Comparison

ChipVault vs NFC Tap

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

Head to head
About

ChipVault

This app transforms NFC cards into secure, encrypted personal data vaults. Store passwords, recovery phrases, and more, all protected by your master password and AES-128 encryption directly on the chip. Your data remains offline, with no cloud or server reliance.

Highlights
  • Personalize DESFire EV2/EV3 cards
  • AES-128 encrypted data storage
  • Store passwords, notes, recovery phrases
  • Edit card details and categories
  • Clone cards for backup
  • Visual storage usage
  • Reset cards to factory state
Read full description

The only iOS app dedicated to NXP DESFire EV2 and EV3 NFC cards. ChipVault turns your DESFire cards into hardware-backed personal data vaults — AES-128 encrypted at the chip level, secured by your own master password. No cloud, no servers, no accounts, no subscriptions. The cards in your wallet are the storage. SECURE FIRST. Traditional NXP card tools fall short on security when working with these chips. ChipVault treats native AES encryption, EV2 Secure Messaging, and proper key derivation as first-class citizens — not afterthoughts. Every byte written to a card is encrypted with a key derived from your master password and that card's unique UID. The same data on a different card is a different ciphertext. A different password unlocks nothing. The chip enforces this at the silicon level. WHAT YOU CAN DO — Personalize a blank DESFire EV2 or EV3 card into a ChipVault: pick up to 8 categories from a palette of 15+ pre-canned options (Financial, Medical, Travel, Auto, Insurance, Tools, Credentials, Licenses, Subscriptions, Crypto Recovery, Family, Work, Notes, Wi-Fi & IoT, Personal IDs) or roll your own with custom names — Store passwords, codes, account numbers, notes, recovery phrases — each entry is a simple key plus a multi-line value, with optional hide-by-default for sensitive fields — Read your data with a tap and your master password — Edit a card after enrollment: rename it, change its theme and icon, rename any category — all instant, no NFC tap needed — Add new categories or delete existing ones on a card you've already personalized — one NFC tap each, with confirmation — Clone an entire card to a backup card — your safety net stays in your physical control, with per-trait toggles for what carries over (name, theme, icon) — Recover from a stuck chip memory allocator with Reset & Restructure — wipes entries and rebuilds the card with your current category set (chip-level recovery you'll rarely need, but you'll be glad it's there if you do) — See exactly how much space each category is using with the visual storage donut — Reset any card back to factory state with a single command — Delete individual entries cleanly with no leftover ghost data USE CASES — A password manager backup that doesn't live on anyone's cloud — A travel-only vault you carry separately from your phone — Encrypted storage for crypto recovery phrases that survives device loss — An emergency credentials kit that goes in a safe deposit box — A shared medical info card a family member can read with their own ChipVault install (if they know your master password) PRIVACY BY DESIGN ChipVault has no servers. No analytics. No tracking SDKs. No accounts to create. Nothing you do leaves your device, except a small operational record stored in your own iOS Keychain (which you control). Your master password is never transmitted, never logged, and never recoverable — write it down somewhere safe. WHAT YOU'LL NEED — An iPhone with NFC support (iPhone 7 or later) — One or more NXP DESFire EV2 or EV3 NFC cards (widely available online — see the in-app guide) ONE-TIME PURCHASE A 20-day free trial. After that, a single one-time purchase unlocks ChipVault forever — on all your devices. No subscriptions. Ever. ABOUT N0AGI ChipVault is built by N0AGI LLC, an indie shop focused on tools that respect your data and your wallet. Questions, feedback, or bug reports: n0agi@n0agi.com

About

NFC Tap

Features
Read full description

NFC Tap is the fastest way to read, write and manage NFC tags on iPhone. Hold a tag to the top of your phone and its contents open instantly, ready to edit. Program cheap NTAG stickers to do almost anything. WRITE ANYTHING • Links, plain text and phone numbers • Wi-Fi networks (guests connect with one tap) • Contacts and full digital business cards • Social profiles: Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Telegram, GitHub • Locations, picked right on a map • Email, SMS, Bluetooth and app links MORE THAN A WRITER • Tap-to-Edit: read a tag and change it in place • Share any record as a QR code • Automatic chip detection (NTAG213 / 215 / 216) • Erase and lock tags • Scan history you can export and back up • Step-by-step Apple Shortcuts automation guide PRO • Secret Tags: write private notes encrypted with your PIN. Only NFC Tap with the right PIN can read them; every other app sees scrambled data. • Copy and clone tags, or write the same content to many tags in a row • Password-protect tags so no one can overwrite them • Advanced raw NFC commands and memory tools • Reusable task profiles you can save, reuse and export Works with standard 13.56 MHz NFC tags (NTAG and compatible). Note: iPhone cannot read 125 kHz cards or MIFARE Classic; this is an Apple hardware limit shared by all iOS apps. Pro is available as weekly, monthly or yearly subscriptions, or a one-time lifetime unlock. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends; manage them in your Apple ID settings. Privacy: https://clkcompany.github.io/Nfc-Tap/privacy.html Terms: https://clkcompany.github.io/Nfc-Tap/terms.html

Screenshots

ChipVault4 screens
NFC Tap4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: NFC Tap at 13.0 against ChipVault's 17.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ChipVault sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and NFC Tap sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
ChipVault versus NFC Tap: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChipVaultNFC Tap
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperN0AGI LLCMuhammed Celik

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ChipVault

One-time1
  • ChipVault Full Access$6.99
4 purchases

NFC Tap

Subscriptions3
  • NFC Tap Pro$2.997 Days
  • NFC Tap Pro$5.991 Month
  • NFC Tap Pro$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is ChipVault free?
ChipVault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NFC Tap free?
NFC Tap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ChipVault or NFC Tap have ads?
Neither ChipVault nor NFC Tap shows ads.

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