For trade shows, MeetDrop is the strongest pick, and we make it, so check the table. Most scanners stop at reading the card. MeetDrop also keeps the conversation, reads the lead's company website, scores every lead against the customer you described, and drafts the follow-up from what was said. Popl comes closest but publishes no price. Blinq is the best free digital card.
Why MeetDrop is first on this list
Every app here reads a card. What decides whether a trade show pays off is the hour after the scan: knowing who mattered, and writing to them while they still remember you. That is where MeetDrop pulls ahead.
A voice note after every conversation
Speak for twenty seconds after someone walks away. MeetDrop turns it into the lead and reads their card to correct anything the microphone misheard — the card's spelling of a name always wins.
Every planCompany details filled in for you
MeetDrop reads the lead's own company website and adds what the company does, its size, location and year founded. It checks that the site names the company before trusting it, so a parked domain never becomes a fact.
Pro and TeamEvery lead scored against your ideal customer
Describe the industries, company sizes and roles you actually win, once. Every lead is scored against it, so a hundred cards arrive in an order instead of a pile, and the scoring learns from the deals you close.
No other app here scores against your criteriaPro and TeamThe follow-up drafted from what was said
Each lead gets an email written from your actual conversation, not a template. Send one, or a sequence of two or four that stops when they reply. Nothing goes out until you press Send.
Every plan · sequences on paid plansYour CRM, on your terms
Native Salesforce and HubSpot, plus webhooks that post every lead as JSON to any other system. Set a rule — for example, only leads that scored above 50 and replied — so the whole show does not land in your pipeline.
Pro and TeamA price you can read
Unlimited leads free, with 10 AI follow-up emails a month and no card. $49 covers one show’s follow-up, or Pro at $99 a month for unlimited. It keeps capturing with no signal on a crowded show floor and syncs when you are back online.
Popl and CamCard publish no priceSide by side: what happens after the scan
Checked on each vendor's own website on 4 October 2026. Where a vendor's site does not claim a feature, the cell says so; where it is partial, it says what it actually is.
| Records the conversation | Company details | Scores leads against your criteria | Writes the follow-up | Email sequences | Native CRM | API / webhooks | Price published | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MeetDrop | Yes — a voice note per lead | Yes — reads their website | Yes, against your ideal customer | Yes, from the conversation | 1, 2 or 4 — a reply stops it | Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive | Webhooks | Yes |
| Popl | Yes | Yes | Qualifier questions | Templates, plus AI drafts in the app | Timed drips | Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive and 3 more, on Teams | API | No — quote only |
| Blinq | Yes, on Premium | Person data | Hot, warm and cold tags | Drafting help | Not offered | Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive and 3 more, on Business | API; webhooks on Enterprise | Yes |
| CamCard | Yes — AI notetaker | Contact changes | Not claimed | AI drafts, bulk campaigns | Not claimed | Salesforce, Dynamics, Outlook, Google, on Business | API | No — quote only |
| Covve | Dictated notes | AI summaries | Research, no score | Not claimed | Not claimed | Yes, as a paid add-on | Scanning API | Yes |
| HiHello | Not claimed | Some fields | Not claimed | Sends your card back | Not claimed | Business plan and up | Not claimed | Yes |
| ABBYY | Not claimed | Not claimed | Not claimed | Not claimed | Not claimed | Salesforce export only | Not claimed | Yes |
Green: offered. Amber: partial, and the cell says how. Grey: not claimed on the vendor's own site.
Which CRM each one sends contacts to
People reach this page searching for a scanner that works with Pipedrive, HubSpot, Salesforce or Outlook, so here is each app's answer, from its own website or help centre on 13 October 2026. "Not stated" means the vendor does not claim it; a paid plan named in the cell is the one the vendor says you need.
| Salesforce | HubSpot | Pipedrive | Microsoft Dynamics | Outlook / Microsoft 365 | Google Contacts | Zapier / webhooks | Export file | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MeetDrop | Yes, Pro | Yes, Pro | Yes, Pro | No | No | No | Webhooks, Pro and Team | CSV, every plan |
| Popl | Yes, Teams | Yes, Teams | Yes, Teams | Yes, Teams | Yes, Teams | Not stated | Zapier, every plan | Not stated |
| Blinq | Yes, Business | Yes, Business | Yes, Business | Yes, Business | Yes, Business | Not stated | Zapier, Business | CSV |
| CamCard | Yes, Business | Not stated | Not stated | Yes, Business | Yes, Business | Yes, Business | Not stated | Excel, Business |
| Covve | Paid add-on, Pro | Paid add-on, Pro | Paid add-on, Pro | Paid add-on, Pro | Yes | Yes | Zapier | Excel / CSV |
| HiHello | Yes, Business | Yes, Business | Not stated | Yes, Business | Exchange | Any paid plan | Zapier, beta | Spreadsheet |
| ABBYY | Leads only, Premium | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | CSV, Premium |
Green: native. Amber: with a condition the cell names. Grey: the vendor does not claim it.
The seven, ranked for trade-show use
- 1
MeetDrop we make this one
Card, voice note, company details, a score against your ideal customer, and a follow-up drafted from the conversation — in one app, at a published price. Against it: no official badge scanning, and it is new, with few reviews yet.
Best for: exhibitors who need the follow-up to happen, not just a contact list.
