NFC pet tags vs QR code tags: which works better?

• A QR tag has a printed pattern. The finder opens the camera, points it at the tag, and taps the link that pops up.
• An NFC tag has a tiny chip and aerial inside. The finder holds the top of their phone against the tag and a link appears.

Every modern iPhone and Android phone reads QR codes with the normal camera app, with nothing to install and nothing to switch on.

NFC is fussier. iPhones from the XS (2018) onwards read a tag by holding it near the top of the phone while the screen is on. Older iPhones, like the 7, 8 and X, can read tags, but the owner has to add the NFC Tag Reader to their Control Centre first. Most Android phones have NFC, but it can be turned off in settings, and cheaper handsets sometimes leave it out altogether.

That matters because the person scanning your pet’s tag is a stranger in the street, not you. Anything they have to set up first is a reason for them to give up.

The same for both: the tag holds a web address, so the finder’s phone needs data to open your pet’s profile. In a village with no signal, neither works until they move or reach Wi-Fi.

That’s why your dog should also wear your name and address, which the law requires anyway and which needs no phone at all.

A QR code is printed and sealed. Deep scratches across the pattern can stop it scanning, although the code carries enough spare information to survive small marks.

An NFC chip is hidden inside, so scratches don’t bother it, but a hard knock or a chewed tag can break the aerial, and there’s no way to tell by looking. A tag that seems fine can be dead.

NFC tags cost more to make, so they usually cost more to buy, and some are sold with a monthly fee for the profile. Printed QR tags are cheap enough to have one on every collar and a spare in the drawer. Ours are £10 for one and £32 for four, with no subscription.

For a pet collar, a QR tag is the safer bet, because any finder with any phone can use it without help. NFC feels neat when it works, and a tag with both is nice to have, but the QR code is the part that always works.

Whichever you pick, keep the microchip details up to date and keep an engraved tag on a dog’s collar.