Google Family Link vs NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Google Family Link
This app helps parents manage their children's digital lives by setting screen time limits, managing app usage, and filtering online content. It allows parents to track device location, secure accounts, and receive important notifications.
- Set screen time limits
- Manage app usage
- Filter online content
- Track device location
- Secure child accounts
- Approve/block apps
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Google Family Link is a parental controls app that helps you keep your family safer online. Every family’s relationship with technology is unique, so we built tools for you to choose the right balance for your family, and help them create healthy digital habits. You can use the app to see how your child is spending time on their device, see their device location, manage privacy settings, and more. With Family Link, you can: Establish digital ground rules • Set screen time limits — Find the screen time that works best for your child. Family Link lets you set daily time limits, with school time and downtime schedules for their devices, so you can help your child find a healthy balance. • Manage your child’s apps — Give your child the flexibility they need when it comes to app usage. Set individual app time limits, and unlimited time for educational or regularly used apps. You can block apps, too. Manage content filters and security & privacy • Manage what they see online — Set up parental controls on Google services like Chrome, Play, YouTube, and Search. Family Link allows you to block inappropriate sites, require approval for new apps, manage permissions for apps and websites, and more. • Secure their account — Family Link gives you access to manage your child’s account and data settings. As a parent, you can help change or reset your child’s password if they forget it, edit their personal information or even delete their account if you feel necessary.* *Children over the applicable age can manage their own account. Stay connected on the go • See where they are — It’s helpful to be able to find your family when they’re on the go. With Family Link, you can locate your children on one map, as long as they’re carrying their device. • Get notifications and alerts — Family Link delivers critical notifications including when your child arrives or leaves a certain location. You can also ring devices and view the device’s remaining battery life. Important Information • Family Link’s tools vary depending on your child’s device. See a list of compatible devices at https://families.google/familylink/device-compatibility/ • While Family Link helps you manage your child’s purchases and downloads from Google Play, they will not need approval to install app updates (including updates that expand permissions), apps you have previously approved, or apps that have been shared in Family Library. In addition, purchase approvals will apply only when your child makes a purchase through Google Play’s billing system and will not apply to purchases made through alternate billing systems. Parents should regularly review their child’s installed apps and app permissions in Family Link. • You should carefully review the apps on your child’s supervised device and disable those you don’t want them to use. Note that you may not be able to disable some pre-installed apps such as Play, Google, etc. • To see the location of your child or teen’s device, the device must be powered on, recently active, and connected to the internet through data or wifi. • Family Link parental controls are only available for supervised Google accounts. With supervised Google Accounts, children get access to Google products like Search, Chrome, and Gmail, and parents can set up basic digital ground rules to supervise them. • While Family Link provides tools to manage your child’s online experience and keep them safer online, it does not make the internet safe. Family Link can not determine the content on the internet, but it can give parents the opportunity to make decisions about how their child spends time on their device, and determine what path to online safety looks best for your family.
NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader
This app allows you to read and write NFC tags, scan and create QR codes, digitize documents, and capture 3D models. It offers advanced NFC tools like encryption and batch operations, alongside a versatile QR code scanner and document scanner with OCR.
- Read and write NFC tags
- Scan and create QR codes
- Digitize documents with OCR
- Capture 3D models and room scans
- Advanced NFC tools (encryption, batch operations)
- Customizable QR codes with logos
- Automation and integration with iOS Shortcuts
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Read and write NFC tags, scan and create QR codes, digitize documents, and capture 3D models - all in one app trusted by over 9 million users. NFC READING & WRITING Read any NFC tag to see web links, Wi-Fi, contacts, locations, payment links, and more. Write your own tags with 25+ message types (text, contacts, Wi-Fi, locations, calendar events, iOS Shortcuts, FaceTime, SMS, email, social media, payments, and Google Review links) that open apps, trigger shortcuts, or connect to services like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Spotify. NFC Tools: • Format, lock, password protect, analyze, and copy tags • NTAG 424 DNA: read secure tags, verify SUN tamper-proof messages, configure keys and SDM • NFC Tap Counter: teach NFC tags how to count • Batch Operations: write multiple tags sequentially, import from CSV/Excel • Custom Commands: send raw hex commands for advanced tag manipulation NFC Apps: • Passport & ID: read your passport or ID chip to view the stored personal data and photo • Sonicare Reset: read your Philips Sonicare brush head usage stats and reset its timer • Amiibo: scan to reveal the character with official artwork, build your collection, and back it up • OpenPrintTag: store 3D printing filament info on spools for automatic material detection • NFC Safe: store encrypted secrets on tags with 256-bit AES encryption QR CODE & BARCODE SCANNER • Scan any QR code or barcode with batch mode, plus a share extension to detect codes in your photos. • Create custom QR codes for all the same message types as NFC. • Design them with your own colors, logos, and Genmoji, and add them to home screen widgets. Supported formats: QR, Aztec, Code128, PDF417, DataMatrix, EAN, and 15+ other barcode types. DOCUMENT SCANNER • Capture documents with automatic edge detection and on-device OCR. • Import images from your photo library or files. • Save as searchable PDFs with full-text search. • Export to iCloud or share directly. 