Comparison

Trip Reader (NFC) vs Sarotis

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Trip Reader (NFC)

Access your Chinese public transit card's balance and transaction history using your iPhone's NFC reader. View station names, monthly discounts, and bus routes without needing internet or Bluetooth. Save your travel history and sync it across devices.

Highlights
  • Read balance and history
  • Show station names
  • Track monthly discounts
  • Display bus route numbers
  • Save travel history
  • Sync to iCloud
Read full description

Trip Reader uses iPhone's internal NFC reader to get balance and history from public transit cards issued across China. No Internet or Bluetooth is needed. Main features: • Balance and history • Show station names • Monthly discount policy and progress • Bus route number • Save history and comments • Sync to iCloud ************************************** Beijing Yikatong is not supported due to technical reason. ************************************** Cards supported: • Beijing Hutong Card (京津冀互联互通卡, with T-Union mark) • Tianjin City Card (with T-Union mark) • Nanjing City Card (with T-Union mark) • Suzhou Citizen Card • Shanghai Public Transportation Card (Purple card and T-Union card) • Kunshan Citizen Card • Guangzhou Yang Cheng Tong (CPU card only) • Lingnan Pass • Shenzhen Tong (FeliCa type not supported) • Chengdu Tianfu Tong (CPU card only) • Other T-Union or City Union cards issued across China (some dual-module cards may show T-Union history only) Note: Student cards, senior cards etc. are not supported. This app does not have access to official database. Please use with caution and do not rely on the result.

About

Sarotis

Easily read, write, and manage NFC tags. Save tag data, import/export information, and clear or lock tags. Supports various data types like contacts, web links, and Wi-Fi configurations.

Highlights
  • Write/Read NFC Tags (NDEF Format)
  • Save and Import NFC Tag Data
  • Export Data to CSV
  • Clear and Lock NFC Tags
  • Text-to-Speech for Read Data
  • Create vCards, Web Links, Wi-Fi, and more
Read full description

With Sarotis - NFC Writer / Reader you are able to write / read your NFC Tags. Additional, you have the ability to save your NFC Tags and write that data to other NFC Tags. The records of scanned NFC Tags can be opened directly, e.g. read contact record can be imported to your contacts or you can execute Siri Shortcuts directly in the app. Features - Write / Read NFC Tags (NDEF Format) - Save NFC Tag data - Import NFC Tag data - Export NFC Tag data (CSV file) - Load saved NFC Tag data and write it to other NFC Tags - Open read data directly - View / Copy raw data - Clear NFC Tags - Lock NFC Tags - Read out scanned NFC Tags (Text to speech) - NFC Tag history (read / write) - Protect NFC Tag with password Section Read NFC - Scan vCards and import it to your contacts - Open locations in map - Open Weblinks - Start FaceTime calls - Start phone calls - Send text messages (SMS) - Read plain text - Read and open eMails - Read Bluetooth - Read Wifi and connect - Read hex data Section Write NFC - Create vCards and write them to NFC Tags - Create locations from a map - Create Siri Shortcuts - Create weblinks - Create FaceTime calls - Create text messages (SMS) - Create eMails - Create plain text - Create phone calls - Create Bluetooth - Create Wifi - Create hex data - Create social media quick links For feedback or feature requests please use the feedback section in the app or send an eMail to support@sarotis-nfc.de. If you like the app, please rate it in the App Store to support future development.

Screenshots

Trip Reader (NFC)4 screens
Sarotis4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Trip Reader (NFC) at 4.7 against Sarotis's 3.9. Trip Reader (NFC) also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (483 vs 7). Sarotis's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Sarotis sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Trip Reader (NFC) asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Trip Reader (NFC) holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Trip Reader (NFC) has 483 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Trip Reader (NFC)'s written reviews are positive against 79% of Sarotis's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trip Reader (NFC) ships an update every 2 months, Sarotis every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Trip Reader (NFC) versus Sarotis: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrip Reader (NFC)Sarotis
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (483 ratings) — better3.9 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews — better78.9% of reviews
Number of ratings483 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDomosekai LimitedTobias Hauss

Customer experience

Trip Reader (NFC)

All ratings483 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral6.8%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

Sarotis

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative21.1%

In-app purchases

None

Trip Reader (NFC)

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Sarotis

Subscriptions2
  • Sarotis PRO – Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
  • Sarotis Pro - yearly subscription3 Days trial$11.991 Year
One-time2
  • Sarotis PRO (All Features)$7.99
  • Sarotis PRO Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is Trip Reader (NFC) free?
Trip Reader (NFC) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sarotis free?
Sarotis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Trip Reader (NFC) or Sarotis?
Trip Reader (NFC) is rated higher. Trip Reader (NFC) averages 4.7 out of 5 from 483 ratings, while Sarotis averages 3.9 from 7 ratings.
Do Trip Reader (NFC) or Sarotis have ads?
Neither Trip Reader (NFC) nor Sarotis shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Trip Reader (NFC) or Sarotis?
Trip Reader (NFC) ships an update every 2 months, and Sarotis every 4 weeks. Most recently, Trip Reader (NFC) was updated on September 23, 2026 and Sarotis on September 11, 2026.

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