Simply NFC vs NFC Reader & Scanner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simply NFC
Easily read and write to NFC tags using your phone. This app supports various tag types including text, URLs, contacts, and HomeKit scenes. It also offers accessibility features, Siri Shortcuts, widgets, and iMessage extensions for convenient tag management and automation.
- Read and write NFC tags
- Supports text, URL, vCard, SMS, email, phone, app launch, custom URI, location, HomeKit, and Wi-Fi tags
- Trigger HomeKit scenes
- VoiceOver accessibility
- Siri Shortcuts integration
- Widget and iMessage extension
- Export scanned history
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Simply NFC is a powerful, accessible, and easy-to-use NFC reader and writer for iPhone. Scan NFC tags instantly, create programmable tags, trigger HomeKit scenes, automate workflows, and create spoken text tags for visually impaired users, all without external hardware. Built with accessibility in mind: * Full VoiceOver support throughout the app * Spoken text tags that read aloud when scanned * Great for labeling household items, storage, medication, equipment, and more * Accessible scanning and writing workflows for blind and visually impaired users Features: * Scan NFC tags instantly * Read raw tag information * Save scan history automatically * Multi-tag scanning * Apple Watch remote scanning support Write and program NFC tags directly from your iPhone: * Text tags * Text-to-Voice tags * URL tags * HomeKit scene tags * Wi-Fi setup tags * Contact cards (vCard) * Email, SMS, phone, and FaceTime tags * Custom URI and app-launch tags * Location tags Advanced NFC features: * Import tag records * Configure write passwords * Edit and rewrite compatible tags * Export history as CSV or tab-delimited text * Integrate scans with your own web services HomeKit support: * Trigger HomeKit scenes from NFC tags * Background NFC support on compatible devices * Great for smart home and accessibility automations Siri Shortcuts and integrations: * Start scanning with Siri * Launch single or multi-scan modes * iMessage extension for sharing scan history Developer features: * URI scheme support: simplynfc://reader simplynfc://scan simplynfc://multiscan simplynfc://writer * Callback support for apps and websites * Send scanned tag data directly to your server * Build NFC workflows into your own apps and services Simply tap “Read NFC” and hold your iPhone near a tag. It’s that simple. Simply NFC is designed for beginners, power users, accessibility needs, smart homes, inventory systems, and NFC development workflows. We love hearing from our customers, so feel free to contact us with questions, concerns, issues, bugs, suggestions, or feature requests. We are always looking for ways to improve Simply NFC.
NFC Reader & Scanner
This utility allows you to scan NFC tags directly from your iPhone. It automatically reads tag data and can open URLs in an integrated or third-party browser. Scans can be organized into folders for easy management.
- Scan NFC tags automatically
- Load URLs in integrated browser
- Load URLs in third-party browsers (in-app purchase)
- Organize scans into folders
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Scan NFC tags with your iPhone Simply hold your iPhone over an NFC tag and the app will automatically scan it. Requires NFC compatible devices. FEATURES - Quickly loads URL in integrated browser - Load in third-party browsers (In-App Purchase) - Organize scans into folders
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simply NFC at 47% against NFC Reader & Scanner's 0%. Simply NFC also leads on rating (4.1 vs 1.9) and ratings volume (187 vs 7). NFC Reader & Scanner's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, 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. Simply NFC sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and NFC Reader & Scanner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Simply NFC holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simply NFC has 187 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Simply NFC's written reviews are positive against 0% of NFC Reader & Scanner's.
| Parameter | Simply NFC | NFC Reader & Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (187 ratings) — better | 1.9 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 47.2% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 187 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Lakeside Llama LLC | TapMedia Ltd |
Customer experience
Simply NFC
NFC Reader & Scanner
Bugs and requests
Simply NFC
Reported bugs
13 issues- Wifi joining option fails
- Phone does nothing when tapping Wifi tag
- App stops telling device to speak loudly after a few scans
- App does not read tags at all
- NFC tag not read after 5 minutes
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- Fails with different brand NFC tags
- Privacy policy not updated
- Error connecting or too much information when writing tags
- HomeKit scenes do not work, redirect to developer's website with 404 error
- White buttons on white background (visibility issue)
- Pro version not working for some users
- Restore purchase feature does not work
- App states it won't work with specific iPhone models despite being listed as compatible
Requested features
9 requests- Improve Wifi tag support
- Fix issue with 'speak loudly' feature stopping
- Preview Pro upgrade records
- Allow custom URL schemes in URI Record
- Long term tag save area for review, edit, and rewrite
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- Add more languages (e.g., Russian)
- Improve VoiceOver support for tag selection and reading results
- Support writing HomeKit enabled tags on iPhone
- Add dark mode option for better visibility
NFC Reader & Scanner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Simply NFC
- Pro Version$4.99
NFC Reader & Scanner
- Upgrade to Pro$2.99
Questions
Is Simply NFC free?
Is NFC Reader & Scanner free?
Which has better reviews, Simply NFC or NFC Reader & Scanner?
Do Simply NFC or NFC Reader & Scanner have ads?
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