NFC Scanner vs NFC Tools
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Read NFC tags on iOS
- Scan history
- Automatic scanning option
- Multi-record tag support
- One-hand optimized UI
- Open links from app
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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!
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.
- Read NFC tag data
- Write standard information to tags
- Store VCARDs and URLs
- Share contact details
- Save tag contents
- Configure WiFi and Bluetooth
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. NFC Tools sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NFC Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
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.
| Parameter | NFC Scanner | NFC Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.8 (16 ratings) | 4.6 (14K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 10.0% of reviews | 50.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16 | 14K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #145 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wander Bit LLC - Photo & Video Editor Apps and More | wakdev |
Customer experience
NFC Scanner
NFC Tools
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
NFC Scanner
No in-app purchases
NFC Tools
- NFC Tools - Pro Edition$3.99
Questions
Is NFC Scanner free?
Is NFC Tools free?
Which has better reviews, NFC Scanner or NFC Tools?
Do NFC Scanner or NFC Tools have ads?
Which is updated more often, NFC Scanner or NFC Tools?
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