Comparison

NFC Tools vs Japan NFC Reader

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

Head to head
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.

About

Japan NFC Reader

Easily check the balance and usage history of various Japanese transit and e-money cards directly on your iPhone. Supports a wide range of IC cards and payment services for convenient financial tracking.

Highlights
  • Check e-money balance
  • View usage history
  • Supports Transit IC cards
  • Supports Rakuten Edy, nanaco, WAON
  • Supports Hong Kong Octopus card
  • iPhone compatibility
Read full description

You can check Japanese e-money balance and usage history on your iPhone. Support: ・Transit IC(Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, SUGOCA, TOICA, Kitaca, manaca, nimoca, はやかけん(Hayakaken)) ・IruCa ・PASPY ・SAPICA ・icsca ・OKICA ・Ryuto ・Region Affiliate Transit IC(totra, Iwate Green Pass, iGUCA, HACHICA, AOPASS, nolbé, Shuhoku Orange Pass, AkiCA, Towada SkyBlue Pass, cherica, MegoICa, …and more!) ・Rakuten Edy ・nanaco ・WAON ・Japan Univ. Co-op IC Prepaid ・八達通 (Octopus) (Hong Kong) Devices that support card scanning: WITH iOS 13.0 OR LATER iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhone 14 Plus iPhone SE (3rd generation) iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone 13 iPhone 13 mini iPhone 12 Pro iPhone 12 Pro Max iPhone 12 iPhone 12 mini iPhone SE (2nd generation) iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max iPhone 11 iPhone XS iPhone XS Max iPhone XR iPhone X iPhone 8 iPhone 8 Plus iPhone 7 (sold in Japan) iPhone 7 Plus (sold in Japan)

Screenshots

NFC Tools4 screens
Japan NFC Reader3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: NFC Tools at none against Japan NFC Reader's shown. NFC Tools also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 24) and chart position (#108 vs unranked). Japan NFC Reader's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and Japan NFC Reader sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Japan NFC Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NFC Tools has 14K ratings behind it against 24, 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 67% of Japan NFC Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NFC Tools ships an update every 3 weeks, Japan NFC Reader every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and July 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
NFC Tools versus Japan NFC Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNFC ToolsJapan NFC Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (14K ratings)5.0 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.3% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14K — better24
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#108 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperwakdevRyoga Tanaka

Customer experience

NFC Tools

All ratings14,088 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral2.2%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews686 reviews
Positive50.3%
Neutral9.6%
Negative40.1%

Japan NFC Reader

All ratings24 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and 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

Japan NFC Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

NFC Tools

One-time1
  • NFC Tools - Pro Edition$3.99
2 purchases

Japan NFC Reader

One-time2
  • Hide Ads (General)$1.99
  • Hide Ads (Advanced Features)$4.99

Questions

Is NFC Tools free?
NFC Tools is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Japan NFC Reader free?
Japan NFC Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NFC Tools or Japan NFC Reader?
Japan NFC Reader is rated higher. NFC Tools averages 4.6 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Japan NFC Reader averages 5.0 from 24 ratings.
Do NFC Tools or Japan NFC Reader have ads?
Japan NFC Reader shows ads; NFC Tools does not.
Which is updated more often, NFC Tools or Japan NFC Reader?
NFC Tools ships an update every 3 weeks, and Japan NFC Reader every 6 days. Most recently, NFC Tools was updated on September 24, 2026 and Japan NFC Reader on July 5, 2026.

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