NFC tags and QR codes do the same basic job: they get a customer from something physical, like a table or a counter, to a web page on their phone. But they get there in different ways.
How a QR code works
The customer unlocks their phone, opens the camera, points it at the code, waits for it to focus, then taps the link that pops up. It works on almost every phone, and it costs nothing to print. The downside is the number of steps, and that it needs decent light and a steady hand.
How NFC works
NFC is the same technology as tap-to-pay. A small chip sits inside the tag. The customer holds the top of their phone near it, and a notification appears to open the link. No camera, no app, no focusing.
Most phones from the last several years can read NFC tags. iPhone XS and newer read them in the background without opening anything, and Android phones read them as long as NFC is switched on, which it usually is because that is how tap-to-pay works.
Side by side
- Speed: NFC is one tap. QR is camera, aim, focus, tap.
- Works in low light: NFC yes. QR codes struggle in dim restaurants.
- Works on every phone: QR is close to universal. NFC covers most modern phones.
- Looks: an NFC tag can be clean and on-brand. A QR code is always a QR code.
- Change the link later: both can, if the link points to a page you control.
The answer: use both
You do not have to choose. A tag with an NFC chip inside and a small QR code printed on the front covers everyone: one tap for most guests, and a camera fallback for the rest. It costs a little more to print, and it means nobody is left standing there unsure what to do.
One thing that matters more than either
Whatever you choose, the page it opens matters most. A slow, cluttered page loses people no matter how fast they got there. Keep it quick, mobile-first, and focused on the one thing you want them to do.