3D OBJECT & ROOM SCANNER • Scan objects into 3D models using photogrammetry. • Scan rooms with LiDAR to generate floor plans, detecting doors, windows, and furniture. • Measure dimensions and calculate floor area. • Export for 3D printing and CAD applications. Requires: iPhone with LiDAR sensor (iPhone 12 Pro and newer) AUTOMATION & INTEGRATION • Webhooks: send scan data to your server for inventory or custom integrations • iOS Shortcuts: launch scans via Siri, access scan history, write tags through automation • Widgets: quick-launch scanning from home screen, lock screen, or Control Center • Auto-Actions: open links, run shortcuts, play audio, or trigger text-to-speech when scanning tags CUSTOMIZATION Choose from multiple themes and icons, text-to-speech voices in 40+ languages, and Game Center achievements. Note: NFC functionality requires iPhone 7 or newer. iPhones read NFC but not all RFID frequencies. NFC.cool is in no way affiliated with Nintendo or Philips. Amiibo is a registered trademark by Nintendo and Sonicare is a registered trademark by Philips. These functions in NFC.cool are for educational purposes only. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
Google Family Link and NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 66% of NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader's written reviews are positive against 27% of Google Family Link's. Google Family Link's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 26) and ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader sells 26 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Google Family Link asks for nothing beyond the download.
Google Family Link holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Family Link has 295K ratings behind it against 6.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 27% of Google Family Link's written reviews are positive against 66% of NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Google Family Link ships an update weekly, NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.
| Parameter | Google Family Link | NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (295K ratings) — better | 4.5 (6.8K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 27.1% of reviews | 66.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 295K — better | 6.8K |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #71 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 193 MB | 106 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicolo Stanciu | |
Customer experience
Google Family Link
NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader
User reviews
Google Family Link
From 295K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent parental controls
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔒 Secure and safe for children
- 💡 Helpful for managing screen time
- 👍 Useful location tracking
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🔒 Overly restrictive for older children
- 🐛 Difficult to set up and configure
- 🐛 Inaccurate location tracking
NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader
From 6.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💯 Excellent app
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 User-friendly
- 🔥 Awesome features
- 🎉 Great tool
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 📢 Too many ads
- 🚫 Doesn't work on older devices
- 🤔 Confusing interface
Bugs and requests
Google Family Link
Reported bugs
4 issues- Keyboard disappears when trying to edit time limits
- Devices randomly disconnecting from the app
- Inability to remove child accounts after they turn 13
- Incompatibility with certain devices and operating systems
Requested features
4 requests- More flexible scheduling options
- Ability to whitelist/blacklist apps
- Improved communication between parent and child devices
- Support for multiple child accounts
NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader
Reported bugs
4 issues- Unable to read certain NFC tags
- App freezes during NFC operations
- Compatibility issues with iOS 13 and newer
- Inconsistent behavior when writing tags
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to clear/erase NFC tags
- Integrate with Shortcuts app
- Offline mode for writing NFC tags
- Add support for RFID tags
- Improve instructions and documentation
In-app purchases
Google Family Link
No in-app purchases
NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader
- Unlimited Monthly Special$1.991 Month
- Business Cards Service Monthly3 Days trial$2.491 Month
- Unlimited 3DT Monthly3 Days trial$2.991 Month
Show 17 moreShow fewer
- NFC.cool Scanner Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
- UnlimitedPro3DT Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Platinum Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Ultra3DT Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Unlimited3DT Weekly$6.997 Days
- Mini3DT Yearly3 Days trial$17.491 Year
- Mini7DT Yearly7 Days trial$17.491 Year
- Unlimited Yearly Special$19.001 Year
- Business Cards Service Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Unlimited 3DT Yearly3 Days trial$24.991 Year
- Unlimited7DT Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
- NFC.cool Scanner Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year
- UnlimitedPro7DT Yearly7 Days trial$34.991 Year
- UnlimitedPro3DT Yearly3 Days trial$34.991 Year
- Ultra3DT Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Ultra7DT Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Business Yearly7 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Donut$0.99
- Rainbow Dark Mode$0.99
- Unlimited QR-Code Widgets$3.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Speech Synthesizer$3.99
- Ad-free$6.99
- Unlimited Lifetime$49.99
Questions
Is Google Family Link free?
Is NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader free?
Which has better reviews, Google Family Link or NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader?
Do Google Family Link or NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, Google Family Link or NFC.cool Tools Tag Reader?
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