Best lead retrieval apps for trade shows in 2027

This guide is for event marketers planning a 2027 show calendar. We make Swopi, so we list it first. Every other fact is from that vendor's own pages, checked on 11 November 2026, with a link. Rental prices further down are from 2026 order forms, not 2027 quotes. How exhibitor software is priced for a whole season is in best event lead capture apps. Badge formats are in best badge scanner apps.

What is a lead retrieval app?

A lead retrieval app turns a phone into a scanner for event badges, paper business cards and QR codes. Staff scan a visitor, add a note, and the contact is saved as a lead. Stronger apps then add email, phone, job title and company data, and send the lead to the CRM.

There are two types. A rental from the organizer works only at that show, and it can read a badge code that holds only an ID. Your own app goes with you to the next show. It reads the printed name and company, and any open QR code. A code that only the organizer can decode still needs their rental.

How to choose

• Every show, or one show? A rental does not follow you. An app you own does, except where the badge code is locked to the organizer.
• Badges and cards. Paper cards and LinkedIn QR codes still show up at the booth.
• CRM. Native fields and the event name, not one long note. Check that your CRM is on the published list for the plan you would buy.
• Price model. Per event, per seat, per credit, or a quote. A quote is not a hidden fee. It means the number is not on the website.
• Data terms. Who else can use the lead after you scan it. Read that before a busy show.

Comparison: lead retrieval apps in 2027

Prices below are what each company published, checked on 11 November 2026. They change. Open the link before you decide.

The lead retrieval apps, one by one

1. Swopi

Swopi is an event lead capture app on your team's own phones. The scanner has three modes: Event badge, Paper card and LinkedIn QR. Swopi AI adds contact and company data from 20+ sources. The lead goes to HubSpot, Salesforce, Dynamics 365, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive or monday.com in native fields. Event Lead Capture is one company license: unlimited scans, no per scan fee. Ask for it on the pricing page. Digital business cards for the whole team are a separate quote. An individual can start free in the app, with 5 scans with Swopi AI to try it.

2. Popl

Popl's pricing page says teams choose an event lead capture plan or a digital business card plan, and that the price is a custom quote. The quote includes unlimited users, unlimited events and unlimited leads, with no per seat fee and no credits. The same page says the badge scanner reads the printed badge when the QR code is locked to the organizer, and that scans are stored on the phone if the connection drops. Native integrations named there include Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo and Microsoft Dynamics. It fits a large event program that wants one quote and a success manager. Swopi vs Popl compares the two products.

3. Tendro

Tendro publishes $499 per event for unlimited team members, phones and scans, with enrichment included. A desk trial needs no card. HubSpot and Salesforce sync starts with the first paid event. Tendro says another CRM gets its connector before the onboarding call. Volume rates start at 10 events a year. The lower rate is not on the page. Offline scans stay on the phone until the signal returns.

4. BoothIQ

BoothIQ's pricing page lists four ways to buy. Starter is $0 for up to 2 people, with email and LinkedIn enrichment and a CSV export. A third person does not share new leads with the team until you buy a pass or the Team plan. An event pass is $199 and covers unlimited people for 5 days in a row. Team is $499 a month, can be paused for up to 3 months, and adds phone number and job title on the enrichment. HubSpot and Salesforce sync, duplicate rules and a data protection agreement are on Enterprise, which is a quote. Every plan says it scans with no signal and exports CSV.

5. momencio

momencio's 2026 pricing page lists Capture at $100 per seat a month, billed annually, minimum 5 seats, which they show as $6,000 a year at that minimum. Engage is $130 and Amaze is $170 on the same rules. The FAQ says the minimum term is 12 months, annual plans cannot be cancelled mid-term, purchases are non-refundable, and there is no free trial. AI EdgeCapture and CRM integrations are add-ons. Badge scanning needs the event API, bought from the organizer. If that API is not available, their page says EdgeCapture can enrich from a card instead.

