A Blinq alternative for cards, QR codes, barcodes and ID cards

Most people who search for a Blinq alternative are happy with digital business cards in general but need something Blinq doesn't focus on. The usual triggers are needing ID cards or barcodes, wanting to generate many items from a spreadsheet, or wanting local-currency pricing.

Blinq is built around the digital business card: a profile you share by QR code, link, email signature or wallet pass, with contact capture and follow-up tools around it. That is a clear, well-executed scope. But many organizations that buy business cards also produce other identity items, and they end up juggling several tools:

• HR and admin teams issue employee ID cards with photos and QR verification, and want them on the same brand template as staff business cards.
• Schools and colleges generate a whole batch of student IDs from a class list every academic year.
• Event teams need badges for attendees, speakers and staff, plus QR codes for signage and check-in.
• Shops and warehouses need Code 128 or EAN-13 barcodes for labels and member cards.
• Teams in India prefer to see and pay prices in rupees.

If any of these sound familiar, a broader platform can replace two or three separate subscriptions. If they don't, Blinq may already be the right tool, and we say so further down this page.

Blinq does the core digital business card job well and adds useful extras on top. Based on its public pricing page as of October 7, 2026:

• A generous free plan. Two free digital business cards with unlimited sharing by QR code, widget, email and SMS, plus a personal email signature and virtual backgrounds.
• Apple and Google Wallet. Cards can be added to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, which is handy for people who share from their phone's lock screen.
• AI follow-up tools. The Premium plan lists a universal contact scanner, an AI notetaker and AI contact enrichment.
• CRM integrations. The Business plan lists lead capture and enrichment and native CRM integrations, with more than 20 integrations mentioned.
• Enterprise controls. Enterprise lists enforced SSO, SCIM user provisioning, SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance, and a dedicated customer success manager.
• Physical NFC cards and an event badge service. Blinq sells NFC business cards as an accessory, and offers a done-for-you event badge service where each badge links to an attendee's digital card.

If you are a sales-led team that lives in a CRM and wants enrichment on every new contact, those are real advantages.

CardDeck is a broader identity platform: the same account that holds your digital business card also makes QR codes, barcodes, ID cards, event badges and membership cards, and generates any of them in bulk from a spreadsheet.

Cards, codes and IDs in one workspace

With CardDeck you design once in the card designer and reuse that brand across every card type. A team can run staff business cards, employee ID cards with QR verification, visitor badges and shelf QR codes from one workspace, with one member list and one set of locked templates.

Batch generation from CSV or Excel

The batch generator takes a CSV or Excel file, lets you map columns to card fields, and produces cards, IDs, badges, QR codes or barcodes in one job, exported as a print-ready PDF or individual files. Batch jobs go up to 500 rows on Pro, 2,000 on Team and 25,000 on Business.

Barcodes and QR codes as first-class tools

CardDeck includes a barcode generator for Code 128, EAN-13 and UPC-A with automatic check digits, and a QR code generator with static and dynamic codes. Static QR codes and barcodes are unlimited on every plan, including Free.

Contacts from every scan

Visitors to your card can share their details back through a contact exchange form. CardDeck stores those contacts so you can tag them and export them to CSV, with CRM export on Team and above. Note the difference: CardDeck exports to your CRM; Blinq lists native CRM integrations.

INR pricing

Every CardDeck plan has an INR price alongside the USD price, so teams in India can budget and pay in rupees.

The comparison table below lines up the two products on the features buyers ask about most. A few points need more context than a table cell allows.

Sharing. Both products share by QR code, link, email and messaging, and both work with NFC. Blinq supports Apple and Google Wallet passes; CardDeck does not offer wallet passes today. Every CardDeck card opens in any phone browser with a one-tap save-to-contacts button on iPhone and Android, so the person you meet never needs an app.

Email signatures. Blinq includes a personal email signature on Free and admin-controlled signatures on Business. CardDeck has an email signature generator that links your signature to your card and QR code.

