Wave Connect vs Mobilo: Honest Comparison (2026)

George El-Hage 🔗 LinkedIn

Founder, Wave Connect | Tested 15+ digital business card platforms since 2020

I've used both Wave and Mobilo with real teams - not just spec sheets. My team member Hanna did a deep-dive testing session in Q4 2025, going through every feature, tab, and integration. This comparison is based on that hands-on experience.

Wave Connect vs Mobilo - if you're comparing these two digital business card platforms, you're probably trying to figure out which one actually works better for your team and budget.

I'm George, the founder of Wave Connect. Yes, I'm biased - but I've also done the work. My team tested Mobilo inside and out in Q4 2025, and I fact-checked their comparison page claim by claim. Here's the honest breakdown: where Mobilo wins, where Wave wins, and where Mobilo's marketing doesn't match reality.

At a Glance - Wave vs Mobilo (2026)

Wave Connect and Mobilo take fundamentally different approaches to digital business cards. Wave is browser-based with a free plan and simple team management. Mobilo is hardware-first with four card modes and a focus on physical NFC products. The table below shows exactly how they compare across pricing, features, and security as of February 2026.

Pricing and features verified February 2026. Check Mobilo's pricing page for their latest.

The Free Plan - What You Actually Get

Does Mobilo have a free plan? No. Mobilo requires purchasing an NFC card ($5-$139) just to create an account - there is no free tier and no free trial for individuals. This is the single biggest difference between the two platforms. Wave offers a genuinely free plan with analytics, contact export, Apple Wallet, and zero branding or solicitation at $0. With Mobilo, you can't even see the dashboard without buying hardware first.

Wave's free plan includes things most competitors charge for: page view analytics, link click tracking, contact save data, and full CSV export. You also get Apple Wallet integration and unlimited sharing. No "Powered by Wave" on your profile. No pop-ups asking your contacts to sign up for Wave.

Mobilo's closest option is their Pro plan at $3/mo after a 90-day trial - but that's on top of the NFC card you already had to buy. Multiple Trustpilot reviewers have reported surprise charges, including a $40 yearly auto-renewal they didn't expect.

Pricing Breakdown (February 2026)

Mobilo's subscription is cheaper for small teams ($48/user/yr vs $60/user/yr), but the total cost is higher once you factor in mandatory NFC card purchases and no free starting point. At 100+ users, Wave offers custom volume pricing while Mobilo stays at $48/user/year - and Wave includes NFC cards free with team plans while Mobilo charges $5-$139 per card on top of the subscription.

Pricing verified February 2026. Sources: wavecnct.com and mobilocard.com/pricing.

Here's what most comparison sites miss about Mobilo's pricing:

NFC cards are not included. Every team member needs a physical card to use Mobilo's core features. Basic plastic cards start at around $5, but custom metal or wood cards run $50-$139 each. For a 50-person team, that's $250-$6,950 in hardware costs before anyone shares a single contact.

Reported 34% license increase at renewal. Multiple business users have reported significant price increases when their Mobilo subscription renewed. Their terms state renewal happens at the "then-current price" - meaning prices can go up at any renewal cycle.

Non-refundable subscriptions. Mobilo's terms indicate subscription fees are non-refundable. If you sign up for an annual plan and decide it's not the right fit after month two, you're locked in.

UK and international shipping. If you're ordering NFC cards outside the US, expect customs charges. Several UK-based reviewers on Trustpilot reported unexpected import fees on their hardware orders.

Dashboard UX - What It's Actually Like to Use

Wave's dashboard is consistently rated #1 easiest to use on G2. Mobilo's dashboard has a steep learning curve with nested tabs, slow performance, and confusing navigation that our Q4 2025 testing confirmed. If simple admin experience matters to your team, this section will be the deciding factor.

Wave Connect User Management - visual card grid layout (Q4 2025 testing - UI may change)

Wave's Dashboard

Wave is browser-based and deliberately simple. You see your team's cards as a visual grid, lock template sections so employees can't change brand colors or logos, and bulk-import users via Excel. The whole thing loads fast and doesn't overwhelm you with options. We regularly see 80%+ activation rates on team deployments because there's almost nothing to figure out.

