Guide · updated

Digital business card vs printed

Use a printed card when you meet people in person and want something they can keep; use a digital card when your details change, when you want to know who scanned, or when you meet people on calls. A QR code on the printed card makes it both.

Where printed still wins

Trade shows, restaurants, job sites, older customers, and any moment when pulling out a phone is awkward. A card costs about ten cents and asks nothing of the other person.

Where digital wins

Anything that changes: a new title, a new number, a new company. A live card updates every copy at once. It can also carry a photo, links and a booking button, and it tells you when it was opened. Apps like HiHello and Popl charge $6–12 a month for this; Cardie Tap is $19.99 a year because the printed card is the product and the digital one is the add-on.

NFC cards

An NFC card is a printed card with a chip that opens a link when tapped to a phone. It needs a live page behind it, so it only makes sense with a hosted card. Cardie Tap links work with any blank NFC card you program yourself; metal NFC cards are planned for the Pro tier.

The practical answer

Print the card. Put a QR code on the back. If your details are stable, make it a contact QR ($11.99, permanent). If they might change, make it Cardie Tap ($19.99 a year) and never reprint for a new phone number.