Wave Connect vs HiHello: Honest Comparison (2026)

George El-Hage 🔗 LinkedIn

Founder, Wave Connect | Trusted by 10,000+ teams globally

I've tested 15+ digital business card platforms over 6 years, including every HiHello tier from free to enterprise. This comparison is based on hands-on testing, verified pricing, and real user reviews - not marketing copy.

HiHello digital business card is one of the more established names in the space - G2 Leader badges, 2M+ claimed users, big-name logos on the homepage. So how does it actually stack up against Wave Connect when you dig past the marketing?

I'm George, founder of Wave Connect. Yes, I'm biased. But I've also done the homework - tested every HiHello plan, verified their pricing page in February 2026, and read through hundreds of reviews on G2, Trustpilot, and PissedConsumer. Here's the honest take: where HiHello genuinely wins, where Wave wins, and which platform fits your situation.

At a Glance: Wave vs HiHello (2026)

Wave Connect and HiHello both target professionals and teams, but they make different trade-offs on what's free, what's paywalled, and how they monetize your contacts. The table below shows the high-level differences. I'll break down the important ones below.

Prices and features verified on HiHello's pricing page as of February 2026.

How I Tested This

Where HiHello Wins (Honest Assessment)

HiHello is a legitimate platform with real strengths that Wave doesn't match. They've earned their G2 Leader badges (4.6/5 stars across 2,100+ reviews), and I'd be doing you a disservice if I pretended otherwise. Here's where they genuinely shine:

Corporate Directory

This is HiHello's unique killer feature. It's a searchable internal employee database - think of it as a company-wide contact book where anyone can look up a colleague's digital business card. No other platform in the space offers this. If your organization needs an internal directory, HiHello is basically the only option.

4 Free Cards

HiHello gives you 4 digital business cards on their free plan. That's generous - Wave gives you 1, Blinq gives you 1. If you're a freelancer juggling multiple identities (personal brand, consulting work, side project, etc.), those extra cards matter.

Event Leaderboards and Payment Links

HiHello's event features include team leaderboards that track who's sharing the most cards at conferences. It's a nice motivational tool for sales teams at trade shows. They also support payment links (Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, Zelle) directly on your card - useful if you're a freelancer or creator who takes payments.

Sharing Breadth

HiHello supports basically every sharing method you can think of: QR code, direct link, email, SMS, AirDrop, Apple Watch, Apple Wallet, Siri shortcuts, widgets, and lock screen access. The Apple Watch integration in particular is something not every platform offers.

Where Wave Wins

Wave's advantages center on three things: what's included free, how your contacts are treated, and how easy it is to get started with a team. These aren't small differences - they affect your day-to-day experience and how your brand is perceived.

Zero Recipient Solicitation

This is the big one. When you share a HiHello card, your recipient sees "Powered by HiHello" branding, gets pop-up prompts to download the HiHello app, and receives follow-up marketing emails from HiHello. Your professional contact just got turned into a lead for HiHello's sales funnel. 🚩

Wave doesn't do any of that. Your recipient sees your card, saves your contact, and that's it. No pop-ups, no branding, no follow-up emails. Ever. For professional teams, this isn't a nice-to-have - it's a requirement. Check out our best digital business card roundup to see how other platforms handle this. And if you're curious how hardware-focused NFC products like Dot Card stack up, our Dot Card review covers that angle.

Free Analytics and Contact Export

On HiHello's free plan, you can't see who viewed your card and you can't export your contacts to CSV. Both features require the $8/mo Professional plan. This is the single most-cited complaint in HiHello reviews - people feel like their own data is being held hostage.

Wave includes both analytics and contact export on the free plan. You can see every card view, tap, and link click without paying a dime, and export your contact list whenever you want.

NFC Cards

HiHello is 100% digital - no physical card option at all. Wave offers custom metal engraved NFC cards that look and feel premium. You tap the card to someone's phone, and your digital profile opens in their browser instantly. No app needed. It's the kind of thing that turns a networking moment into a conversation starter.

Browser-First (No App Required)

HiHello is app-first - their full experience lives in the mobile app. Wave is browser-based, which means recipients don't need to download anything. They just tap or scan and your card opens in their browser. For team deployments especially, this removes the biggest adoption barrier: getting people to actually install the app.

Free Teams Trial with No Minimum

Want to test HiHello for your team? You'll need to commit financially - there's no free trial, and the Business plan requires a 5-user minimum. That's a $25-30/month commitment just to evaluate. Wave offers a free teams trial with no user minimum, so you can test the admin dashboard, bulk import, and templates before spending anything. For context, here's how this compares across platforms in our digital business cards for teams guide.

Pricing Breakdown (February 2026)

Both platforms land at $60/user/year for teams under 100 users, but the real cost difference is in what's included vs. paywalled. HiHello's sticker price looks competitive until you realize analytics and export cost extra on every plan below Business.

The hidden cost: HiHello's free plan looks generous with 4 cards, but without analytics or export, you're flying blind. Upgrading to Professional ($8/mo) to unlock those basics costs $96/year - just for one person. On Wave, you get analytics and export at $0. For a deeper dive into what you actually get at each price point, see our free vs paid digital business cards breakdown.

Also worth noting: HiHello's terms of service explicitly state no refunds on annual subscriptions. Multiple Trustpilot reviewers have confirmed this - one was denied a refund just 3 months into a 12-month plan. If you go annual with HiHello, make sure you're committed.

Who Should Choose What

Neither platform is universally "better" - it depends on what you need. Here's my honest take based on testing both:

Choose HiHello If You:

• Need a corporate directory: No competitor offers this. If internal employee lookup is a priority, HiHello is your only real option.
• Want multiple free cards: Freelancers and creators juggling several identities benefit from 4 free cards vs. Wave's 1.
• Use payment links: Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, and Zelle right on your card - great for freelancers and service providers.
• Need Apple Watch integration: HiHello has a dedicated Apple Watch app for card sharing.

Choose Wave Connect If You:

• Manage a team: Free trial, no user minimum, bulk Excel import, and custom volume pricing at 100+ users. See how teams use Wave in our teams guide.
• Care about your professional image: Zero recipient solicitation means your contacts don't get spammed after receiving your card.
• Want free analytics and export: Don't pay $8/mo for features that should be free.
• Want NFC cards: Custom metal engraved cards for networking events. HiHello doesn't offer physical cards at all.
• Have an international team: Multi-language support vs. HiHello's English-only interface.
• Want a no-app experience: Browser-first means higher adoption rates for teams.