Newbi vs Popl: which digital business card is right for a small business?
An honest comparison of Newbi and Popl on price, bookings, selling, WhatsApp, Arabic and lead capture, using each company's own figures, for owners choosing between them.
By Wesley Sing, Founder of Newbi6 min read
Popl is one of the biggest names in digital business cards, and it has grown into something larger: its homepage now describes it as an AI platform for capturing leads at in-person events, built for B2B marketing and sales teams. Newbi is built for a different customer. I built Newbi, so keep that in mind. Every Popl figure below comes from Popl's own website, help centre or App Store listing, checked on 8 October 2026, with links so you can check them.
The short version: Popl is built for teams that capture leads at events and send them into a CRM. Newbi is built for owner-run businesses whose card has to take bookings, show what they sell and work on WhatsApp.
At a glance
| Newbi | Popl | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No. 14-day free trial of Pro | Yes, a free plan, plus Pro and Pro+ in the app (help centre) |
| Price for one person | Pro, $12 a month (R189, AED 45, £9) | In-app Pro from $7.99 (R54.99, AED 11.99, £5.99), Pro Plus $14.99 (App Store) |
| Price for teams | Professional, $25 a month for ten cards | Custom quote after a demo (pricing) |
| Booking appointments on the card | Built in, on Pro | A link to your own scheduling tool, on an Event Lead Capture plan (help centre) |
| Products with prices on the card | Built in, on Pro (up to 10 products) | Not stated on Popl's pages |
| WhatsApp button on the card | Every card | Share your card over WhatsApp (help centre); a button on the card is not stated |
| Lead capture | A form on every card; export on every plan | On every plan; export on Pro, Pro+ and Teams (help centre) |
| Event badge scanning | Not offered | Yes, for teams (pricing) |
| Apple and Google Wallet | Pro and above | Every plan (help centre) |
| Card in Arabic, right to left | Yes, one of eight languages | App listed in English; you can type your card in any language (help centre) |
| Email signature, virtual backgrounds | Basic: a signature to copy and a meeting background with your QR code | Yes, on every plan |
| CRM | Leads sent to your CRM by webhook, on Professional | Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics, Pipedrive and others, on Pro, Pro Plus and Teams (help centre) |
| Custom domain | Yes, on Professional | Branded subdomains on Pro+ and Teams (help centre) |
Where Popl is the better choice
If your team works events. Popl's team product is built for trade shows and conferences: badge scanning, lead capture with AI enrichment, and leads sent straight to your CRM. Newbi does not scan badges and is not built for event marketing teams.
If you want the lowest price for a simple card. Popl has a free plan, and its in-app Pro plan costs less than Newbi's cheapest plan. If you only need to share your details, Popl costs less.
If leads must flow into a CRM with no setup. Popl offers native integrations with the major CRMs on its paid plans. Newbi's Professional plan sends leads by webhook, which works with most CRMs but needs a little setting up.
If you want an email signature or video background. Popl includes both, even on its free plan. Newbi has a simpler version of each: a signature you copy from the Share tab and a meeting background with your QR code.
Where Newbi is the better choice
If clients book appointments with you. Newbi's Pro plan has booking built into the card: your services and their durations, your opening hours, a confirmation with a calendar invite, a link to cancel or reschedule, and a reminder in the 24 hours before. On Popl, a booking button links to your own scheduling tool and needs an Event Lead Capture plan.
If you sell products or packages. A Newbi Pro card shows up to ten products with photos, prices and variants, plus priced packages. Popl's pages do not describe a product catalogue.
If customers message you on WhatsApp. Every Newbi card has a WhatsApp button that opens a chat with you. Popl lets you share your card over WhatsApp; a WhatsApp button on the card itself is not described.
If you want to keep your leads on any plan. Every Newbi card has a lead form, and you can export your leads to a spreadsheet on every plan. On Popl, exporting leads needs Pro, Pro+ or Teams.
If you work in Arabic. Every Newbi card can be shown in Arabic, with the whole layout right to left, including buttons, booking and forms. Popl lets you type your own text in any language; its app is listed in English.
If you want your own domain. Newbi's Professional plan can put your card on your own web address. Popl offers branded subdomains.
If you are a small business, not a marketing team. Popl's direction is event lead capture for B2B teams. Newbi's is the opposite end: a barber, a florist, a consultant or a clinic whose card is their shop window, booking desk and WhatsApp line in one.
What each costs
Popl's in-app plans in the App Store start at $7.99 for Pro and $14.99 for Pro Plus, with local prices in South Africa, the UAE and the UK. Team pricing is a custom quote. (App Store, pricing)
Newbi's plans are:
- Newbie: one card, $5 a month (R79, AED 19, £4).
- Pro: three cards, bookings, a shop with up to ten products, and wallet passes. $12 a month (R189, AED 45, £9).
- Professional: ten cards, up to 100 products, leads sent to your CRM, a custom domain and priority support. $25 a month (R399, AED 92, £19).
Yearly plans cost the price of ten months, and you can try Pro free for 14 days.
The verdict
Choose Popl if your team captures leads at events and lives in a CRM, or if you want a low-cost card with an email signature.
Choose Newbi if you run your own business and want a card that takes bookings, shows what you sell, collects enquiries and opens a WhatsApp chat, in your currency and in Arabic if you need it.
You can try Newbi's Pro plan free for 14 days, and see made-up example cards for a barber, a florist and a law firm.
Popl's prices and features were taken from popl.co, Popl's help centre and its App Store listing on 8 October 2026 and may have changed since. "Not stated" means we could not find the feature on Popl's own pages, not that it definitely does not exist.