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Chips and technology

RFID vs NFC: what is the difference, and which do you need?

By James Keltner, Owner · Last reviewed

The short answer

RFID is the umbrella term for reading a chip by radio, at low (125 kHz), high (13.56 MHz) or ultra-high (860 to 960 MHz) frequency. NFC is a subset of 13.56 MHz HF RFID, built to work at a few centimeters, and it is the only kind of RFID most smartphones can read. Choose NFC for phone taps; choose the frequency your reader uses for locks, gates and parking.

Request a quote NTAG213 vs 215 vs 216

NFC is a type of RFID

RFID (radio frequency identification) covers any system where a reader uses radio to power and read a chip with an antenna. Most RFID cards, tags and wristbands are passive: there is no battery, and the reader's field powers the chip for the moment it takes to read it. RFID runs at three main frequency bands, and a reader only reads chips made for its own band.

NFC (near field communication) is one part of that picture. It runs at 13.56 MHz, the high-frequency (HF) RFID band, and builds on the same contactless card standards: ISO/IEC 14443 for proximity cards and ISO/IEC 15693 for vicinity cards, with ISO/IEC 18092 defining how NFC devices talk to each other. The NFC Forum then defines tag types that phones understand, such as Type 2 tags on ISO/IEC 14443A (the family NTAG chips belong to) and Type 5 tags on ISO/IEC 15693.

So every NFC tag is an RFID tag, but most RFID tags are not NFC tags. A 125 kHz door fob or a UHF parking card is RFID, and a phone cannot read either.

LF, HF and UHF at a glance

The three RFID bands, with NFC shown as part of HF. Read ranges are typical and depend on the reader, antenna and tag

  • Low frequency (LF)

    Frequency
    125 kHz
    Typical read range
    Short: the card or fob is held close to the reader
    Read by phones?
    No
    Typical uses
    Staff doors, gyms, car parks, lockers and older access systems

  • High frequency (HF)

    Frequency
    13.56 MHz
    Typical read range
    Short for ISO/IEC 14443 cards; ISO/IEC 15693 vicinity cards are designed to read from further away
    Read by phones?
    NFC chips, yes; other HF chips depend on the phone and app
    Typical uses
    Hotel room locks, smart cards, cashless wristbands and newer access systems

  • NFC (part of HF)

    Frequency
    13.56 MHz
    Typical read range
    Typically a few centimeters with a phone
    Read by phones?
    Yes, on most modern smartphones
    Typical uses
    Review cards, table tags, business cards, stickers and product taps

  • Ultra-high frequency (UHF)

    Frequency
    860 to 960 MHz (EPC Gen2)
    Typical read range
    Typically several meters with a fixed reader and antenna
    Read by phones?
    No
    Typical uses
    Parking barriers, hands-free entry lanes, race timing and stock counts

Read range is never guaranteed. It depends on the reader's power and antenna, the size of the tag's antenna, what the tag is mounted on and how it is held. A longer range is not always better: NFC is deliberately short so that only the phone the guest is holding reacts, while UHF is chosen when you want a car or a runner read without stopping.

For more on the two lower bands, see 125 kHz vs 13.56 MHz.

Can a phone read RFID?

A phone reads one kind of RFID: 13.56 MHz NFC. The NFC radio in iPhones and Android phones reads ISO/IEC 14443 tags, including NFC Forum Type 2 tags such as NTAG213, 215 and 216, and both platforms can also read ISO/IEC 15693 tags in apps built for them.

  • NTAG and other NFC Forum tags: read by most modern smartphones. A tag holding a web link opens it, often without any app.
  • Other 13.56 MHz chips, such as MIFARE Classic or DESFire key cards: whether a phone reads them depends on the phone and the app, and a phone can usually see the chip without being able to read the protected data on it.
  • 125 kHz cards and fobs: not read by phones. The phone's NFC radio does not work at 125 kHz.
  • UHF tags: not read by phones. UHF needs a dedicated UHF reader.

Not every phone has NFC switched on or in a place guests expect. Printing a QR code next to the tap point gives guests with older handsets another way to open the same link.

Which to choose for your site

The deciding question is who or what does the reading. If it is a guest's phone, you need NFC. If it is a lock, gate, till or barrier, you need whatever frequency and chip that reader is built for.

Where each type of RFID usually fits

  • Hotel room keys

    What reads it
    The door lock and front-desk encoder
    Usual choice
    The 13.56 MHz chip your locks are set up for, usually from the MIFARE family. See MIFARE Classic vs Ultralight and the lock compatibility guide

  • Event entry and cashless

    What reads it
    Your access or cashless platform's scanners
    Usual choice
    Usually a 13.56 MHz chip named by the platform; UHF for hands-free lanes. See which RFID chip for event access control

  • Staff doors and offices

    What reads it
    Wall readers
    Usual choice
    125 kHz or 13.56 MHz, matching the readers you have; dual-frequency credentials where you run both

  • Parking barriers

    What reads it
    A fixed reader at the barrier
    Usual choice
    UHF, read through the windshield as the car approaches

  • Reviews, menus, contact cards and marketing taps

    What reads it
    A guest's or customer's phone
    Usual choice
    NFC, usually an NTAG chip. See NTAG213 vs NTAG215 vs NTAG216

Some sites need both. A card or wristband can carry two chips, for example a 13.56 MHz chip for the room lock and a UHF chip for the car park, so one credential covers both readers.

Which of our products use each

Frequency and chip on our products, as listed in each product specification

NFC products can be supplied blank or with your link written to the chip before shipping. For anything read by a lock, gate or barrier, we confirm the chip against your system before we quote.

MIFARE, MIFARE Classic, MIFARE Ultralight, MIFARE DESFire and NTAG are trademarks of NXP B.V. Band and Key is not affiliated with NXP.

Questions buyers ask

  • Is NFC the same as RFID?

    NFC is a type of RFID. It runs at 13.56 MHz, the high-frequency RFID band, and is designed for short-range taps between a phone and a tag. RFID also includes 125 kHz and UHF systems, which work differently and cannot be read by phones.

  • Can my phone read my hotel key card or office badge?

    Sometimes it can see a 13.56 MHz card, but it usually cannot read the protected data the lock uses, and it cannot read a 125 kHz badge at all. Phones are built to read NFC tags such as NTAG, which is why review cards and table tags use them.

  • What is the read range of RFID compared with NFC?

    NFC typically reads at a few centimeters, by design. 125 kHz and most 13.56 MHz cards are also read close to the reader. UHF typically reads at several meters with a fixed reader and antenna. All of these depend on the reader, antenna, tag size and what the tag is mounted on.

  • Do NFC tags need a battery or an app?

    No battery: the phone's field powers the tag during the tap. Most modern phones open a web link stored on an NFC tag without a separate app, though some older phones need NFC switched on or an app to read tags.

Sources

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