Haystack vs Linq
Haystack
thehaystackapp.com
Linq
linqapp.comSide by side
| Figure | Haystack | Linq |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.21/mo | $260/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 3 |
| Spec score · Business Card Software | 9.2 (#1) | 8.3 (#4) |
| Spec score · Digital Business Card Software | 9.0 (#4) | 8.1 (#10) |
| Spec score · Contact Management Software | 8.9 (#6) | 8.1 (#17) |
| Headquarters | Murarrie, Queensland, Australia | Birmingham, Alabama, United States |
| Intended users | Haystack says its digital business card solution is for people and organizations of any size that need business cards. | Linq describes its API as designed for software platforms, CRM and sales tools, customer support platforms, marketing automation tools, and developers building messaging solutions. |
| Product | Haystack provides branded digital business cards for networking and contact sharing. | Linq provides a communications platform and API for businesses and developers to send and receive messages and make calls across iMessage, RCS, SMS, and voice. |
| Security certification | The company says it is SOC 2 compliant and offers a SOC 2 Type II report on its enterprise comparison. | Linq says it holds SOC 2 Type I and Type II certifications and continuously monitors 70 controls. |
| Support | The company describes onboarding help, training sessions, technical assistance and dedicated enterprise support. | The Pro plan includes a dedicated Slack channel for support and updates; Enterprise includes forward deployed engineers. |
Plans
Haystack
- PersonalFree
- Business (annual)$2.50 a year
- Pro (annual)$4.50 a year
- Business$4.95 a month
- Business (monthly)$4.95 a month
- Pro$7.95 a month
- Pro (monthly)$7.95 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Haystack
Haystack provides branded digital business cards for networking and sharing contact details. Cards can be distributed by QR code, text, email, LinkedIn, iMessage, NFC, or unique link; recipients can open them without installing the app. Its paper-card scanner uses AI to turn received cards into contacts or CRM records. For teams, administrators can manage shared contact details, control which fields users may edit, customize designs, and track engagement. Named integrations include Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspaces, HRIS software, Zapier, webhooks, and a public REST API; Salesforce, MS Dynamics, and HubSpot are also named as connectable CRM platforms. Haystack says it has SOC 2 accreditation, complies with GDPR, conducts penetration testing and third-party cybersecurity audits, and does not sell user data to advertisers. The Personal plan is free at free. Pro costs $7.95 a month and Business costs $4.95 a month, both billed monthly and including 14 days free. The FAQ says the free version allows one card per email address; multiple cards for one address are available on paid plans. Haystack offers Android, iOS, web, and API access.
Linq
Linq is a communications platform and API for businesses, software platforms, and developers. It supports sending and receiving messages and making calls across iMessage, RCS, SMS, and voice, with automatic protocol selection and fallback for supported messaging channels. Rich messaging includes media, group chats, reactions, message effects, typing indicators, polls, and real-time webhooks. Listed use cases include customer support, sales engagement, appointment reminders, order notifications, and AI agents. Developers receive API documentation and CLI access; Linq says a first workflow can be built in less than five minutes. The service advertises 99.95% uptime and latency below 120 ms. Linq states that it holds SOC 2 Type I and Type II certifications, encrypts sensitive data stores at rest, and restricts privileged access to encryption keys. The Hobby plan costs nothing for up to 20 contacts. Pro starts at $260 a month; Enterprise pricing is custom. Android, iOS, web, and API access are listed.