Flowtag vs Popl | Best Digital Business Card

Paper business cards are fast on their way to extinction. And good riddance. They are, after all, bad for the environment, inconvenient, and ineffective…So ineffective, in fact, that research shows you’ll need to hand out around 1,000 of them for any tangible results.

That's a lot of paper, a lot of money, and a lot of wasted time.

No surprise then that a booming market has emerged with the solution:  Digital business cards.

Unlike their archaic cousin, digital business cards are effective, green, easy-to-use, and, well, cool.  😎

But not all digital business cards are created equal - and choosing the right one can make a big difference. 

Two options are Popl and Flowtag.

Let’s take a closer look to see which is best.

How to choose a digital business card

In our head-to-head comparison of Popl vs Flowtag 5 criteria were considered:

• Usability: How easy is it to sign up, create your profile, and share your digital business card? User experience is what we’re looking at here.
• Features: What cool bells-and-whistles do Flowtag and Popl offer?
• Design: How do the digital business cards look? Can they be customized to match your style preference?
• Analytics: Can you track client engagement metrics like new connections, card views, location-based metrics, etc?
• Price: Is the digital business card affordable?

Usability | Digital business card

When it comes to apps or software of any kind ease-of-use (also called user experience or “UX”) is critical. There are plenty of high-powered apps out there that simply don’t “click” with people - and the reason is that they aren’t user friendly. The reality is that people tend to frustrated quite easily when their technology isn’t performing the way they hoped. In the case of digital business cards this is especially true because, say what you will about PAPER business cards at least they’re simple. Users of digital business cards want something that is more effective than paper cards - but they aren’t willing to give up on simplicity. 

So, let’s take a look at Popl and Flowtag and see how user-friendly they are. 

Popl usability

Using Popl involves two parts - one is creating you’re online profile - this, you can think of, as the URL location of your digital business card. Part two is setting up a Popl DEVICE that let’s you easily share your Popl URL with others.

For instance, here is my Popl URL: https://poplme.co/geraldlombardo.

You can simply share this URL via text or email, but in the real world of networking, it’s often better to use a physical device to automatically share your profile with new connections.

Looking at one of Popl’s most popular products - the PhoneCard, you get this:

Set up is as easy as it looks. You tap the device to the back of your phone, the Popl app prompts you to activate the device, and voila - you’ve got yourself a functioning digital business card device. Now you just stick it on the back of your phone and you’re good-to-go.

 

After setting your Popl device up, you can customize your profile in virtually every way - even changing versions of your digital business card for different groups. It's all very easy - like building an Instagram page, but easier.

 

Bringing it all together - once your digital business card profile is set up and you have your Popl device activated - you’re good to start sharing or, rather, “Popping.” This is where Popl really shines. Popl devices are instant. You tap your device to someone else’s phone and your profile pops right up. It’s a seamless experience that works again-and-again. Quick, reliable, easy.

Also within the Popl app users can easily access and share their personal QR code. 

This QR code feature is very handy and unique to Popl. You can even add your QR code to your Apple wallet or homescreen as a widget.

Quick QR-code access is especially important for sales and other networking-based professions where speed and an optimized experience make all the difference.

Digital business card devices

Another major area where Popl stands out is in variety of devices.

Whereas Flowtag is a single, back-of-phone device, Popl has many forms, including Rope Band, Keychain, Apple Watch Band, Badge, and, of course, its ever-popular Popl Card - which comes in plastic (only $4.99), Metal, and which is completely customizable to your brand.

 

 

Flowtag usability

Flowtag has very limited use cases when compared to Popl. It works for exchanging information - but that's effectively it.

How well does Flowtag work? In short, it does okay (but, as mentioned, only at exchanging information). And just okay - not great - due to its inferior design.

For instance, Flowtag users are known to have to repeatedly tap their devices against the back of their new connection's phones. As you can imagine, this is  awkward and can literally kill deals. There's no second chance at a first impression and does not align with modern saas integration strategies. 

Complete reliability is an essential when it comes to digital business cards - and Popl has accounted for this reality via its high-performance PhoneCard,which offers users a seamless experience again and again.

 

 

Usability Winner = Popl

There’s a clear winner when it comes to usability: Popl. 

Popl is reliable and incredibly fast, making it the clear choice for those who love user-friendly technology. 

Features | Digital business card

What features do Popl and Flowtag offer? Sharing contact information in a quick and easy way is, of course, both products’ biggest offering, but what else sets them apart?