Team management. Both offer brand-controlled templates for teams. CardDeck's Team plan adds locked brand templates, an admin dashboard, roles (owners, admins, editors and members), shared cards for a reception desk or shop, and one-click deactivation when someone leaves. SSO is on CardDeck Business; Blinq lists enforced SSO and SCIM on Enterprise.

Identity beyond business cards. This is the biggest difference. Blinq's event badge offering is a service where badges link to attendee cards. CardDeck lets you design and generate badges, employee IDs, student IDs and membership cards yourself, with barcodes or QR codes on them, from your own spreadsheet.

Compliance. Blinq publicly lists SOC 2 Type II on its Enterprise plan. CardDeck does not claim third-party certifications; our security practices page explains how we handle card and contact data.

On list price the two are close for individuals and teams; the difference is mostly in what each plan includes. Prices below are as published on October 7, 2026.

Individuals

• CardDeck Pro: $8 per month, or $6 per month billed yearly (₹399 / ₹299). Five digital cards, 50 dynamic QR codes, batch jobs up to 500 rows, 1,000 captured contacts, personal ID cards and badges, basic analytics and CSV export.
• Blinq Premium: $9.99 per month, or $7.33 per month billed annually. Up to five cards, a contact scanner, AI notetaker and enrichment, branded QR code and contact export. Blinq lists a 7-day free trial.

Teams

• CardDeck Team: $6 per seat per month, or $5 billed yearly (₹299 / ₹249), minimum 3 seats. Employee ID cards, locked brand templates, 200 dynamic QR codes, batch jobs up to 2,000 rows, admin dashboard, team analytics and CRM export.
• Blinq Business: $6.99 per user per month, or $4.99 billed annually. Team cards, admin-controlled email signatures, templates and brand control, lead capture and enrichment, and native CRM integrations. Blinq lists a 30-day free trial and usage-based charges for lead enrichment; check Blinq's pricing page for the current rate and any minimum team size.

Larger organizations

• CardDeck Business: from $199 per month, or $149 billed yearly (from ₹9,999), with custom pricing for volume. Unlimited cards, dynamic QR codes and contacts, batch jobs up to 25,000 rows, student IDs, event badges and membership cards, multiple brands, SSO, custom domain, API and priority support.
• Blinq Enterprise: custom pricing, with SSO, SCIM, compliance features and a dedicated CSM.

Free plans

Blinq Free includes two digital cards and wallet passes. CardDeck Free includes one digital card, two dynamic QR codes, unlimited static QR codes and barcodes, batch jobs up to 25 rows and 50 captured contacts. See full details on the CardDeck pricing page.

Blinq is the better choice when your needs sit squarely inside the digital business card and sales follow-up workflow. Choose Blinq if:

• You want Apple or Google Wallet passes for your card.
• Your team depends on native CRM sync and AI contact enrichment for every new lead.
• You scan a lot of paper business cards and want an AI notetaker attached to each contact.
• Your procurement team requires a vendor with a published SOC 2 Type II attestation today.
• You only need business cards, not ID cards, barcodes or bulk generation.

Choose CardDeck if you want one tool for team business cards, ID cards, event badges, QR codes and barcodes; if you generate items in bulk from spreadsheets; or if you want rupee pricing. Plenty of teams would be well served by either.

Switching takes an afternoon for an individual and a day or two for a team. The key is to keep your old links working until the new ones are in place.

1. Export your contacts from Blinq. Use Blinq's contact export so you keep the people you've already met.
2. Create your CardDeck card. Pick a template, add your photo, logo, links and contact details. Your card gets a permanent link and its own QR code.
3. Import your team. For a team, upload a CSV of names, titles, departments, emails and phone numbers. Each person gets a card on the locked company template.
4. Replace QR codes on printed material. Use a dynamic QR code for anything you print, so future changes never need a reprint.
5. Update email signatures and social bios. Point them at your new card link.
6. Move other identity work. Bring employee IDs, badges and barcodes into the same workspace using the batch generator.
7. Retire the old cards. Once your new links are live everywhere, cancel your Blinq plan.

Start on the Free plan to try the card designer and sharing before you move a whole team. See every capability on the CardDeck features page.