Our rating methodology

Legally compliant processing of personal data under EU law, together with technical and organizational safeguards. For German and European companies this is the decisive selection criterion, which is why this category carries the highest weight.

Measured: Server location (Germany / EU), availability of a data processing agreement (DPA) under Art. 28 GDPR, recognized certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2), and verifiable information on encryption, subprocessors, and data sharing. Measured from the fields dataResidency.* (serverLocationGermany, serverLocationEU, avv, iso27001, soc2).

Scale: 90-100: server location DE/EU + DPA + ISO 27001 and/or SOC 2, transparent documentation. 70-89: EU hosting + DPA, at least one certification. 50-69: EU hosting + DPA, no certification. 25-49: hosting outside the EU or DPA only on request. 0-24: no DPA, non-EU hosting, not transparent. Unsubstantiated fields (null) lower the score, since the burden of proof lies with the provider.

Ability to connect to existing corporate IT. Decisive for whether the tool fits into identity, device, and CRM landscapes without becoming an isolated solution.

Measured: Single sign-on (SAML, OIDC), automated user provisioning (SCIM), mobile device management (general as well as Microsoft Intune and Jamf), a public REST API, and the number and relevance of native CRM integrations. Measured from features.sso.*, features.mdm.*, features.api, and features.crmIntegrations[].

Scale: 90-100: SAML+OIDC, SCIM, MDM (Intune & Jamf), open API, multiple CRM integrations. 70-89: SSO + SCIM or MDM + API available. 50-69: SSO OR API available, the rest patchy. 25-49: only isolated integrations. 0-24: no enterprise interfaces. Scored by breadth and verifiability; unsubstantiated (null) fields count as not available.

Ability to manage cards for many employees centrally, consistently, and on a role-based basis. Decisive in practice for roll-outs from medium team size upward.

Measured: Central admin console, bulk creation/management of users (bulk provisioning), central branding/template management, a roles and permissions concept, and central email signature management. Measured from features.teamAdminConsole, features.bulkProvisioning, features.customBranding, and features.emailSignatureManagement.

Scale: 90-100: full-fledged admin console, bulk provisioning, central branding and signature management, granular roles. 70-89: admin console + bulk + branding. 50-69: admin console available, bulk management limited. 25-49: only rudimentary team functions. 0-24: purely single-user product without administration.

Scope and maturity of the core card-related features beyond pure enterprise connectivity. Determines the practical value in everyday sales and networking use.

Measured: NFC cards, QR code, Apple/Google Wallet, lead capture, analytics/reporting, and customizability (custom branding). Measured from features.nfcCard, features.qrCode, features.appleWallet, features.googleWallet, features.leadCapture, features.analytics, features.customBranding.

Scale: 90-100: all core channels (NFC, QR, Apple & Google Wallet) plus lead capture and analytics. 70-89: most core features, minor gaps. 50-69: basic functions (QR + one wallet) available. 25-49: limited feature scope. 0-24: only a basic card without additional functions.

The ratio of cost per user to the enterprise feature scope on offer and to the transparency of the pricing. Not a pure lowest-price ranking, but value per euro.

Measured: Entry price per user/month (startingAt), availability of a free tier, pricing transparency (published tiers vs. on request only), enterprise/custom terms, and price relative to the score achieved in the other categories. Measured from pricing.* (startingAt, freeTier, tiers[], enterpriseCustom).

Scale: 90-100: transparent, publicly listed prices, fair value for money, a sensible free tier where applicable. 70-89: transparent prices, in line with the market. 50-69: partly transparent or above-average expensive for what is offered. 25-49: prices predominantly on request only. 0-24: not transparent and expensive. Purely custom prices (on request) cap the score at the upper end.

Availability, response commitments, and German-language support. Relevant for operation in German organizations and for roll-out questions.

Measured: Support channels (email, chat, phone), availability of German-language support, documented SLA/response times, and the scope of onboarding/help resources. Measured from support.channels[], support.germanSupport, and support.sla.

Scale: 90-100: multiple channels including phone, German-language support, committed SLA. 70-89: German-language support across at least two channels. 50-69: multilingual support without dedicated German or without SLA. 25-49: email/ticket only, no German. 0-24: barely documented support.

Aggregated, externally verifiable customer satisfaction as a corrective to the editorial feature assessment. Deliberately weighted lower, since review volume and origin vary strongly by provider.

Measured: Average ratings on independent B2B platforms (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot), normalized to 0-100, taking into account the number and recency of the reviews. Measured from ratings.g2, ratings.capterra, ratings.trustpilot.

Scale: 90-100: consistently high ratings (approx. 4.6-5.0/5) with robust volume. 70-89: solid 4.0-4.5/5. 50-69: mixed (3.0-3.9/5) or thin data. 25-49: below average. 0-24: predominantly negative. If reviews are entirely absent, the category is factored in neutrally/marginally and the weights are normalized to the substantiated categories.