Popl features

Popl’s iPhone and Android apps are incredibly intuitive considering all they can do. With Popl you can create custom lead forms, dynamic CRM-mapping, automatic CRM-adding, scan paper business cards (and automatically upload them to Popl and your CRM), set up auto-intros and follow-ups,do location-based lead tracking, and more.

For sales teams Popl also has a fantastic product called Popl Teams. Flowtag has no team-orientated product offerings.

Popl Teams makes it easy for sales managers to create and organize their team’s digital business cards. Using Popl helps sales professionals capture more leads, book more meetings, and close more deals. And using Popl teams helps managers measure and optimize the ROI on in-person networking events.

These Popl Team and other app-specific features are what really set Popl apart from an app-less digital card product like Flowcode. Popl is about value-based network building, which means not only helping users make their initial connections, but also helping them stay connected, relate to other users, and find ways to collaborate. Whether you're using lead capture, the business card scanner, or any of its other features, Popl is a multi-purpose tool that will bring your networking abilities to new heights.

Flowtag features

This one, unfortunately for Flowtag, is not even close. Sure Flowtag is a fine for exchanging contact information - but that’s about it. Flowtag, as a product, is not nearly as dynamic, versatile, or comprehensive as Popl.

Best features winner = Popl

No surprise that Popl’s vast and expanding feature set makes it the better choice for those who love to do more with their digital business cards then just exchange contact info.

Design | Digital business card

Being able to customize and style your digital business card in a cool way is a top consideration for many creators and professionals. Let’s see which of our two options offers better design features. 

Popl design

Popl offers users the ability to completely customize their digital business cards. Everything from color schemes, to profile pictures, cover photos and, of course, the links that you display on your card.

 

Popl’s designs are beautiful, professional, and highlight all your most important information. 

 

Flowtag design

Flowtag offers plenty of customizations, but the card’s layout and overall style is simply not as aesthetically pleasing as Popl's. See for yourself. (*And note these are some of the “best case scenario” profiles).

 

Design Winner = Popl

Popl’s designs are great whether you're an artist or salesperson. They make it easy for you to give connections the information they want while also adding your own, personal flare.

Analytics | Digital business card

Actionable information (or analytics) about your business cards is perhaps the biggest difference between paper and digital business cards. Whereas it’s always difficult to measure what you’re getting from a paper card, the right digital business card can tell you everything you need to know. Let’s look at the analytic offerings of both Flowtag and Popl

Popl analytics

Popl offers clear, accessible information on all your digital business card’s most important metrics, including: 

• Number of Pops: How many people have viewed your digital business card?
• Number of taps: How many times have the individual links on your digital business card been tapped? Which links are seeing the most action?
• How many new connections: Calculated weekly - this is especially fun for those who regularly attend networking events. 
• Tap through rate: This metric is calculated via views / clicks. So digital business views and clicks on the links featured on your profile.

Flowtag analytics

Analytics is one of Flowtag’s major shortcomings. The Flowtag app offers users very few insights into the performance of their digital business card. This keeps users in the dark about their performance and how they can better optimize their profiles.

Analytics Winner = Popl

No doubt that Popl wins when it comes to providing users with useful insights on their digital business card’s performance. If you are all about optimization and love numbers, Popl insights will be your pleasure. 

Price | Digital business card

How much your digital business card will cost is, of course, an important decision factor. The nice thing if you’re switching over from paper cards, though, is that you’re most definitely going to be saving money when you go digital. Let’s look at Flowtag and Popl to see which option provides the better value.

Popl vs Flowtag price comparison

Because Popl offers a varied line of devices from it’s basic card ($5) to the $25 rope bands and $100 24k gold card a direct comparison with Flowtag (single product offering) only makes sense if we look at the Popl PhoneCard.

• Popl PhoneCard: $14.99
• Flowtag: $15.99

So, since we’ve shown that Popl offers more in terms of function, design, and analytics, you might expect it to be the more expensive options. But no, you can create your basic Popl profile for free and buy a PhoneCard for as little as $14.99. 

Best digital business card | Winner = Popl

Popl offers a better digital business card solution than Flowtag. Popl's software, hardware, and community of users is far superior to Flowtag - it’s less expensive, easier to use, and it looks and functions better. Entrepreneurs looking for nothing but the best will do well by going with Popl, the #1 digital business card.

Popl vs Flowtag