NFC vs QR code business cards: which one to use.
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6 min readIn short
At events, use both: a QR code on everything printed and an NFC tag on the namecard, each with its own link to the same card. QR works on every phone with a camera and costs nothing. NFC needs a compatible phone, fails near metal and costs cents per tag, but it works in the dark and needs no aiming.
How each one works.
An NFC tag is a small chip with an antenna, usually under a sticker or inside a card. It has no battery. When a phone comes close, the phone powers the chip for a moment and reads what it stores. For a namecard that is one thing: a web address, held as an NDEF record. The phone then opens it. The range is a few centimetres, about 4 cm at the outside, so in practice you touch the phone to the tag.
A QR code is a printed picture. The phone's camera reads it, so it needs light and a clear view, and it works at about ten times the code's width. Nothing is stored in the object except ink. QR code size for print gives sizes by use.
Either way the phone opens a link. What differs is what has to be true for that to happen.
What phones can read.
Apple's developer documentation says iPhone XS and later read NFC tags in the background, with no app. It happens only while the iPhone is in use. It does not happen before the first passcode entry after a restart, while the camera is open, while Apple Pay is in use or in Airplane mode, and a locked iPhone asks the person to open the phone first. Earlier iPhones, such as the X and older, do not read tags in the background, so a visitor would need an app.
On Android, a phone with NFC reads tags once NFC is switched on in its settings, and most expect the screen to be on. We have not tested every handset, and behaviour differs by maker and software version, so test the phones your visitors use.
| Needs | NFC tap | QR scan |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | An NFC chip (iPhone XS or later reads in the background) | A camera, which every smartphone has |
| Settings | NFC switched on, on Android | None |
| Phone state | Screen on, camera closed, not in Airplane mode | Camera app open |
| Light | Not needed | Needed, and no glare |
| Distance | Touching, up to about 4 cm | About ten times the code's width |
| Surface | Away from metal | Flat, matt, with a clear margin |
What each costs.
A QR code costs nothing per piece. It is ink on something you were printing anyway. An NFC tag is a small purchase, typically cents each in bulk. Ask for a current quote, because the price depends on the chip, the size and whether the tag is made for metal. The larger cost is handling: each tag must be written, tested and attached.
A worked example, with an assumption. Say you put a tag in each of 500 namecards, and writing and checking one takes 15 seconds. That is 500 times 15, or 7,500 seconds, which is 2 hours 5 minutes before anyone has stuck or inserted anything. Ask the supplier to pre-write the tags, and check a sample from each box.
Where each one fails.
| Situation | NFC | QR |
|---|---|---|
| Metal card, metal plate or magnetic ring on the phone case | Often fails, because metal disturbs the antenna | No effect |
| Thick phone case | May fail | No effect |
| Dim hall or dark corner | No effect | Slow or fails |
| Glossy laminate under spotlights | No effect | Glare can hide the code |
| Someone across the aisle | Cannot be read | Readable if the code is large enough |
| A projected slide | You cannot tap a screen | Works on a light panel, fails on a dark slide |
| Nobody knows it is there | The tag is invisible | The code is visible |
Tell people what to do.
A tag is invisible, so mark it. Print an icon or the words 'Tap here' where the tag sits. Where a card carries both, put 'Scan or tap' beside them, and keep the rest short: 'Scan or tap to save my details'.
The NFC antenna sits in a different place on each phone, near the top of the back on an iPhone and elsewhere on many Android models. A large mark and the words 'hold the back of your phone here' work better than a precise target.
At an event, use both.
Put a QR code on everything people see from a distance: the banner, the badge, the flyer, the screen. Put an NFC tag on the namecard, where a hand-over puts the phone within centimetres. Both open the same card.
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Namecard handed over in person | Both | A tap is quick, and a QR code covers phones that cannot read tags |
| Lanyard badge | QR | Read from 30 cm without touching a stranger |
| Roll-up or wall banner | QR | Read from 2 to 5 m, which NFC cannot do |
| Flyer or brochure | QR, tag optional | The code shows in print, and a tag adds cost |
| Table sign at the stand | Both | A tap plate on a table is easy to reach |
| Slide or booth screen | QR | You cannot tap a screen |
| Metal pen or keyring giveaway | QR on the pack | Metal and curves defeat both |
Track the two separately. Give each its own placement, for example ?s=card-nfc for the tag and ?s=card-qr for the code. Say 400 namecards go out and the report shows 120 card views from card-qr and 45 from card-nfc. Those numbers are made up, but they show what you could learn: how many people tapped, how many scanned, and whether the tag was worth its cost. QR codes on collateral for source attribution covers the naming.
Handling NFC tags.
- Included: Write a short link, not the final address. A tag cannot be rewritten once it is locked, but a link can be redirected, so you can fix a destination without touching 500 tags.
- Included: Write-protect the tags after testing, so nobody can overwrite them with another address. Locking is usually permanent, so test first.
- Included: Capacity is rarely a problem. NXP's data sheet gives 144, 504 and 888 bytes of user memory for the NTAG213, NTAG215 and NTAG216 chips, and a short link needs well under 100 bytes.
- Included: Test with an iPhone and an Android phone, with the cases on, before you order the full run.
- Included: Keep tags away from metal, or buy tags made for metal surfaces.
- Included: Record which batch went into which piece.
For the wider choice between print and a digital card, read digital versus paper business cards.
Quick answers.
Do NFC business cards work on every phone?
No. iPhone XS and later read tags in the background. Earlier iPhones need an app, and Android phones need NFC switched on. Add a QR code to the same card as a fallback.
Is NFC better than a QR code on a business card?
Neither wins everywhere. NFC is quick hand to hand and needs no light, but it costs more, fails near metal and is invisible. A QR code costs nothing and works at a distance. At events, use both.
How can I track NFC taps?
Write a short link to the tag, not the final address, with its own placement name such as card-nfc. Give the QR code a separate link, such as card-qr, and compare the two in your reports.
How much data fits on an NFC tag?
According to NXP's data sheet, an NTAG213 holds 144 bytes of user memory, an NTAG215 504 and an NTAG216 888. A short link needs well under 100 bytes, so any of them is enough.