacts private by default and never sold
Linq: SOC 2 Type II and end-to-end encryption advertised for the messaging platform
The difference, in plain terms.
Your card is the main product, not a side line
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, then $5/month billed annually ($59.99/year) or $5.99 month-to-month for everything on Individual, and the same per seat on Team. No request-pricing form, and you know the cost before you commit.
Who should pick which.
Choose ConnectMachine if…
- You used Linq for a digital business card and want a platform where the card is the whole point. Linq's homepage no longer leads with its card.
- 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, then $5/month billed annually or $5.99 month-to-month for everything, with CSV export on Individual and Team.
- 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.
Three steps, zero friction.
From download to your first shared card in one sitting. Your existing contacts come with you.
Export your Linq contacts while you can
Sign in to your Linq account and export your contacts to a file. Do this first, so you keep a copy of your contacts.
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.
Moving from more than one app? See switching to ConnectMachine for export steps from Blinq, HiHello, Popl, Mobilo and CamCard.
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/month billed annually ($59.99/year) or $5.99 month-to-month, and remembers every contact for you.
The verdict · Tables included, no spin.
Frequently asked questions.
Everything people usually ask before switching from paper. Still curious? See the full FAQ.
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.
Looking for a Linq alternative now that Linq has moved on from business cards? ConnectMachine imports your contacts and keeps your card free.
Still deciding? Try the free plan.
Three minutes to set up, nothing for the other person to download, and a memory layer none of the others have.