Sales representatives at trade shows often have limited time to speak with each attendee. The information captured during those conversations can determine how effectively the sales team qualifies and follows up with leads after the event.
Event lead capture apps are designed to collect contact details, notes, qualification responses, and follow-up information in a structured format. The options below are compared based on capture speed, badge and business card scanning, qualification features, data enrichment, CRM integrations, offline functionality, lead ownership, and follow-up capabilities.
The following information reflects publicly available product and pricing details as of August 2026.
The Comparison
1. Wave Connect
Wave Connect combines badge scanning, lead enrichment, qualification tools, and CRM synchronization with a digital business card product. An event badge scanner app such as Wave Connect allows representatives to capture printed badge information, add notes and qualification responses, assign follow-up ownership, and sync records with platforms including HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoho. It also offers offline scanning for events with limited internet connectivity.
Things to consider: Wave Connect charges based on enriched leads rather than users. An enriched lead from a badge scan costs $10 at the listed rate, while contacts captured through forms, LinkedIn QR codes, or business cards can be enriched for $2.50. Annual volume plans reduce the badge-scan enrichment price to between $6 and $8 per lead, with custom pricing available for higher volumes. Teams should estimate their expected scan and enrichment volume when comparing its overall cost with per-seat or per-event alternatives.
2. Cvent | iCapture
iCapture, which is owned by Cvent, focuses on retrieving official attendee registration information. The platform supports more than 130 badge-provider integrations, allowing exhibitors to access the attendee data held by participating event organizers and registration providers.
Things to consider: Availability depends on the registration technology used by each event, so some smaller or regional conferences may not be supported. Contact enrichment requires a separate ZoomInfo subscription. Pricing is available by request as of August 2026.
3. Cvent LeadCapture
Cvent LeadCapture is part of the broader Cvent event management platform. It may be particularly relevant to organizations already using Cvent for registration, session management, or event reporting because captured leads can remain within the same technology environment.
Things to consider: Teams that do not already use the wider Cvent platform may receive less benefit from this integration. Its functionality also depends on the systems supported by the relevant event. Pricing is provided through a custom quote.
4. Captello
Captello combines lead capture with booth engagement tools such as prize wheels, leaderboards, and interactive games. These features allow exhibitors to collect contact information through activities intended to encourage booth participation.
Things to consider: Setting up interactive experiences may require additional planning and configuration. Smaller teams or exhibitors primarily looking for a straightforward scan-and-qualify workflow should consider whether they need the gamification features. Pricing is quote-based.
5. momencio
momencio offers published per-seat pricing and online checkout. As of August 2026, its plans are listed at $100, $130, or $170 per seat per month when billed annually. Plans have a five-seat minimum, creating an approximate annual starting cost of $6,000. The agreement is based on a non-cancellable 12-month term, and no free trial is listed.
Things to consider: Standard badge scanning may require exhibitors to purchase access to the event organizer’s API. Capturing and enriching contacts without this API requires the separate AI EdgeCapture add-on. CRM integrations and gamification are also sold as add-ons, so the total cost will depend on the features selected.
6. Popl
Popl provides an event lead capture app with badge-scanning capabilities. Its scanner reads information printed on the badge, allowing it to operate at events that use encrypted QR codes. The company states that its enrichment process uses more than 20 data partners and achieves a 90% success rate. This figure is a company-reported claim and may vary depending on the available contact data.
Things to consider: Popl does not publish pricing as of August 2026. Its FAQ refers to license-based plans, meaning prospective customers must contact the company for a custom quote. Buyers may want to confirm how pricing changes based on the number of users, events, and captured leads.
7. Whova
Whova offers lead capture as an add-on to its broader attendee event app. When an organizer uses Whova, exhibitors may be able to connect captured leads with attendee profiles, sessions, and agenda information within the same platform.
Things to consider: The feature is generally available only when the event organizer has selected Whova. This may limit its use for sales teams attending conferences that rely on different event platforms. Its enrichment and CRM capabilities may also be more limited than those of tools focused specifically on lead capture.
8. The Show’s Own Rental Lead Retrieval Scanner
Many event organizers offer their own rental device or lead retrieval app. Because these tools are configured specifically for the event, they generally work with its badges and registration records without requiring a separate integration.
Things to consider: Pricing is commonly calculated per representative and per event. Published 2026 order forms for events including ATD and AAOS list prices ranging from approximately $350 to $735 per representative for a single show.
The total cost will vary by event and team size. For organizations attending multiple conferences each year, it may be useful to compare annual rental expenses with the cost of using an independent lead capture platform.
Where This Category Is Heading
A noticeable development in event lead capture is the growing availability of tools that do not depend entirely on an organizer’s registration system. Some platforms can read printed badge information and supplement it with data from public or licensed sources, while others continue to rely on official event APIs and badge-provider integrations.
Each approach has trade-offs. Organizer-connected tools may provide direct access to official registration records, while independent platforms may offer greater consistency across events that use different registration providers.
Before selecting a platform, teams can test one or more options at a smaller event and measure factors such as scan speed, data accuracy, the percentage of leads with reachable contact information, CRM synchronization, and total cost. Comparing these results with the cost and performance of the event’s rental system can provide a practical basis for evaluating the available options.
