# NFC Scanner vs NFC Tools

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.

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 October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NFC Scanner | NFC Tools |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.8 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nfc-scanner/id1245321879/reviews) | **[4.6 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nfc-tools/id1252962749/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 16 | **14K** |
| Positive reviews | 10.0% of reviews | **50.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#144** |
| Size | 9 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wander Bit LLC - Photo & Video Editor Apps and More](https://appshunter.io/developer/649030066) | [wakdev](https://appshunter.io/developer/1252962748) |

## What reviewers say

### NFC Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nfc-scanner/id1245321879)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### NFC Tools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nfc-tools/id1252962749)

**Currently charting:** #144 Top Free · Utilities (US App Store)

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:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NFC Tools - Pro Edition | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 One-time payment for Pro version
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Fast NFC tag reading and writing
- 👍 Works well for most use cases
- 💡 Useful for home automation and NFC tag programming

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with reading/writing contact information
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with certain NFC tags and devices
- 🐛 Unreliable performance for some users
- 💰 Paid features should be included in free version

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 October 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*