Mobilo's Dashboard (From Q4 2025 Testing)

This is where Hanna's testing notes got really detailed - and not in a good way. Here's what she documented:

• "Complex and confusing UI" - the overall impression after spending several hours in the platform
• "Opens a thousand separate tabs" - navigating between features spawns new browser tabs constantly
• "Super confusing to understand what you are actually editing" - switching between Mobilo's four card modes (business card, landing page, lead gen, link) without a clear preview of what you're changing
• No card preview when switching modes - you make changes and hope it looks right
• Confusing team template management - setting up templates for a team required multiple attempts
• Slow and janky web experience - noticeable lag between clicks and responses

Mobilo Admin Dashboard (Q4 2025 testing - UI may change)

What Mobilo Does Better (Honest Assessment)

Mobilo's strongest advantages are its four card modes (business card, landing page, lead generation form, and link redirect), wide variety of physical card materials, and custom app/link icons - features Wave doesn't currently offer. If you're evaluating Mobilo, these are the legitimate reasons to consider it. I'm not going to pretend they don't have real strengths.

1. Four card modes. This is genuinely unique. Mobilo lets you switch a single NFC card between four functions: a standard digital business card, a custom landing page, a lead generation form (visitors fill out their info instead of receiving yours), and a simple link redirect. The lead gen form mode is especially clever for trade shows where you want to capture visitor details rather than hand out your own.

2. Physical card variety. Mobilo sells NFC cards in plastic, wood, and metal - with multiple design options in each material. Wave offers metal engraved and PVC cards, but Mobilo's selection is wider. If the look and feel of your physical card matters, Mobilo gives you more choices.

3. Custom app/link icons. Mobilo is the only platform I've found that lets you upload custom icons for the app and link buttons on your card. Every other platform (Wave included) uses preset icons. It's a small detail, but for brands that care about visual consistency, it's meaningful.

4. Lead enrichment and ICP scoring. Mobilo offers lead enrichment that automatically fills in company data and provides Ideal Customer Profile scoring on captured leads. This is aimed at sales teams that want to qualify leads right at the point of capture.

5. Slightly cheaper subscription for small teams. At under 100 users, Mobilo's team plan is $48/user/year vs Wave's $60/user/year. That's a real savings - though the gap closes once you add hardware costs.

What Wave Does Better

Wave wins on free plan availability, browser-based simplicity, zero recipient solicitation, documented SOC 2 Type II security, native CRM integrations, and email signatures - features Mobilo either lacks entirely or charges extra for. Here's the full list of where Wave has a clear advantage, based on our side-by-side testing.

1. Free plan exists. This sounds simple, but it's the most important difference. Wave has one. Mobilo doesn't. You can try Wave right now, for free, without buying anything. You can't do that with Mobilo.

2. Zero recipient solicitation. When someone receives your Wave card, they see your info and nothing else. No "Powered by Wave" pop-ups, no download prompts, no solicitation emails. Your contacts stay your contacts. This is the #1 reason teams switch to Wave Connect - read the detailed platform review for the full picture.

3. Browser-based, no hardware required to start. You don't need to download an app or buy an NFC card to create and share your digital business card. Open a browser, create your profile, start sharing. That's it. For team deployments, this means near-instant activation.

4. SOC 2 Type II certified. Wave's security is independently audited and documented. This matters for enterprise buyers and regulated industries. Mobilo claims SOC 2 on some pages but doesn't display the certification on their comparison page or provide audit details. For a deeper look at what SOC 2 means for digital cards, see our enterprise security guide.

5. Native CRM integrations. Wave integrates directly with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive - no middleware required. Mobilo relies primarily on Zapier for most CRM connections, which adds complexity and a potential point of failure. If you're managing a sales team that lives in their CRM, native integrations matter.

6. Email signatures. Wave includes email signature cards on all plans. Mobilo doesn't offer this feature at all. For teams that send hundreds of emails daily, that's a lot of missed impressions.

