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NFC & QR · 3 min read

QR code or NFC? How to choose the right medium for your business

Both technologies bring guests to a web page with their phone, but they differ in handling, cost and place of use. The good news: you do not have to choose. This comparison shows when each makes sense.

Quick comparison

  • QR code: works with any phone camera, can be printed anywhere (menu, invoice, window, flyer) and costs practically nothing. The guest has to open the camera and aim at the code.
  • NFC: one tap, no camera, no aiming. It needs a chip in the medium and a phone with NFC switched on. Cards and stands with chips cost more than a printout.

When a QR code is the better choice

  • On paper and print: menus, receipts, flyers, posters.
  • On windows or signs, scanned from a distance.
  • When you want to start quickly without buying anything.

When NFC is the better choice

  • At the table, till or counter: the phone is in hand anyway and the tap is the shortest gesture.
  • When the review should happen at the moment of satisfaction, without extra steps.
  • When cards or stands should look high quality.

Why the combination wins

A card with an NFC chip and a printed QR code covers every case: guests with NFC tap, guests without scan. Both lead to the same address – and both are counted, so you later see which way your guests prefer.

What matters is that the same address you control sits behind both. When your target changes, you change it in one place.

Design: what a QR code needs

  • Enough size: at least about 2 × 2 cm, larger for scanning from a distance.
  • Quiet zone: leave some free margin all around.
  • Good contrast: dark on light. Coloured or inverted codes are not read reliably by every device.
  • A call to action: “Scan to leave a review” in a short sentence next to the code.

Frequently asked questions

Is NFC safer than a QR code?

Both can point to any address. What matters is that the chip is locked and the QR code cannot be covered with a sticker. Then both media are equally unproblematic.

What does a QR code cost?

The code itself nothing. Costs arise only for printing and material.

Is a QR code alone enough?

To start, yes. If you want a higher review rate, NFC helps because a tap is less effort than opening the camera.

Note: This post is for general information and is not legal or tax advice.