- 2
Popl
The closest rival: it records booth conversations, enriches contacts and sends timed follow-up emails. Against it: no published price for event capture, and lead qualification is questions you answer rather than a score.
Best for: larger teams already buying through a sales process.
- 3
Blinq
The most-reviewed digital business card, with an AI notetaker on Premium and CRM sync on every plan. Against it: event capture is $9.99 a lead, and automated sequences are not part of it.
Best for: handing out your own card.
- 4
CamCard
A long-running scanner with an AI notetaker and broad CRM support. Against it: quote-only pricing and no lead scoring.
Best for: companies standardising on one scanner for many staff.
- 5
Covve
A contact manager with good scanning, dictated notes and AI research on the person. Against it: CRM sync is a paid add-on and it writes no emails.
Best for: keeping a personal network up to date.
- 6
HiHello
A tidy digital card that scans cards and badges, with a free tier of five scans a month. Against it: no voice notes, no scoring and no follow-up.
Best for: occasional scanning on a small budget.
- 7
ABBYY Business Card Reader
Accurate reading on iPhone. Against it: the Android app was discontinued in 2023, and nothing happens after the scan except an export.
Best for: iPhone users who only want contacts.
What each one costs
| Published price | |
|---|---|
| MeetDrop | Unlimited leads free (10 AI follow-ups a month); $49 per show; Pro $99/mo ($79 billed yearly); Team $199/mo |
| Popl | None published — quote only |
| Blinq | Free card; Premium $9.99/mo; Business $6.99/user/mo; event capture $9.99 per lead |
| CamCard | None published — quote only |
| Covve | $119/yr; Pro $199/yr; CRM add-on $60/yr |
| HiHello | Free (5 scans a month); Pro $6/mo; Business $5/user/mo |
| ABBYY | 10 free scans; $7.99/mo, $29.99/yr or $59.99 once |
Left off the list: Microsoft Lens, the free app many older lists still recommend. Microsoft retired it from iOS starting 9 January 2026, and it has not been supported since 9 February 2026.
How to judge a card scanner
Photograph a card on the demo and see the follow-up MeetDrop drafts from it.
Try the demoRelated questions
What is the best business card scanner app for trade shows?
MeetDrop, if the cards are leads you need to follow up. It reads the card, keeps a voice note of the conversation, scores each lead against your ideal customer and drafts the follow-up from what was said. We make it; the comparison table shows how the others line up.
What is the best free business card scanner app?
MeetDrop captures unlimited leads free with no card, voice note included, and writes 10 AI follow-up emails a month. HiHello's free tier allows five scans a month, Blinq has a free digital card, and ABBYY gives ten free scans. Microsoft Lens, the old free default, was retired in 2026.
Which business card scanner scores leads?
Of the seven here, only MeetDrop scores every lead against criteria you set: the industries, company sizes and roles you win. Popl and Blinq let you answer qualifier questions or tag leads hot, warm or cold by hand. Scoring is on MeetDrop Pro and Team.
Can a card scanner write the follow-up email?
MeetDrop drafts each follow-up from the conversation you recorded and can send a sequence of up to four that stops when they reply. Popl sends timed template emails, and CamCard and Blinq help you draft. Nothing in MeetDrop is sent until you press Send.
Does MeetDrop work with HubSpot and Salesforce?
Yes. Both are native connections on Pro and Team, and webhooks post every lead as JSON to any other system. You can also choose which leads sync, for example only those that scored above a threshold and replied.
Is Microsoft Lens discontinued?
Yes. Microsoft's own support page says Lens was retired from iOS starting 9 January 2026 and has not been supported since 9 February 2026.
Which business card scanner app works with Pipedrive?
MeetDrop (on Pro), Popl (on its Teams plan), Blinq (Business plan) and Covve (a paid add-on on Pro) all connect natively to Pipedrive. In MeetDrop each lead becomes a Pipedrive person linked to their organisation, with the conversation as a note.
Which business card scanner app works with HubSpot?
MeetDrop (Pro), Popl (Teams), Blinq (Business), HiHello (Business) and Covve (paid add-on) all state a native HubSpot connection. CamCard and ABBYY do not claim one on their own sites.
Can a business card scanner save contacts to Outlook?
Popl, Blinq (Business), CamCard (Business), Covve and HiHello (Exchange) all say they sync to Outlook or Microsoft 365 contacts. MeetDrop does not; it sends leads to Salesforce, HubSpot or Pipedrive on Pro, and exports CSV on every plan that Outlook can import.
Sources: Popl voice recording · Popl pricing · Popl follow-up email · Blinq pricing · Blinq AI notetaker · CamCard Business · CamCard pricing (no figures published) · Covve pricing · Covve AI lead qualification · HiHello pricing · ABBYY Business Card Reader on the App Store · Microsoft Lens for iOS — retirement notice · Popl integrations · Popl Salesforce integration (Teams) · Blinq Pipedrive integration (Business and Enterprise) · Blinq Outlook integration · CamCard pricing, CRM sync row · Covve integrations · Covve on the App Store (CRM add-on on Pro) · HiHello pricing (CRM on Business) · HiHello Google Contacts · ABBYY Business Card Reader on the App Store
Prices and vendor facts checked 2026-10-13. Last reviewed 14 October 2026 by the MeetDrop team. We update this page when either side changes.