NTAG213 vs NTAG215 vs NTAG216 for NFC business cards

For an NFC business card that opens a MyInfo link, NTAG213 is enough. The three chips differ mainly in memory: NXP lists 144 bytes of user memory for the NTAG213, 504 bytes for the NTAG215 and 888 bytes for the NTAG216, and a card link uses a small fraction of even the smallest. NTAG215 and NTAG216 make sense only if you want to store more on the chip itself, which is rarely a good idea for a business card. This guide compares NTAG213 vs NTAG215 vs NTAG216 in plain language, shows how little space a card address actually needs, and explains the other chip features, such as locking and passwords, that matter more than raw capacity.

The short answer for busy readers

If a seller offers you NTAG213, accept it. It is the standard chip for NFC business cards, it reads on current iPhone and Android phones, and its memory is larger than a MyInfo address needs by a wide margin. Paying more for an NTAG215 or NTAG216 will not make your card read faster, work on more phones or look better, because all three chips follow the same standard and behave the same way in a tap.

The sections below show you why, so that you can judge a quote yourself instead of trusting the word of whoever is selling. If you are also weighing the physical body of the card, read NFC card materials compared, and for the full buying checklist see how to choose an NFC business card in the UAE.

What an NFC business card chip stores

An NFC business card contains a passive chip and an antenna. When a phone taps it, the phone powers the chip through a short-range magnetic field, reads whatever is stored, and acts on it. On a card that works with MyInfo, what is stored is one web address, for example https://www.myinfo.ae/yourname. The phone sees it, offers to open it, and your live digital card loads in the browser.

That is the whole mechanism, and it is explained step by step in how an NFC business card works. The key point for chip choice is that the chip does not store your name, photo, company or links. Those stay on your digital card, where you can edit them in seconds. So the question "how much memory do I need?" really means "how long is my link?"

NTAG213, NTAG215 and NTAG216 side by side

NTAG is a family of NFC tag chips from NXP Semiconductors. According to NXP's product page, the three chips offer these amounts of freely usable read/write memory:

• NTAG213: 144 bytes of user memory (180 bytes in total, in 45 pages of 4 bytes).
• NTAG215: 504 bytes of user memory (540 bytes in total, in 135 pages).
• NTAG216: 888 bytes of user memory (924 bytes in total, in 231 pages).

The memory totals and page counts come from NXP's data as summarised by Wakdev's NFC chip knowledge base. The same source notes that all three chips are NFC Forum Type 2 tags built on the ISO/IEC 14443 Type A standard, which is why phones treat them identically. NXP also lists the same headline features across the family: configurable password protection, an optional counter that increments each time the tag is read, an ECC-based originality signature that helps check a chip is genuine, a 7-byte unique serial number, data retention of 10 years and up to 100,000 write cycles.

In practice, that means the three chips are the same product at three memory sizes. Bigger memory is the only meaningful difference for a business card.

How much memory does a card link actually need?

Here is the arithmetic. Tag data is stored as an NDEF message, the standard format that NFC phones understand. A web link is a short NDEF record that includes the address text and a one-byte code that stands in for common beginnings such as https://www.. Wakdev estimates that an NTAG213 can hold roughly 130 characters of link, an NTAG215 about 480 and an NTAG216 about 850, once these overheads are accounted for.

Compare that with a real address. https://www.myinfo.ae/yourname has 18 characters after the abbreviated prefix. By our count of the NDEF structure, once you add the record header, the one-byte prefix code and the wrapper the tag needs, a MyInfo card address takes roughly 25 to 30 bytes. An NTAG213 has 144. You would need an address more than four times longer than a typical MyInfo link before the smallest chip even felt tight.

Even a long, tracked link with extra parameters rarely approaches 130 characters. If you must use one, shorten it. For a business card, a short, memorable address is better anyway; see choose a card address people remember.

When NTAG215 or NTAG216 makes sense

Bigger chips have real uses, just not usually on a card that opens a web page. An NTAG215 or NTAG216 can make sense when you need to store several records on the same tag, for example a link plus a short text note, or when a project is built around a chip that must hold more than a link, such as a loyalty or game-style token. Some event organisers also like having headroom for a campaign that changes during a show.

For a person or company using MyInfo, those situations are unusual. You already have unlimited room for content on the digital card itself, and a card address does not grow. If a seller recommends an NTAG216 "so you have enough space for your details", that is a sales argument, not a technical need. Ask them what, exactly, will be written on the extra space, and why it cannot live on your MyInfo card instead.

Why putting a vCard on the chip is usually a mistake

A bigger chip makes a different design possible: writing a vCard (a standard contact file with your name, number and email) directly onto the tag. Wakdev notes that an NTAG215 can hold a simple vCard with name, phone, email and website. It sounds attractive, because the phone could offer to save your contact without opening a web page.

The cost is large. A vCard written to the chip is frozen the moment you write it. If you change job, number or email, the card is out of date, and so is every copy of it you handed out. You also lose everything a link gives you, such as your photo, buttons, WhatsApp link, video and, on Premium, lead capture and analytics. A link to a live card is the better design for almost every business user.

