If you have started comparing NFC review products, you will soon meet three names that sound almost identical: NTAG213, NTAG215, and NTAG216. The numbers are not random and they are not a ranking of quality. They describe how much memory the chip holds, and for most review work the choice between them comes down to one question: how long is the link you want to store? This article walks through each chip so you can pick the right one without overbuying.
What "memory" means on a tag
Every NDEF tag has a small amount of space set aside for the data you write to it. The chips we use read at 13.56 MHz, follow the ISO/IEC 14443A standard, and are NFC Type 2. The difference between the three models is simply how many bytes of user memory each one offers: NTAG213 has 144 bytes, NTAG215 has 504 bytes, and NTAG216 has 888 bytes.
That memory holds the record you put on the tag. For a review card, that record is usually a single web address plus a line of text describing it. The important thing to remember is that you are not storing a whole website, only a short pointer to it, and a pointer is small.
NTAG213: the compact, dependable option
With 144 bytes of user memory, the NTAG213 is the smallest of the three. That is still enough for a typical review link and a short label, because a normal web address is only a few dozen characters long. If your goal is a single tap that opens a single page, there is no reason the link will not fit.
The advantage here is efficiency. You are not paying for space you will never use, and the chip does the one job a review card needs to do. For most straightforward tap cards and table stands, the NTAG213 is a perfectly sensible starting point.
NTAG215: the comfortable middle
The NTAG215 offers 504 bytes, a good deal more headroom than the NTAG213. That extra space is useful when you want to store a longer link, keep more than one record on the same tag, or include a text record alongside the URL so that some devices show a short description before opening the page.
In practice, the NTAG215 is a common choice for businesses that expect their links to grow. Campaign parameters, a longer domain, or a second record all fit without any worry about running out of room. It keeps the door open without adding much cost or complexity.
NTAG216: the roomy one
At 888 bytes, the NTAG216 is the most generous of the three. It makes sense when you plan to store richer content on the tag itself rather than pointing at a page: multiple records, a longer description, or data that a visitor's phone can read and act on directly. For a simple "open my review page" card, this is more room than the job needs.
One inlay in our range instead ships with a Fudan FM11RF08 chip, which is worth knowing if a project calls for it. If nothing in your brief depends on that specific chip, the NTAG family above is the usual path.
Which one your job actually needs
The honest rule is to match the chip to the length of what you store, not to the biggest number you can find. A short review link and a simple label sit comfortably in a NTAG213. A longer link, extra records, or a plan to expand points to the NTAG215. Content stored fully on the tag, rather than behind a link, is where the NTAG216 earns its keep.
You can read a fuller breakdown of formats on our guide page, or see the cards, stands, tags, and inlays these chips go into on our products page. If you would rather not think about bytes at all, that is fine too: tell us the link you want to use and we will match the chip to it.
Still unsure which chip fits your project? Send us the link you plan to use and where the tag will live, and we will recommend the smallest chip that does the job properly. Message us on WhatsApp at +86 151 0247 7198 or email nina@cwtape.com and we will help you choose.