NFC Card vs Sticker vs Stand: Which Google Review Tool Is Right for Your Business?

When we launched our first Google Review NFC Card, choosing a review tool was simple: there was one product. That's no longer true. Businesses now ask us to fit a review prompt onto a countertop, a reception desk, a delivery box, a car dashboard, a table, and directly into a customer's hand — and each of those moments calls for a different physical shape. So we built for that: cards, stands, square plate stickers, and round stickers, each available as NFC-tap-only or NFC + QR.

If you're not sure which one fits your business, here's the honest breakdown.

The Card: for the moment you hand something to a customer

The Google Review NFC Card is pocket-sized and made to be handed over, not left behind. It works best at the exact moment a service finishes — a stylist finishing a haircut, a technician wrapping up a repair, a waiter dropping the bill, a delivery driver handing over a package. The customer taps it right there, while the experience is still fresh, and it opens your Google review page instantly.

Because it's handed over rather than mounted, it's the most personal option — and in our experience, the personal ask converts best. It's also available with a printed QR code if you want customers to be able to scan it later from a photo, or if some of your customers aren't confident tapping a card to their phone.

The Stand: for a counter, reception desk, or till

The Google Review NFC Stand sits upright on a flat surface and stays there — at a cashier counter, a clinic reception, a hotel front desk, or a restaurant table. It's the right choice when you want a permanent, always-visible review prompt rather than something a staff member has to actively hand out. Walk-in customers see it, tap it themselves, and move on. No one on your team needs to remember to ask.

This is usually the first product businesses add, and the card second — the stand covers the counter, the card covers everything that happens away from it (deliveries, house calls, mobile services).

The Plate Sticker: for a fixed surface where a stand won't sit

Not every surface can hold a freestanding stand. Doors, walls, glass partitions, checkout counters with no spare space, the back of a menu holder — these need something that sticks flat and stays put. That's what the Google Review NFC Plate Sticker is for: a 12 × 12 cm square plate with a strong adhesive back, tap-only in the Standard version or tap + QR scan if you also want a scannable option.

It's a popular choice for businesses that want a review prompt built into their environment permanently — stuck to a reception desk, a table, or right next to the exit — rather than something that could be picked up, moved, or walked off with.

The Round Sticker: the compact, single-glance option

Our newest format, the Google Review NFC Round Sticker, is a smaller circular version with both NFC and QR built in from the start. It reads cleanly at a glance — five stars, the Google logo, "tap or scan" — which makes it a good fit for tighter spaces: a small counter corner, a car dashboard, a delivery box, a table tent, or anywhere a full square plate would feel oversized.

Tap-only vs tap + QR: which do you actually need?

This comes up in almost every conversation, so here's the short version: NFC tap is faster — one motion, no camera, no app — and works on virtually every phone made in the last several years. QR is the fallback for the small number of customers on older devices, or for anyone who'd rather scan from across a table than lean in to tap. If most of your customers are younger or tech-comfortable, tap-only keeps things simple and slightly cheaper. If your customer base skews older, or you serve a lot of tourists with unfamiliar phones, the QR version removes any friction for that group. When in doubt, the QR version costs a little more and covers both cases — it's the safer default.

A quick way to decide

• Customers pay or check out at a fixed spot? Start with the Stand.
• You deliver, visit, or serve customers away from a counter? Get the Card.
• You need something permanently fixed to a surface with no room for a stand? Use the Plate Sticker.
• You want the smallest possible footprint, or a second sticker for a car, box, or tight corner? The Round Sticker fits best.
• Not sure your customers will all know how to tap? Choose the QR version of whichever shape you pick.

Most businesses end up using more than one — a stand at the counter and cards for anything mobile is our most common combination. All four formats open the same Google review page, are programmed and ready to use out of the box, and come with a free management dashboard so you can update the destination link later without replacing the physical product.

Browse the full Review Products range to compare every option side by side, or message us on WhatsApp and we'll help you match the right format to how your business actually runs.