Comparison

CENFC vs Hex NFC

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

Head to head
About

CENFC

This advanced toolkit allows you to scan, identify, and analyze NFC tags directly on your device. It supports various NFC protocols, enables memory dumping, and allows for reading and writing NDEF messages. Additionally, it can read electronic passports and offers raw communication capabilities for developers.

Highlights
  • NFC tag scanning and identification
  • Full NFC tag memory dumping
  • NDEF message creation, reading, and writing
  • Electronic passport (eMRTD) reader
  • Raw APDU command communication
  • Protocol analysis tools (Hex Converter, CRC Calculator)
Read full description

CENFC is an advanced NFC toolkit for iOS. Scan, identify, dump, and analyze NFC tags — all processed locally on your device with zero data collection. SCANNER Instantly identify NFC tags through ATQA/SAK lookup and protocol probing. Supports ISO 14443, ISO 18092 (FeliCa), and ISO 15693. Accurately detects chip variants and card families, displaying UID, protocol details, and iOS operability status at a glance. MEMORY DUMP Read the complete memory of any operable NFC tag. Browse page-by-page and block-by-block breakdowns with parsed NDEF content. Export dumps in hex, JSON, or raw binary for forensic analysis or backup. NDEF READ & WRITE Create, read, and write NDEF messages to compatible tags. Supports Text, URI, Smart Poster, MIME, and External record types. Build multi-record messages from scratch and write them directly to any writable tag. PASSPORT READER Read electronic passports and travel documents (eMRTD) via BAC authentication. Enter MRZ data to securely access data groups — including MRZ, face image, additional personal details, and security objects. Perform Active Authentication to verify chip genuineness. RAW COMMUNICATION Send custom APDU commands directly to NFC tags. Full ISO 7816 APDU support with complete command logging — built for developers and researchers. PROTOCOL TOOLS - Hex Converter — Convert between hex, decimal, binary, and ASCII - CRC Calculator — Compute CRC_A and CRC_B per ISO 14443-3 - ATQA/SAK Lookup — Identify card type from raw protocol parameters - Access Bits Decoder — Decode sector-level permissions - BER-TLV Parser — Parse and visualize TLV data structures OPEN SOURCE & PRIVACY FIRST CENFC is fully open source — inspect every line of code yourself. Every NFC operation runs entirely on-device. No data leaves your phone. No servers. No account required. Requires iPhone 7 or later with NFC capability.

About

Hex NFC

Read full description

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. 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) All other NFC chips of similar types (e.g. NTAG215) are tested on our own emulators, and are supported. We will confirm these on real silicon when chips become available. 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 - Destructive & Irreversible Actions: Erase, Format, Permanent Lock - 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

CENFC4 screens
Hex NFC4 screens

Verdict

The call

CENFC and Hex NFC are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
CENFC versus Hex NFC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCENFCHex NFC
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer子衎 王Hex Pro

In-app purchases

None

CENFC

No in-app purchases

None

Hex NFC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CENFC free?
CENFC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hex NFC free?
Hex NFC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CENFC or Hex NFC have ads?
Neither CENFC nor Hex NFC shows ads.

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