✎ guide
NTAG213 vs NTAG215
Short answer: for NFC gifts, buy whichever is cheaper — usually the NTAG213. The tag stores only a link, not your photos or video. A typical gift URL uses about 40 of the NTAG213's 144 usable bytes. The 215's extra capacity sits empty.
The actual numbers
| NTAG213 | NTAG215 | NTAG216 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usable memory | 144 B | 504 B | 888 B |
| Fits a typical URL (~40 B) | ✓ easily | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fits a video/photo file | ✗ — nothing does | ✗ | ✗ |
| Typical price per sticker | ~$0.30 | ~$0.50 | ~$0.70 |
| Read range | same chip family — identical in practice (phone distance ~1–2 cm) | ||
The misconception that sells 215s
People assume a bigger tag holds the video. It doesn't — no NFC sticker stores video. The tag carries a URL (or a contact card, Wi-Fi password, plain text). Your content lives online; the tag is just the doorknob. That's why a 10-second video gift and a 3-minute voice gift need exactly the same tag.
When the 215 is actually worth it
- · You're writing vCards with long notes, or multi-record payloads
- · You want headroom for very long URLs (ours cap at 132 characters — still fits a 213)
- · The price difference at your pack size is under ~$1 — then sure, take the headroom
What matters more than the chip
- · Form factor: sticker vs card vs keychain fob — pick for your gift, not the chip
- · On-metal backing: needed only if sticking to metal surfaces
- · Not locked: avoid tags sold pre-locked; you want to be able to rewrite