NFC Reader / Writer vs Passport Reader
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
Passport Reader
This utility app reads the NFC chip on your passport to display its contents. It requires manual input of passport details and offers authenticity verification. Use with caution, as the developer disclaims responsibility for damages.
- Reads NFC passport chips
- Displays passport contents
- Input data via OCR
- Authenticity verification
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'Passport Reader' is an app that reads the IC chip of an NFC passport and displays its contents. To read the IC chip, you need to enter the passport number, date of birth, and date of expiry displayed on the passport. [Main Features] - Reading input data through OCR - Authenticity verification [Disclaimer] The developer and development company are not responsible for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or other damages arising from the use of this app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Passport Reader at none against NFC Reader / Writer's 1. Passport Reader also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 16%) and rating (4.0 vs 3.6). NFC Reader / Writer's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months). On price, ratings volume, 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. Passport Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
Passport Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of NFC Reader / Writer's written reviews are positive against 50% of Passport Reader's.
NFC Reader / Writer ships an update monthly, Passport Reader every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NFC Reader / Writer | Passport Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (19 ratings) | 4.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.0% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 19 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Sowers | Legal Prompt Inc. |
Customer experience
NFC Reader / Writer
Passport Reader
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
Passport Reader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NFC Reader / Writer
- Remove Ads$1.99
Passport Reader
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NFC Reader / Writer free?
Is Passport Reader free?
Which has better reviews, NFC Reader / Writer or Passport Reader?
Do NFC Reader / Writer or Passport Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, NFC Reader / Writer or Passport Reader?
Other comparisons
