Free, online, and what that actually means
“Free” gets used loosely in this category. Some providers advertise a free card that is really a trial: everything works for 14 days, then the card stops or the features disappear. Others are free for good but cap the things you notice quickly — how many cards you can have, whether the vendor’s logo appears, how long analytics are kept. QRBold’s free card is the second kind. It does not expire, and the limits are the ones in the table above.
“Online” matters as much as “free”. A digital business card that lives on the web works for the person receiving it with no setup: they scan, the card opens in their browser, and they tap to save. Nobody downloads an app, which is what makes the free card usable for real networking rather than just a demo.
What you need before you start
Making the card takes a few minutes if you have these ready.
- A photo or logo. A clear, square head-and-shoulders photo works better than a cropped group shot. A logo is optional.
- The contact details you want public. The card is a public web page, so use work details rather than a personal mobile, unless you are happy for anyone with the link to have it.
- Two to five links. LinkedIn plus whatever someone would do next: book a call, message you on WhatsApp, see your work. A long wall of icons gets fewer taps than a short list.
- A laptop or desktop browser. The card editor needs a screen at least 1024 px wide. Once the card is published you can open, share and check it on your phone.
When the free card is enough, and when it isn’t
The free card is enough when you are one person sharing your own details, you mainly need people to save your contact correctly, and seven days of scan history and a small QRBold badge do not bother you.
You will outgrow it at one of these points:
- More than one person needs a card. The free plan is one card by design. Team starts at $2 a card a month on annual billing, from a single card — see plans and pricing.
- You want people’s details back, not just yours out. Lead capture forms, where a contact leaves their details on your card, are on Team and Business.
- The card has to look like your company and nobody else’s. Removing the QRBold badge, locking one template for everyone, and serving cards from your own domain are paid features.
- IT has to approve it. SSO, SCIM provisioning and directory sync are on Business.
If free is the only thing that matters and you need more than one card, other providers’ free plans include two. See how free plans compare across providers — we would rather you pick the right tool than sign up for the wrong one.
Sharing your free card
All of these work on the free plan.
- Your phone screen. Open your card and let the other person scan the QR code off your display.
- A printed QR code. Download the code as SVG for print and put it on a paper card, a badge or a table sign, with a clear white border around it. More on printing your card’s QR code.
- The link. Paste it into WhatsApp, LinkedIn, an email signature or a meeting invite. For remote introductions the link usually works better than a QR code.
- An NFC tag you already own. Any writable NFC tag can hold your card’s link. QRBold does not sell NFC hardware.