Smart NFC vs TinyServer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Smart NFC
This app allows users to read, write, and interact with NFC tags directly from their compatible iPhone. It supports various record types, tag formatting, and direct memory access for advanced customization. Background reading is also available on newer devices.
- Read, write, duplicate, erase, and lock NDEF tags
- Format tags as NDEF
- Interact with links and social media records
- Background tag reading
- Direct tag memory access
- Send custom commands to tags
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NFC is supported on iPhone 7 or newer only; iPad and iPod Touch do not have the hardware to interact with NFC tags. ----- Read, write, interact, and hack your NFC tags on your supporting iPhone! Smart NFC is one of the first apps to support native NFC writing directly from your device. With numerous custom records to get you started, you'll be writing to most NDEF-formatted NFC tags in no time. Don't have any NDEF-formatted tags? Format them in the Advanced section. Tag-specific features are being added that allow you to edit a tag's memory directly, which opens the doors to all kinds of new features! Tag not scanning? NDEF format new tags from the Advanced section to get them working right! An NFC tag is written with a single "Message" which contains any number of "Records." These records define text, links, and data to be stored on the tag. Most tags can be scanned by holding the top of your iPhone within a few centimeters. A chip is only limited only by its size. As long as the chip is NDEF-formatted (most are, and other formats will be supported in a later version) and it has enough space, the limits are endless! Features: - Read, write, duplicate, erase, and permanently lock NDEF-formatted tags - Monitor a tag's max capacity (usually somewhere between 256-1024 Bytes) - Read, write, and interact with links (https://, sms://, facetime://, mailto:, etc.) - Write a variety of pre-defined Social Media and website records - Read and write text records with multiple language localizations - Use Background Tag Reading to interact with NFC tags without an app. Write a link to a tag and then tap it to your phone. Voila! (Supported on iPhone XS and newer) - Review and rewrite previous messages from your History to another tag - Format factory-programmed tags as NDEF tags in-app (Supports most common tags such as Type 2 and Type 5 NFC tags) - Read and write directly to a tag's memory - Send custom commands directly to a tag - And of course, target your users better by using a tag's unique identifier Extras: - Dark Mode - Privacy: we collect nothing as you use the app. Supported Devices: - NFC scanning is available on iPhone 7 and newer. iPad and iPod Touch do not have the required hardware. - Background Tag Reading is available on iPhone XS and newer. iOS will present a notification for the first valid link stored on a tag. Supported Tags: - Any NDEF-formatted tags - MIFARE Ultralight - NTAG 213/215/216 - NXP ICODE® Tags, ISO 15693 Tags, and Type 5 Tags Future support for: - MIFARE DESFire Limitations: - MIFARE Classic tags are not currently supported by iOS Future features: - Include a tag's ID and/or its read count in a record - Password-protect an NFC chip - Connect to a Bluetooth device Feel free to Tweet feature requests to me at @0xA1EC
TinyServer
Transform your mobile device into a web server to host static websites. Access files from other devices on your local network using a friendly URL. Features include directory listing, basic authentication, and seamless integration with external editors.
- Serve static files and websites over HTTP
- Directory listing for easy browsing
- Bonjour for friendly URLs
- iPad Multitasking support
- Basic authentication protection
- Access log viewing
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Use your mobile device as a web server! Access static websites from a computer or other mobile device. FEATURES • use folders stored locally on your iPhone/iPad or in iCloud • serve static files and websites over HTTP • enable Directory Listing to browse the selected folder in your browser • Bonjour: no need to type in IP addresses - TinyServer will show a friendly URL like http://myiPhone.local:8080 • iPad Multitasking: use an external editor to edit your files and preview them in Safari running alongside TinyServer • Open an in-app browser to access your served files • See the access log of the web server • Basic auth protection CHOOSING A FOLDER There are several ways to open a folder to be served by TinyServer. • In the app, tap "Choose Folder", then long-press a folder to bring up the context menu. Choose "Serve in TinyServer" • In the app, tap "Choose Folder", tap "Select" in the navigation bar, select a folder and tap "Open" in the navigation bar • on iPad, you can have the files app and TinyServer side by side in multitasking. You can drag and drop folders to the top of the TinyServer interface. Keep in mind that this way creates a copy, so if you change the files you have to drag them to the app again to see the changes. IMPORTANT: The web server cannot run in the background. Keep TinyServer in the foreground and the device unlocked. If you do change apps, the web server will restart automatically when you bring the TinyServer app back to the foreground. TinyServer only works on local WiFi. The web server is not accessible via a cellular network connection. It is meant for static files, so you can't run e.g. a PHP or Ruby on Rails backend from it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TinyServer at 75% against Smart NFC's 48%. TinyServer also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and chart position (#12 vs #62). Smart NFC's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $3.99) and ratings volume (92 vs 28). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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
Smart NFC costs $1.99 and TinyServer $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
TinyServer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 92 and 28 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Smart NFC's written reviews are positive against 75% of TinyServer's.
Smart NFC ships an update fortnightly, TinyServer every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Smart NFC | TinyServer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (92 ratings) | 4.7 (28 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.6% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 92 — better | 28 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #62 | #12 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alec O'Connor | Christian Lobach |
Customer experience
Smart NFC
TinyServer
In-app purchases
Smart NFC
No in-app purchases
TinyServer
No in-app purchases








