We built ZapCard, so yes — we're biased. But we wrote this guide for someone in your position: an AU agent or broker who's seen Linq, Popl, and Mobilo pushed in their feed and wants the honest tradeoffs.
You want the cheapest card that just works: ZapCard ($39, no subscription, AU shipping 3-7 days)
You want the slickest premium feel and don't mind paying for it: Mobilo metal ($75-150 + $10-30 USD/mo) or V1CE Black
You already use Linq or Popl and just want a second card: Stick with the brand you have — their profile lock-in is the real cost
You buy 10+ cards for a team: ZapCard team rate ($29 each) or Mobilo Teams (expect $80+ AUD per card landed)
You want physical card + Apple Wallet + lead capture out of the box: ZapCard (built in, no subscription) or Mobilo (subscription)
All prices as of 2026-05-14 from each brand's public site. Shipping calculated for delivery to an AU address (Victoria) where the company publishes them. USD figures converted at 1.00 USD = 1.55 AUD.
| Feature | ZapCard | Linq | Popl | Mobilo | V1CE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Origin country | 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇬🇧 UK | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇩🇪 Germany / 🇺🇸 USA | 🇬🇧 UK |
| Card price (single, AUD) | $39 | ~$60 | ~$55 | ~$75 | ~$50 / $120 metal |
| Shipping to AU (AUD) | $5 tracked Aus Post | $10-15 int'l | $12-18 int'l | $15-25 int'l | $10-20 int'l |
| Lead time | 3-7 days | 12-18 days | 14-21 days | 14-21 days | 12-21 days |
| Subscription for editing? | None | $5-15 USD/mo | $10 USD/mo | $10-30 USD/mo | $5 USD/mo |
| 24-month total cost (AUD) | $44 | ~$240 | ~$330 | ~$400 | ~$190 |
| Visitor needs app? | ❌ No | ❌ No | ⚠️ Mostly no | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Owner needs app? | ❌ Pure web | ✅ For most features | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Free profile edits forever? | ✅ Yes | ❌ Paywall | ❌ Paywall | ❌ Paywall | ❌ Paywall |
| Apple Wallet pass | ✅ Included | Pro tier | Pro tier | Pro tier | ❌ |
| Built-in lead capture | ✅ Included | Pro tier | Pro tier | Pro tier | ❌ |
| Data ownership | ✅ Yes | ❌ UK/US | ❌ US | ❌ EU/US | ❌ UK/US |
| AU support, AU timezone | ✅ Melbourne | ❌ UK | ❌ US | ❌ EU/US | ❌ UK |
| GST included in price? | ✅ Yes | ❌ Plus duty | ❌ Plus duty | ❌ Plus duty | ❌ Plus duty |
The headline price doesn't tell the real story. Here's the 24-month total cost of ownership, normalised to AUD, assuming you use the "Pro" tier on each platform so you get apples-to-apples features.
| Brand | Card | Shipping | Subscription × 24mo | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZapCard | $39 | $5 | $0 | $44 AUD |
| Linq Pro | ~$60 | ~$12 | ~$155 | ~$227 AUD |
| Popl Pro | ~$55 | ~$15 | ~$240 | ~$310 AUD |
| Mobilo Pro | ~$75 | ~$20 | ~$310 | ~$405 AUD |
| V1CE Premium | ~$50 | ~$15 | ~$190 | ~$255 AUD |
For a team of 10, multiply by 10. The subscription gap becomes the deciding factor.
We're not the right card for everyone. Skip ZapCard if:
For everyone else who's an AU agent, broker, or sales rep handing out 100+ cards a year: we're the right card. The math is in the table above.
Bootstrap economics. ZapCard is two co-founders out of Melbourne. No US VC funding, no UK warehouse, no overseas marketing team. We pass that overhead saving directly to you as a lower headline price.
No subscription. We don't lock you out of features you already paid for. The card you buy in May 2026 is the same card you'll be editing the profile of in May 2030, for free.
We can keep this model because most of our infrastructure costs us cents per customer per year. We don't need to charge a subscription to cover hosting — we just don't.
Single ZapCard: $39 ($44 landed). Five at the team rate: $145 ($150 landed). First batch ships May 2026 — first 50 customers get a personal welcome from Arman + Tyrone, hand-encoded chips, and the only piece of physical mail you'll get with our handwriting on it.