NFC Reader & Scanner vs NFC Reader / Writer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
NFC Reader / Writer
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.
- Read NFC tags
- Save tags for later
- Share tag data
- Save contacts from tags
- Open URLs from tags
- Display text messages
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With NFC Reader you can read tags, save them for later viewing, share them, save contacts, open URLs and more! Be advised: Reading NFC tags requires iPhone 7, 8, or X. FAQ: - Will my iPhone work with NFC? That depends: iPhone 7 and up supports NFC reading and NFC reading only works when NFC tags are NDEF formatted. If you're not sure what that means, you can reach out to our support for more information. - Are NFC tags RFID tags? No, NFC NDEF tags are not RFID tags - this means your gym cards, debit/credit cards, hotel cards, etc aren't readable by this app. - Will this app help me pair to my speaker/router/camera/etc? No, this app doesn't support deep integrations into NFC enabled products - this app is intended to read NFC tags and display data within those tags. Some tags contain actionable data like website URLs, text messages, geotags, contact cards, etc. If you have any questions, reach out to me at andrew@baristable.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NFC Reader / Writer at 3.6 against NFC Reader & Scanner's 1.9. NFC Reader / Writer also leads on review sentiment (16% vs 0%). NFC Reader & Scanner's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.6). On price, ratings volume, 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 Reader & Scanner 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 Reader / Writer holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 1.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 19 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of NFC Reader & Scanner's written reviews are positive against 16% of NFC Reader / Writer's.
| Parameter | NFC Reader & Scanner | NFC Reader / Writer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.9 (7 ratings) | 3.6 (19 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 16.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 19 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TapMedia Ltd | Andrew Sowers |
Customer experience
NFC Reader & Scanner
NFC Reader / Writer
Bugs and requests
NFC Reader & Scanner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
NFC Reader / Writer
Reported bugs
7 issues- 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
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- App won't open on multiple device models
- CoreNFC framework compatibility issues
Requested features
6 requests- 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
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- Graceful handling for devices without NFC hardware
In-app purchases
NFC Reader & Scanner
- Upgrade to Pro$2.99
NFC Reader / Writer
- Remove Ads$1.99
Questions
Is NFC Reader & Scanner free?
Is NFC Reader / Writer free?
Which has better reviews, NFC Reader & Scanner or NFC Reader / Writer?
Do NFC Reader & Scanner or NFC Reader / Writer have ads?
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