Comparison

NFC Scanner vs NFC Tools

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

NFC Scanner

Easily read NFC tags on your iPhone or iPod. This utility app provides a history of scanned tags, supports multi-record tags, and allows you to open links directly from within the application. It's designed for quick, one-handed use.

Highlights
  • Read NFC tags on iOS
  • Scan history
  • Automatic scanning option
  • Multi-record tag support
  • One-hand optimized UI
  • Open links from app
Read full description

Read NFC Tags for the first time on iOS! NFC Scanner features: - A history of the tags you scanned - Optional automatic scanning when the app is launched for quick tag reading. - Support for multi-record tags - User interface optimized for one-hand use - Open links from right within the app + more coming soon!

About

NFC Tools

Easily read and write data to NFC tags using a straightforward interface. Interact with tag content, view detailed information, and record standard data like contacts, URLs, and WiFi configurations.

Highlights
  • Read NFC tag data
  • Write standard information to tags
  • Store VCARDs and URLs
  • Share contact details
  • Save tag contents
  • Configure WiFi and Bluetooth
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

NFC Tools can read and write your NFC tags with a simple and lightweight user interface. By passing your device near an NFC chip, you can read the data it contains and interact with the content. The "Read" section allows you to see data such as: - the maker of the tag - the type of tag (ex : Mifare Ultralight, NTAG213) - the norm of the tag (ex : NFC Forum Type 2) - the available technology (ex: NFC A) - its serial number (ex : 04:85:c8:5a:40:2b:80) - the size of the tag and of the data on it - if you can write on the tag - all the data on the tag (NDEF format) NFC Tools can record standard information on your tags which will be compatible with any NFC device. For instance, you can store a VCARD to share your contact details easily, open an URL, share a phone number or even a geolocation. The "Write" section let you record standardised data such as: - a simple text - a link to a website - an email - a contact - a phone number - a predefined text message - an address or geolocation - a WiFi or Bluetooth configuration - personalised data - and more... The write function allows you to add as much data as you wish. This way you can record large quantities of information on your tag. The app also allows you to save the contents of your chip for later access. NFC Tools has been tested with the following NFC tags: - NTAG 203, 210, 210u, 212, 213, 213TT, 215, 216, 413 DNA, 424 DNA - Ultralight, Ultralight C, Ultralight EV1 - ICODE SLI, SLI-S, SLIX, SLIX-S, SLIX-L, SLIX2, DNA - DESFire EV1, EV2, EV3 - ST25TV, ST25TA - Felica If you encounter any problem, don’t hesitate to contact us. Notes: - Compatible from iPhone 7. - Use the "compatibility" mode to read/write Mifare Classic tags.

Screenshots

NFC Scanner4 screens
NFC Tools4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: NFC Tools at 4.6 against NFC Scanner's 1.8. NFC Tools also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 10%) and ratings volume (14K vs 16). NFC Scanner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. NFC Tools sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NFC Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NFC Tools holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NFC Tools has 14K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 10% of NFC Scanner's written reviews are positive against 50% of NFC Tools's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NFC Scanner ships an update every 4 weeks, NFC Tools every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
NFC Scanner versus NFC Tools: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNFC ScannerNFC Tools
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (16 ratings)4.6 (14K ratings) — better
Positive reviews10.0% of reviews50.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1614K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#145 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB9 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperWander Bit LLC - Photo & Video Editor Apps and Morewakdev

Customer experience

NFC Scanner

All ratings16 ratings
Positive18.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive10.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative70.0%

NFC Tools

All ratings14,214 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews688 reviews
Positive50.4%
Neutral9.6%
Negative40.0%

Bugs and requests

NFC Scanner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

NFC Tools

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cannot unlock NFC tags after locking them
  • Contacts and WiFi records not working as expected
  • Inconsistent behavior when reading/writing tags
  • Restore purchase feature not functioning properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to bulk write NFC tags
  • Improve compatibility with wpa2 enterprise WiFi settings
  • Implement file explorer for loading custom tag data
  • Add option to write data to Apple Wallet
  • Provide emulator functionality for testing without tags

In-app purchases

None

NFC Scanner

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

NFC Tools

One-time1
  • NFC Tools - Pro Edition$3.99

Questions

Is NFC Scanner free?
NFC Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NFC Tools free?
NFC Tools is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NFC Scanner or NFC Tools?
NFC Tools is rated higher. NFC Scanner averages 1.8 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while NFC Tools averages 4.6 from 14K ratings.
Do NFC Scanner or NFC Tools have ads?
Neither NFC Scanner nor NFC Tools shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NFC Scanner or NFC Tools?
NFC Scanner ships an update every 4 weeks, and NFC Tools every 3 weeks. Most recently, NFC Scanner was updated on September 25, 2026 and NFC Tools on September 30, 2026.

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