NFC Reader / Writer vs MRZ Scanner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
MRZ Scanner
Scan machine-readable zones (MRZ) from documents in real-time, directly on your device. This app offers fast and accurate decoding without requiring an internet connection, ensuring your data remains private. Manually correct fields for improved accuracy.
- Real-time MRZ scanning
- On-device processing (offline)
- High accuracy decoding
- Fastest decoding time
- Manual field correction
- Data privacy
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Machine-readable zone (MRZ) scanner app! MRZ scanner works in real-time, locally on a device, without the need of an internet connection. Since the scan happens right on the device, the data never leaves your device unless you want it to. All processing takes place on your device. This means the results never pass any external servers. MRZ scanner has the fastest decoding time on the market paired with the highest accuracy. Fields that don't have checksum digit from the MRZ can manually be checked and updated to avoid rescanning.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NFC Reader / Writer at 3.6 against MRZ Scanner's 3.0. NFC Reader / Writer also leads on review sentiment (16% vs 0%) and ratings volume (19 vs 2). MRZ Scanner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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 / Writer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MRZ Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.
NFC Reader / Writer holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NFC Reader / Writer has 19 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of NFC Reader / Writer's written reviews are positive against 0% of MRZ Scanner's.
NFC Reader / Writer ships an update monthly, MRZ Scanner every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on July 8, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NFC Reader / Writer | MRZ Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (19 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 16.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 19 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Sowers | Adamantus DOO |
Customer experience
NFC Reader / Writer
MRZ Scanner
Bugs and 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
MRZ Scanner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NFC Reader / Writer
- Remove Ads$1.99
MRZ Scanner
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NFC Reader / Writer free?
Is MRZ Scanner free?
Which has better reviews, NFC Reader / Writer or MRZ Scanner?
Do NFC Reader / Writer or MRZ Scanner have ads?
Which is updated more often, NFC Reader / Writer or MRZ Scanner?
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