Digital business card pricing: free plan, subscriptions and NFC

The price question for a digital business card usually starts in the wrong place. People look at the monthly fee, while the real cost depends on how often the card changes, how many people use it and whether the incoming connections are tracked at all. This article walks through the items that set the price, how far a free plan takes you and how teams should do the maths. The figures are from DigiCardSystem's list on the day of publication; the current list is always on the pricing page.

Four things that set the price

Almost every digital business card product is priced along the same four axes. First, the number of cards: one person and a whole sales team use the same product at very different scales. Second, the number of users: who can edit cards and who can see reports. Third, the feature set: QR and vCard download are basic; a custom domain, NFC cards, lead capture forms, email signatures and export are reserved for higher tiers. Fourth, the physical card: a printed card with an NFC chip is a separate item, independent of the subscription.

Once you know these four axes, comparison becomes simple. Instead of "how much per month", ask "how many cards, how many users, which features, and will cards be printed". The answer sets the price by itself.

What the free plan covers

For a single person the free plan covers most needs: one card, your own page, a QR code and save-to-contacts. Freelancers, single-location businesses and anyone who wants to try first start here. The limits of the free plan are the card count and the team features: one card, one user. When you want to add a second person or publish the card on your company domain, you change plans.

A small suggestion: use the card properly on the free plan first. For a week, let everyone you meet scan the QR; see how many people opened your page and saved you to their contacts. If the payment decision comes after that data, there is no regret.

Subscription plans: the DigiCardSystem example

As of publication there are three paid tiers. Starter at 299 TRY per month: ten cards, three users, QR and vCard, lead capture with a contact form, NFC card support, card templates and email signature. Measured for small teams, businesses with a dealer network and sales crews of a few people. Pro at 799 TRY per month: fifty cards, ten users, everything in Starter plus a custom domain, white label, CRM webhook and CSV export. Enterprise at a custom price: limits are set to the need, with a separate contract and invoicing process.

Annual billing carries a discount; you see the amount at checkout. An upgrade takes effect immediately, a downgrade at the end of the period. You do not need a paid plan for a single card; the point of the paid plans is team and brand features.

How to work out the cost of an NFC card

A physical NFC card is a one-off item: there is a price per card, the unit cost falls with quantity, and the design and print option change the price. You buy the card once; the address inside points to your card page, and the card does not change when the page does. That is why it is right to think of an NFC card as a tool bought once rather than an annual expense. We explained how the chip talks to the phone in how NFC business cards work.

Two questions before buying NFC cards: Do the people you meet mostly carry NFC-capable phones? Will you use the card in face-to-face settings such as trade fairs, visits and meetings? If either answer is no, starting with QR and adding NFC later is the more economical route.

Compared with printed cards

The visible cost of a printed card is low; the invisible cost is high. When a title, phone number or address changes, the cards in the box become invalid, and a reprint means both money and waiting. You never know how many of the cards you handed out were kept. With a digital card a change goes live instantly, every link you shared stays valid and you can see how many times the page was opened.

This does not mean printed cards are finished. In some industries a card handed over in person is still expected. The most balanced approach is a small number of printed cards carrying a QR code, used together with the digital card. See the QR code business card article for how to print the code correctly.

The maths for teams

When calculating for a team, look at cards and users rather than headcount. For a sales team of five, Starter is enough: one card per person, edit rights for managers. A field team of thirty falls into Pro; the real value there is publishing the cards on the company domain and exporting the collected connections. Above a hundred people, or with several brands or countries, an Enterprise conversation is the right step.

Two items that are easy to miss in team plans: closing the card of someone who leaves and opening a card quickly for someone who joins. Because the cards live in the company account, both take minutes; with printed cards it means a new print run and collecting the old cards.

Watch for hidden costs

When comparing, ask for clear answers to these: Can the card page be published on your own domain? Does the product's name and logo appear on your card, and is removing it an extra charge? Can your data be exported, or do the connections disappear when you leave the product? When a payment is cancelled, does the card page close immediately or stay open until the end of the period? The answers to these matter more than the price tag.

How to choose

If you are one person, start on the free plan and decide after you have really used your card page. If you are a small team, set up the contact form and email signature on Starter. If you will publish cards on your own domain and export the connections, move to Pro. In every case, open your card first with a free sign-up; the digital business card page explains the product and the pricing page lists every plan.