Smart NFC vs YAML Tools
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
YAML Tools
A comprehensive YAML utility for developers on iOS. Visualize, format, convert, and generate code from YAML files. Includes validation and a dedicated syntax keyboard for efficient editing.
- Interactive Tree and Table View for YAML visualization
- Convert YAML to JSON, XML, CSV, and more
- Generate type-safe model classes for multiple languages
- Real-time JSON Schema generation and validation
- Dedicated YAML syntax keyboard overlay
- Format and minify YAML structures
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The ultimate YAML toolkit for developers. Visualize, validate, convert, and generate code - all in one powerful, beautifully designed iOS app. YAML Tools is the professional-grade YAML utility built for developers who demand speed, precision, and versatility. Whether you're editing Kubernetes configs, debugging CI/CD pipelines, or generating type-safe model classes, YAML Tools handles it all natively on iPhone and iPad. Visualize & Explore Dive into your YAML with an interactive Tree View and path-based querying. Use the Table View to inspect sequences like a spreadsheet. Rainbow column highlighting makes CSV/TSV output instantly readable. Format & Transform Prettify nested structures with smart indentation or strip whitespace with the Minify engine. Convert YAML to JSON, XML, CSV, TSV, TOML, HTML, Markdown, Base64, and more instantly. Generate Production-Ready Code Export type-safe model classes for Dart, Swift, Kotlin, Java, Python, TypeScript, and C# with intelligent property singularization and pluralization. Stop writing boilerplate, YAML Tools writes it for you. Validate with Confidence Auto-generate JSON Schema from any YAML document, then validate payloads against it in real time. Catch structural errors before they reach production. Built for iOS A dedicated YAML syntax keyboard overlay, native Document Picker integration, and background processing keep the experience fast and fluid, even on large configuration files.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: YAML Tools at 5.0 against Smart NFC's 4.5. YAML Tools also leads on price ($0.99 vs $1.99). Smart NFC's advantage is ratings volume (92 vs 1). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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 YAML Tools $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
YAML Tools holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smart NFC has 92 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Smart NFC ships an update fortnightly, YAML Tools monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Smart NFC | YAML Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (92 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 92 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #37 — better | #47 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alec O'Connor | Mohammed Aadhil |
Customer experience
Smart NFC
YAML Tools
In-app purchases
Smart NFC
No in-app purchases
YAML Tools
No in-app purchases