6. Mobly

Mobly does not publish a price. The event lead capture page says the app works at every event, reads a badge, a business card or a handwritten name, enriches the lead and syncs it to your CRM, on a flat subscription with unlimited captures and users. The number is on a demo. The page does not name which CRMs are native. Treat the CRM list as something to confirm on that call.

7. Wave Connect

Wave Connect prices event scans in credits on its event lead capture page. A credit is $2.50. A badge scan is 4 credits ($10). A business card or LinkedIn scan is 1 credit. If nothing is found, no credit is used. New accounts get 10 credits. Native CRM sync covers HubSpot, Salesforce, Dynamics 365, Zoho, Pipedrive and HighLevel. On pay as you go, that sync needs a Pro or Teams plan. The annual plan includes central admin and CRM setup. The dollar price of Pro and Teams is on their card pricing page, not on this one, so open that page before you budget the seats.

8. Blinq

Blinq's pricing page lists Business at $6.99 per card a month, or $4.99 billed yearly, from 5 cards. Admins without a card are not billed. The page says credit use is billed monthly and links to the help center. It does not print a dollar amount per lead. The help article, checked on 11 November 2026, says capturing a lead does not use a credit, and enriching a lead uses 1 credit at $5 on pay as you go, whether or not an email or phone is found. Bulk and unlimited packages are quoted by sales. Business includes badge scanning and native CRM sync.

9. Cvent iCapture

Cvent sells iCapture to exhibitors who want a capture product they can take to more than one event. The public page does not show a price. Confirm badge coverage, enrichment and CRM routing on that page, or on a demo, before you put a number in the 2027 budget. Cvent LeadCapture is a different product: organizers offer it to exhibitors for one event.

10. Vendelux Lead Scanner

Vendelux Lead Scanner is a companion to Vendelux's paid event intelligence platform, not a separate lead capture suite. The lead scanner page says the app reads a badge or business card from a photo, adds work email, job title, company, LinkedIn, location and seniority, and syncs to HubSpot. It says there is no per lead fee. The same page says a Salesforce connection is in the works. The terms, effective 26 October 2026, say the app is free as of that date, that paid features may be added, and that nothing in the app is a promise it stays free. Because it is free, the terms also allow Vendelux to end access for convenience. They say Vendelux uses lead data as an independent controller, including for products it sells to event organizers, and that lead records already in its database survive account deletion in a form no longer tied to the account. Read the terms with your legal or privacy team before you scan customer data. It is a closer fit if you already use, or plan to evaluate, the Vendelux platform and you only need HubSpot.

Organizer rental apps

These are 2026 order forms that were still online on 11 November 2026. They are not 2027 prices. At ATD 2026 the first mobile app license is $350 before 9 April, $375 after that, and $400 on site. Each extra license is $150, $175, then $200. The handheld scanner is $495, $520, then $545 (ATD order form). At the National Restaurant Association Show 2026, the mobile app package with 3 users is $579 on or before 2 April and $599 after. The handheld rental is $579, then $599 (order form). The rental can read a badge that only holds an ID. You pay again at the next show, and the file is often a CSV.

Own app or organizer rental

Three people at ATD 2026 on the early app price is $350 plus 2 times $150, so $650 for one show. Multiply that by the shows on your 2027 calendar, then compare it with a yearly license. Also check the badge. If the code is only an ID, you may still need the organizer app at that one show. The worked example and more order forms are in the lead retrieval cost guide. Badge types are in what is a badge scanner.

How this works in Swopi

1. 1

   Step 1: Scan

   Scan a badge, paper card or LinkedIn QR code in the Swopi app on your own phone.

2. 2

   Step 2: Qualify

   Add a note and tag the lead hot, warm or cold. Event Mode shows the booth manager every lead during the show.

3. 3

   Step 3: Enrich

   Swopi AI adds contact and company data from 20+ sources.

4. 4

   Step 4: Sync

   The lead lands in the CRM in native fields, with the event name. Swopi AI drafts the follow-up.

Event Lead Capture is the company license: unlimited scans, no per scan fee. Digital business cards are quoted separately. Start with a demo, or read the badge scanner page.