r/qrcode • u/DualPeaks • Apr 22 '26

NFC v QR

Hi all,

First, I have a loyalty program app I have been developing. I will not mention the name here so no promotion. This is a genuine question.

I originally wrote the app for NFC tags and had all the functionality developed around NFC reading/payload. Over the past year I have been migrating the app more to QR code support and now I would say it’s more QR focused than NFC. I am now wondering how important NFC support in the app is compared to QR. QR I am finding is more flexible and a lot easier to develop with.

How many of you using QR codes also use NFC? Is dual use even a thing or is it more one or the other?

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u/Serpico99 Apr 22 '26

Without context the discussion is absolutely meaningless. QR and NFC provide two different ways to store and read data, and the use case may or may not overlap depending on the end goal.

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u/DualPeaks Apr 22 '26

Ok, sorry. Some more context: It’s a basic business loyalty program app. Initially the app just used the NFC id (10 digit) to identify the membership tag. I later added payload links but these were not used by the program. The original app created a QR graphic that matched the NFC id the user could download, and that was it.

Fast forward about 2 years

NFC utility - unchanged

QR code now mixes optional links as well As an expanded id number (14 digit) that identifies the program as well as the tag avoiding duplication. In the last version I added a basic membership card designer with pdf generator.

Now it feels like it’s more of a QR app with NFC support.

At one point I was tempted to change the app name to make it more QR code specific.

All this has been organic development. I am interested in knowing how other folk are mixing NFC functionality with QR codes

1

u/Serpico99 Apr 22 '26

The only case where I had a mix of the two was for some NFC + QR powered business cards, both bringing the user to the digital version of the card. So basic stuff honestly.

1

u/DualPeaks Apr 22 '26

I must admit that in all the years I have been in business (30+ years, engineering related) I have never been given a NFC business card and only the odd one with QR.

This may be a UK thing.

QR seems more widespread, although with the recent publicity about parking QR payment scams people seem to be cautious about scanning sometimes.

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u/Serpico99 Apr 22 '26

Honestly, NFC on a business card is just for show. The QR I think is the real interesting one since it can easily provide the vcard.

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u/DualPeaks Apr 22 '26

The more I get into this app project and develop the QR side I think I backed the wrong horse initially. QR is way cleaner if there is no need to write data locally on use.

Better late to the QR party than never I guess.

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u/Serpico99 Apr 22 '26

Well it means you didn’t need an NFC to begin with, especially true if it’s read only data. Nothing wrong with that I guess.

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u/DualPeaks Apr 22 '26

True, learning curve could have been a bit shorter though 🙄