If you do want the one-tap contact experience, there is a way to get it without freezing data. MyInfo's Save Contact button lives on your card, and the bypass setting can send visitors straight to your contact file; see send visitors straight to your contact. That keeps the contact detail editable.

Does a bigger chip tap faster or reach further?

It is a common belief that more memory means a better card. In a tap, the phone reads a short message containing your link, so the memory size is not what you notice. What you do notice is the antenna: its size, its quality, how the card is built and what sits behind it. NXP says its NTAG chips can communicate at up to 100 mm depending on field strength and antenna geometry, which tells you that range is a property of the whole card and the phone, not of the chip's memory. A well-made NTAG213 card will outperform a badly made NTAG216 one every time, so spend your attention on the build quality and the test tap rather than the model number alone.

Compatibility: what phones actually read

All three chips are standard NFC Forum Type 2 tags, so compatibility does not depend on which one you pick. On iPhone, Apple documents that iPhone XS and later can read tags in the background while the phone is in use, showing a notification that the user taps. Writing to tags from an iPhone needs an app; Wakdev notes that iPhone 7 and later can read and write using the NFC Tools app on iOS 15.6 and above. Android phones generally read and write natively once NFC is switched on.

For buyers the practical advice is the same as for any card. Ask for a test tap on an iPhone and an Android phone, with the case on. Our iPhone and Android guide explains the differences, and NFC card not working: troubleshooting covers fixes if a tap fails.

Locking, passwords and the counter

Memory is the least interesting part of the family. The features that matter for a card are about control.

Locking. An NTAG can be set to a permanent, irreversible read-only state. Once locked, nobody can rewrite the chip, including you, so lock only after you have tested the link thoroughly. Locking is sensible for a stand on a public counter, where a stranger could otherwise overwrite the tag. Kaspersky warns that unlocked tags can be reprogrammed to send people to phishing sites, and recommends locked, read-only tags for businesses, as reported by SecurityBrief. We cover this in more depth in NFC business card security.

Password protection. NXP describes configurable password protection with an optional limit on failed attempts. A 32-bit password, together with a 16-bit acknowledgement, can restrict writing, and optionally reading, from a chosen page onward. This is the reversible alternative to a permanent lock: your seller or you can still change the link, but others cannot.

The counter. NXP lists an NFC counter that increments each time the tag is read. It is a feature of the chip, not of MyInfo, and a business card does not need it. Do not let a seller present it as a reason to upgrade.

The originality signature. NXP's ECC-based signature helps check that a chip is a genuine NTAG. It is useful for brands worried about counterfeit tags, less so for a personal business card.

When a different chip family makes sense

If your use case is anti-cloning or authenticated taps, for example tickets or high-value access, NXP's NTAG 424 DNA is a different class of chip. NXP describes AES-128 cryptography, a secure unique NFC message that changes on each read-out, a random ID and encrypted UID, and Common Criteria EAL4 certification for hardware and software, with 416 bytes of storage. That is a much heavier tool than a business card needs, and it needs a back-end that verifies the changing messages. For a card that opens a public page, the plain NTAG213 is the right match; the page is public by design, as explained in digital business card privacy: what is public?.

Questions to put to the seller

When you get a quote, ask five things. Which exact chip is inside? Will you write my own card address, starting with https://, as a web link record? Will you lock the chip, and if so, when? What happens if I need the link changed, and who does it? And is the chip price included in the card price, so there is no separate fee? The first answer should be a model name, not "NFC chip". If it is not, treat that as a red flag, as covered in questions to ask before you buy an NFC business card in Dubai.

How to check which chip you already have

If you own a card or tag and do not know its chip, a free NFC app on your phone can usually read it and show the chip type, the memory size and the stored record. Tap the card, look for the chip name and the number of bytes used, and note whether the tag is locked. The same app can write your MyInfo address to the card; the full steps are in program an NFC card step by step and program an NFC card.

What this means for your MyInfo card

MyInfo does not sell cards. NFC cards and Premium licences come through partners who set their own prices. For you as a buyer, the useful message is simple. Insist on a named chip, expect NTAG213 to be perfectly adequate, put your own link on it, test it on two phones and keep the digital card as the place where your details live. The free plan includes sharing by NFC, so the chip is never the part you pay monthly for.

Frequently asked questions

Is NTAG213 enough for a business card?

Yes. NTAG213 offers 144 bytes of user memory, and a MyInfo card address needs only a small fraction of that, roughly 25 to 30 bytes by our count of the NDEF record. It reads on current iPhone and Android phones like its bigger siblings. Choose NTAG215 or NTAG216 only if you have a specific reason to store more than a link, and remember that the bigger chip will not make your card tap faster.

Should I lock my NFC business card chip?

Locking makes the chip permanently read-only, so nobody can rewrite it, but it also stops you from changing the link. Test your card on several phones first. A wallet card carries little risk and can stay unlocked or password-protected, while a stand on a public counter is a better candidate for locking. Because MyInfo cards are edited online, locking the chip never stops you updating your details.

Build the page your chip will open: create your free MyInfo card.