Purple WiFi Review 2026: Plans, Prices, Pros and Cons
Purple has been in guest WiFi for a long time, and its website now covers a lot of ground: a free plan for anyone who just wants a branded login page, paid plans for guest data and marketing, a small business range with its own router, and a separate marketing product called Purple Engage. That spread is worth getting your head round first. The name Engage turns up twice (once as a WiFi plan, once as the marketing product), and which one a page means changes the answer.
This review sticks to what Purple publishes about itself. Each fact links to the Purple page it came from, numbered in the sources at the foot of the post, and every one was checked on 27 Oct 2026. If you work at Purple and something here has changed, email hello@captifi.io and we'll put it right.
What is Purple WiFi?
Purple's guest WiFi runs on the access points a venue already has. Its current supported hardware list names 44 brands, Cisco Meraki, Aruba Instant On, MikroTik and Ruckus among them[8]. Guests sign in with a social account or email[2], and the login page comes in 25 or more languages[1]. For bigger estates, Purple's pricing page also lists staff WiFi (802.1X and Cloud RADIUS), xPSK and, on the Engage plan, Passpoint[1].
Marketing lives in Purple Engage, which Purple sells separately at engage.purple.ai. It sends email, texts and WhatsApp messages and runs voucher rewards, and its homepage says it works without Purple WiFi at all[5].
Purple's plans and prices
Purple's plans as its own pages list them. Prices are in your currency where Purple shows one for it.
| Plan | What Purple lists | Price as published |
|---|---|---|
| Connect (guest WiFi) | A branded login page, social and email sign-in, network analytics and 25 or more languages[1, 2] | Free, with no card needed[2] |
| Capture (guest WiFi) | Contact and demographics capture, and CRM integration[1] | Not published (the pricing page shows "Speak to an expert"), with a 30-day free trial[1] |
| Engage (guest WiFi) | Contact capture and CRM integration as on Capture, plus targeted communications, loyalty programme integration and Passpoint[1] | Not published, with a 30-day free trial[1] |
| Purple Hub and the Purple plan (small business) | A router pre-configured for Purple, and a plan that includes DNS content filtering[3] | Hub £99 one-off, VAT included; the plan £10 a month or £100 a year[3] |
| Purple Engage (marketing product) | Email, texts and WhatsApp, paid for in credits: one email is one credit, and a text is one credit per segment of about 160 characters[6] | Free for 500 credits a month; paid plans from £12 a month for 5,000 credits[6] |
The plans differ most on the guest list. Connect gives you the login page for nothing, and Purple's Connect page says that to collect contact lists you'll need to upgrade to Capture or Engage[2], which are priced on a call. Purple Engage's own pricing page lists capturing contacts from WiFi, forms or imports as free on every Purple Engage plan[6], so the small business route of Hub, plan and Purple Engage is another way in.
What Purple does well
- You can start for nothing. Connect costs nothing and needs no card, so a branded login page can go on your WiFi before you spend a penny[2].
- It runs on a lot of hardware: 44 brands on its current supported list[8].
- Login pages come in 25 or more languages, Connect included[1].
- Purple Engage sends texts and WhatsApp messages through your own Twilio account, and Purple says it adds no markup[5].
- It names a long list of CRM and marketing tools to connect to, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, HubSpot, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Eagle Eye among them, plus an open API and SDKs[1].
- Capture and Engage both come with a 30-day free trial[1].
- Larger estates can get staff WiFi with 802.1X and Cloud RADIUS, xPSK, and Passpoint on the Engage plan from the same supplier[1].
Where Purple may not fit
These all come from Purple's own pages, and whether any of them matters depends on your venue.
- If you want a guest list from day one, Connect on its own won't build one: contact lists need Capture or Engage[2], and Purple doesn't publish those prices[1].
- Marketing is a second product. Purple Engage is billed in credits, one per email and one per text segment[6], so the bill moves with how much you send.
- Purple Engage's rewards are vouchers. Its homepage says it doesn't run points, stamps or wallet passes[5].
- Purple Engage isn't a booking system, in its own words, and ResDiary bookings are in pilot[5].
- Reviews and ads are listed as in pilot on Purple Engage's pricing page[6].
Purple alternatives: how CaptiFi differs
CaptiFi is our product, so weigh this part with that in mind. The main difference is how it's packaged. CaptiFi keeps the guest list on every plan, with each guest's marketing consent recorded, and from Essentials the same plan adds email, texts and review requests. The prices are on our pricing page: Lite is £19.99 a month and Essentials £49. Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial, and you add a card to start.
- Email is 1,000 a month on Essentials, 2,000 on Growth and 5,000 on Pro.
- Texts: 250 free a month from Essentials, then paid texts billed monthly, up to a limit you set.
- Points or stamp card loyalty, with tiers, and table bookings with deposits paid online, both from Growth.
- Setup guides for 9 vendor ecosystems, UniFi, Omada and Meraki among them, and the CaptiFi device with every plan against a refundable deposit of £60.
- Login pages in English, French and Spanish. Purple lists more[1].
The row-by-row comparison, with every Purple fact sourced, is on CaptiFi vs Purple, and the Purple alternative guide covers moving across.
Who Purple suits
Purple fits if you want a free branded login page now and the guest list later, if your access points are a brand CaptiFi has no setup guide for, if your guests need a login page in a language beyond English, French and Spanish, if you want to message guests on WhatsApp, or if you run a large estate and want staff WiFi, xPSK or Passpoint from the same company[1, 2, 5, 8].
CaptiFi fits if you'd rather have the guest list and the marketing that uses it in one plan with the price on the page, or if you want points or stamp card loyalty, table bookings or a WiFi device on a refundable deposit. Both run on the WiFi a venue already has, so it mostly comes down to what you want from the people who log in. You can try CaptiFi on your own WiFi with the 30-day free trial.
Sources
Purple's pages, each checked on 27 Oct 2026. CaptiFi's facts come from our own pricing page and product on the same day.
- Purple: Guest WiFi plans and pricing. www.purple.ai/en-gb/guest-wifi/pricing
- Purple: Connect, free guest WiFi. www.purple.ai/en-gb/guest-wifi/connect
- Purple: small business plans (UK site). join.purple.ai/en-gb/plans
- Purple: small business plans (US site). join.purple.ai/en-us/plans
- Purple Engage: home page. engage.purple.ai/en-gb
- Purple Engage: pricing (UK site). engage.purple.ai/en-gb/pricing
- Purple Engage: pricing (US site). engage.purple.ai/en-us/pricing
- Purple Support: Supported Hardware (last updated 9 Oct 2026). support.purple.ai/article/supported-hardware
Purple is a trademark of its owner. CaptiFi isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Purple.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about this topic.
What is Purple WiFi?
How much does Purple WiFi cost?
Does Purple's free plan collect guest emails?
What does Purple do well?
Does Purple have points or stamp card loyalty?
Which access points does Purple work with?
How is CaptiFi different from Purple?
Who is Purple a good fit for?
The CaptiFi Editorial Team writes about guest WiFi marketing, captive portals, GDPR-compliant data capture, and local SEO for venue operators. When we compare CaptiFi with another platform, we use that company's own website, with the date we checked it.
Ready to turn your guest WiFi into a marketing engine?
CaptiFi captures customer data from every WiFi login, automates Google reviews and email follow-ups, and plugs into the tools you already use. The CaptiFi device comes with every plan on a refundable deposit, prices are on the pricing page, and every plan has a 30-day free trial.