RFID vs NFC: what is the difference – and which should you choose?

What is RFID?

An RFID system consists of a reader and a tag. The tag contains a small chip and an antenna and usually sits in a sticker, a card, a key fob or the product itself. The reader sends out radio waves, the tag replies with its ID or data, and the system knows which item it is.

Most RFID tags are passive: they have no battery and are powered by the reader's field. Active RFID tags have their own battery and can transmit over longer distances, but cost more and are used for tracking containers and vehicles, for example.

The three RFID frequencies

• LF (low frequency, 125–134 kHz): range of a few centimetres. Used for access fobs and animal identification.
• HF (high frequency, 13.56 MHz): range up to about 10 cm. Used for access cards, tickets, library books – and this is where NFC belongs.
• UHF (ultra-high frequency, 865–868 MHz in the EU): range of several metres, and many tags can be read at once. Used in warehouses, logistics, fashion retail and race timing.

The difference between RFID and NFC

NFC is based on HF RFID (13.56 MHz) but is standardised so phones can read tags and communicate with each other and with payment terminals. The key practical difference is who does the reading:

• Reader: RFID needs a dedicated reader or scanner. NFC is read by almost every smartphone – without an app.
• Range: UHF RFID works over several metres; NFC only over a few centimetres (typically under 4 cm), so something only happens when you deliberately hold your phone to it.
• Many at once: UHF RFID can read hundreds of tags in seconds (e.g. a full pallet). NFC reads one tag at a time.
• Content: an RFID tag in logistics usually holds an ID that is looked up in a system. An NFC tag often holds a link (NDEF) that the phone opens directly.

When to choose which

1. 1

   Choose RFID (UHF)

   when staff or machines need to count, track or register many items quickly – stock, goods flow, equipment loans, timing.

2. 2

   Choose NFC

   when customers, guests or users interact with their phone: leaving a review, viewing the menu, registering a product, getting instructions, seeing information about a bus stop.

3. 3

   Combine

   Tags with both UHF RFID and NFC exist, so the same product can be tracked in logistics and also open a page on the customer's phone.

RFID tag, RFID chip and RFID blocking

"RFID chip" is the microchip itself; "RFID tag" is the chip combined with an antenna in a sticker, card or fob. RFID blocking (e.g. in wallets) is metal shielding that stops cards in the wallet being read from outside.

Metal and liquid affect radio waves. If a tag has to sit on metal, use a tag type made for it (on-metal); otherwise the range becomes short or disappears.