# NFC Tools vs NFC Reader / Writer

The clearest difference is rating: NFC Tools at 4.6 against NFC Reader / Writer's 3.6. NFC Tools also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (50% vs 16%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. NFC Tools sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and NFC Reader / Writer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

NFC Tools holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NFC Tools has 14K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of NFC Tools's written reviews are positive against 16% of NFC Reader / Writer's.

NFC Tools ships an update every 3 weeks, NFC Reader / Writer monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and July 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NFC Tools | NFC Reader / Writer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nfc-tools/id1252962749/reviews)** | [3.6 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nfc-reader-writer/id1286968328/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | **50.3% of reviews** | 16.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#149** | — |
| Size | 9 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [wakdev](https://appshunter.io/developer/1252962748) | [Andrew Sowers](https://appshunter.io/developer/592605673) |

## What reviewers say

### NFC Tools

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

**Currently charting:** #149 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


### NFC Reader / Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nfc-reader-writer/id1286968328)

This utility app allows you to read, save, and share information stored on NFC tags. It can extract data like URLs, contact cards, and text messages. Note that NFC tag reading requires an iPhone 7 or newer.

**Highlights:** Read NFC tags, Save tags for later, Share tag data, Save contacts from tags, Open URLs from tags, Display text messages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✅ Works well for NFC reading on compatible devices
- 👍 Nice, clean user interface design
- 🎯 Effective for product traceability and information display
- 💪 Reliable performance on iPhone 7 and newer models
- 🔧 Useful for reading various NFC tag types and formats

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes on startup for unsupported devices
- ❌ Inconsistent NFC reading functionality across devices
- 📱 Limited compatibility - only works on iPhone 7+
- 😕 Poor documentation and unclear instructions
- ⚠️ Misleading compatibility information in app store

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes immediately on launch for devices without NFC support
- NFC reading fails on iPhone 6, 6S, and SE despite claimed compatibility
- Session invalidated - feature not supported error messages
- Apple Pay popup appears when scanning NFC tags
- Unreadable symbols displayed on screen during scanning

**Requested features**

- Support for older iPhone models (iPhone 6, 6S, SE)
- Ability to open amiibo files from Google Drive
- Italian language support
- Better error handling and user notifications
- Support for writing NFC tags on all compatible devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NFC Tools free?

NFC Tools is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is NFC Reader / Writer free?

NFC Reader / Writer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, NFC Tools or NFC Reader / Writer?

NFC Tools is rated higher. NFC Tools averages 4.6 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while NFC Reader / Writer averages 3.6 from 19 ratings.

### Do NFC Tools or NFC Reader / Writer have ads?

NFC Reader / Writer shows ads; NFC Tools does not.

### Which is updated more often, NFC Tools or NFC Reader / Writer?

NFC Tools ships an update every 3 weeks, and NFC Reader / Writer monthly. Most recently, NFC Tools was updated on September 25, 2026 and NFC Reader / Writer on July 8, 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.*