NFC Forge vs Hex NFC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NFC Forge
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NFC Forge is the complete solution for creating and writing NFC tags directly on your iPhone. Perfect for professionals, developers, businesses, and enthusiasts who need a powerful and intuitive tool for working with NFC technology. - Simplified Writing • Write NFC tags with custom URLs • Full support for social media links (Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, GitHub, Behance) • Intuitive and easy-to-use interface • Step-by-step guided writing process - Production Mode (Premium) • Write multiple tags in sequence without interruptions • Perfect for mass production of keychains, cards, and NFC products • Real-time tag counter • Optimize your production line time - Chip Password Protection (Premium) • Protect your NFC tags directly on the chip • Prevents unauthorized rewrites • Compatible with NTAG21x and Ultralight EV1 chips • Maximum security for your products and applications - Tag Management • Save tag templates for quick reuse • Organize all your tags in one place • Fast and efficient search • Automatic synchronization via iCloud (CloudKit) • Access on all your Apple devices Terms of Use: https://micheltlutz.me/nfc-forge-terms-of-service-en-US.html Privacy Policy: https://micheltlutz.me/nfc-forge-privacy-policy-en-US.html
Hex NFC
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The ultimate NFC toolkit, for FREE! Hex NFC brings the power of the iPhone's full capabilities to you in a professional-grade package for zero cost. Along with full support for practically every NFC chip currently available, Hex NFC also supports scanning of transit cards like PASMO/Suica and modern passport chips. A passport's chip opens only with the number and dates from its photo page: type them in, or let the camera read them. The image is read on your iPhone and never kept. We've gone to great lengths to utilise every capability the iPhone has to offer, to give users the one NFC app they'll ever need. Supported and tested on real silicon: - NTAG210μ, NTAG213, NTAG216, NTAG424 DNA - MIFARE Ultralight EV1, MIFARE Ultralight C - MIFARE DESFire EV3 - ICODE SLIX, ICODE SLIX2 - FeliCa (Japanese transit cards, PASMO/Suica) - eMRTD / ICAO 9303 (Modern passports) Many other NFC chips of similar types (e.g. NTAG215) are supported as well. A number of them have been tested on our own simulators, and we will confirm them on real silicon as chips become available. Type 4 tags from makers other than NXP can be read and written too, and so can a phone set up to act as a tag. The chip support matrix in our online documentation shows what has been confirmed for each chip. Confirmed Unsupported (iPhone can not scan): - MIFARE Classic EV1 The app allows you to perform essentially any action an NFC chip can receive including: - Read - Write records (Text, URL, Social Media Link, Search Engines, Files, Email, Contacts, Phone Number, Text Message, FaceTime, Map Location, Crypto Link, Wi-Fi Access) - Password Protect (Write only or full read/write), Incorrect Password Limits (permanent lock), 3DES and AES encryption - Memory Dump - Set up a blank MIFARE DESFire EV1, EV2 or EV3 card as an NDEF tag, then read and write it like any other tag (confirmed on EV3 so far) - Destructive & Irreversible Actions: Erase, Format, Permanent Lock, Remove NDEF setup - Advanced (APDU) Console for advanced users Quality of life features: - Pre-build a chip profile, then write it to as many cards as you need, one tap at a time - Save presets for later writes or overwrites - Review and reuse historical chip states - Lock and protection changes are checked by reading the chip back where possible, rather than trusting an ACK Warning: This app includes a number of dangerous features that could render your chip permanently disabled. They are clearly marked and warned against, you won't be able to do it by accident as they require you to input the chip's UID to perform. However we take no responsibility for unintentional or intentional damage to your chips. Use irreversible actions at your own risk.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hex NFC at none against NFC Forge's 2. On price, update cadence, 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 Forge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Hex NFC asks for nothing beyond the download.
NFC Forge ships an update weekly, Hex NFC every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NFC Forge | Hex NFC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michel Anderson Lutz Teixeira | Hex Pro |
In-app purchases
NFC Forge
- Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
- Premium Yearly$5.991 Year
Hex NFC
No in-app purchases