7. Simple UX. G2 rates Wave #1 easiest to use in the digital business card category. Our own testing confirmed Mobilo's dashboard is significantly more complex. If you want your team actually using their cards (not just having accounts), the simplicity gap matters. (We found similar UX gaps in our Wave vs Blinq comparison, though Blinq's dashboard is much cleaner than Mobilo's. For feature-rich alternatives, see our Wave vs HiHello breakdown. Popl's event-focused platform has its own set of trade-offs we cover in the Popl vs Wave comparison.)

8. Universal badge scanning and CRM sync. Wave includes event badge scanning and automatic CRM sync on all plans. No per-scan fees, no credit system, no surprises. Learn more about lead capture in our trade show lead capture guide.

9. Active Directory deep integration. Wave syncs with Active Directory - pulling profile pictures, syncing team structures, and auto-provisioning cards when employees join. For enterprise IT teams, this means zero manual card creation.

10. Transparent pricing. No mandatory hardware purchases, no hidden customs fees, no auto-renewal at "then-current price." What you see on Wave's teams page is what you pay.

Wave Connect Template Section Locking - standardize brand across your entire team (Q4 2025 testing - UI may change)

Mobilo's Claims About Wave - Fact-Checked

Mobilo runs a dedicated comparison page at mobilocard.com/wave-vs-mobilo that contains several inaccurate claims about Wave Connect. I went through every claim on that page and checked it against our live product. Here's what they say vs. what's actually true. I'm not going to mock their marketing - I'll just present the facts.

Claim 1: "Worried about security and reliability with Wave"

This is their H1 headline. The implication is that Wave has security problems.

Fact: Wave is SOC 2 Type II certified - an independently audited security standard that covers data protection, availability, and confidentiality. Mobilo's comparison page doesn't mention their own SOC 2 status or provide any audit documentation.

Claim 2: "Wave Pro pricing: $4.99/m" and "Mobilo Pro: $0.00/m"

Fact: Wave Pro is $7/mo (not $4.99). Mobilo Pro is $3/mo after a 90-day trial (not free). Both prices on their comparison table are wrong. The $0 figure for Mobilo represents a trial period, not a permanent free plan.

Claim 3: "Lead enrichment: No" for Wave

Fact: Wave includes AI contact enrichment free on all plans. When someone shares their contact with you, Wave automatically enriches the data with additional information. This has been a core feature for over a year.

Claim 4: "Global coverage and support: No" for Wave

Fact: Wave operates globally with no geographic restrictions. We serve professionals in over 50 countries. Our support responds to users worldwide.

Claim 5: "By offering digital only business cards, you will risk low adoption"

Fact: Wave sells physical NFC cards - both metal engraved and PVC. Wave is not digital-only. We've been selling NFC cards since launch. This claim is simply incorrect.

Claim 6: "Custom branding: Limited" for Wave

Fact: Wave offers full custom branding including logos, colors, branded templates, branded QR codes for teams, and branded Apple Wallet passes on Pro plans. There's nothing "limited" about it.

You can read their full comparison page for yourself and compare what they claim vs. what's true.

Which One Should You Choose? My Recommendation

The right choice depends on what you prioritize: Mobilo for physical card variety and lead gen forms, or Wave for free plan access, simple UX, documented security, and native integrations. Here's my honest breakdown based on use case.

Choose Mobilo if:

• You want physical card variety (wood, metal, plastic in multiple designs)
• Lead generation form mode is important to your sales workflow
• Custom app/link icons matter to your brand
• You have budget for hardware + subscription and don't need a free trial

Choose Wave if:

• You want to try before you buy (Wave has a free plan; Mobilo doesn't)
• You manage a team and want the simplest admin experience
• Zero recipient solicitation matters to you
• You need documented SOC 2 Type II security
• You need email signatures (Mobilo doesn't offer them)
• You need native CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive)
• You want transparent pricing with no hidden hardware fees
• You prefer browser-based tools over buying hardware first
• You need Active Directory sync for enterprise deployment
• You have 100+ users and want custom volume pricing (and Wave includes NFC cards free with team plans)