NFC Tools vs Japan NFC Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
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.
- Check e-money balance
- View usage history
- Supports Transit IC cards
- Supports Rakuten Edy, nanaco, WAON
- Supports Hong Kong Octopus card
- iPhone compatibility
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | NFC Tools | Japan NFC Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (14K ratings) | 5.0 (24 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.3% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 24 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #108 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | wakdev | Ryoga Tanaka |
Customer experience
NFC Tools
Japan NFC Reader
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
NFC Tools
- NFC Tools - Pro Edition$3.99
Japan NFC Reader
- Hide Ads (General)$1.99
- Hide Ads (Advanced Features)$4.99
Questions
Is NFC Tools free?
Is Japan NFC Reader free?
Which has better reviews, NFC Tools or Japan NFC Reader?
Do NFC Tools or Japan NFC Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, NFC Tools or Japan NFC Reader?
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