# GCTools vs NFC Tools

The clearest difference is rating: NFC Tools at 4.6 against GCTools's 3.1. NFC Tools also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 13) and chart position (#150 vs unranked). GCTools's advantage is iOS requirement (9.2 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. GCTools sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and NFC Tools sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

NFC Tools holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NFC Tools has 14K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of GCTools's written reviews are positive against 50% of NFC Tools's.

GCTools ships an update monthly, NFC Tools every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | GCTools | NFC Tools |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gctools/id438313105/reviews) | **[4.6 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nfc-tools/id1252962749/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 13 | **14K** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **50.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#150** |
| Size | 41 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.2** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Achim Heynen](https://appshunter.io/developer/374870201) | [wakdev](https://appshunter.io/developer/1252962748) |

## What reviewers say

### GCTools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gctools/id438313105)

This app provides a comprehensive suite of tools for geocaching enthusiasts. It offers coordinate manipulation, a wide range of cipher decoding and encoding options, interactive data tables, and various unit converters to assist with multi and mystery caches.

**Highlights:** Coordinate projection and distance calculation, Extensive cipher decoding and encoding, Interactive data tables, Multiple unit converters, Mapview integration with popular services, Coordinate saving and loading

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coordinate Storage | $0.99 | one-time |
| Circle Tools | $0.99 | one-time |
| Advanced Alphabets | $0.99 | one-time |
| Vigenere/One Time Pad Cipher | $0.99 | one-time |
| Coordinate Types | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1 Year Full Version | $1.99 | one-time |
| Full Version | $2.99 | one-time |


### NFC Tools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nfc-tools/id1252962749)

**Currently charting:** #150 Top Free · Utilities (US App Store)

Easily read and write data to NFC tags using a straightforward interface. Interact with tag content, view detailed information, and record standard data like contacts, URLs, and WiFi configurations.

**Highlights:** Read NFC tag data, Write standard information to tags, Store VCARDs and URLs, Share contact details, Save tag contents, Configure WiFi and Bluetooth

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NFC Tools - Pro Edition | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 One-time payment for Pro version
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Fast NFC tag reading and writing
- 👍 Works well for most use cases
- 💡 Useful for home automation and NFC tag programming

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with reading/writing contact information
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with certain NFC tags and devices
- 🐛 Unreliable performance for some users
- 💰 Paid features should be included in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot unlock NFC tags after locking them
- Contacts and WiFi records not working as expected
- Inconsistent behavior when reading/writing tags
- Restore purchase feature not functioning properly

**Requested features**

- Add ability to bulk write NFC tags
- Improve compatibility with wpa2 enterprise WiFi settings
- Implement file explorer for loading custom tag data
- Add option to write data to Apple Wallet
- Provide emulator functionality for testing without tags


## Frequently asked questions

### Is GCTools free?

GCTools is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is NFC Tools free?

NFC Tools is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, GCTools or NFC Tools?

NFC Tools is rated higher. GCTools averages 3.1 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while NFC Tools averages 4.6 from 14K ratings.

### Do GCTools or NFC Tools have ads?

Neither GCTools nor NFC Tools shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, GCTools or NFC Tools?

GCTools ships an update monthly, and NFC Tools every 3 weeks. Most recently, GCTools was updated on September 27, 2026 and NFC Tools on September 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*