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MIFARE Classic vs DESFire vs Ultralight — Which NFC Card Technology?

NXP's MIFARE is the world's most deployed contactless smart card family. Three product lines dominate: Classic, DESFire, and Ultralight. They serve very different markets with very different security models. Here's how to choose.

Comparison

FeatureMIFARE Classic 1KMIFARE DESFire EV2MIFARE Ultralight C
Memory1 KB (16 sectors × 4 blocks)2-8 KB (flexible files)192 bytes
ArchitectureFixed sectorsFlexible file systemFixed pages
SecurityCrypto-1 (proprietary, broken)AES-128 / 3DES3DES (Ultralight C only)
NFC ForumEmulated Type 2Native Type 4Type 2
ISO 14443Part 3 (no ISO-DEP)Part 4 (ISO-DEP)Part 3
Key Scheme2 keys/sector (A + B)14+ keys per application1 key (Ultralight C)
Throughput106 kbpsUp to 848 kbps106 kbps
Typical Price~$0.50/card~$1.50-3.00/card~$0.20-0.35/card
Best ForLegacy access controlTransit, payment, multi-appSingle-use tickets, simple NFC

Security: The Deciding Factor

MIFARE Classic's Crypto-1 cipher is cryptographically broken. The 48-bit key is vulnerable to brute force, and several practical attacks exist (DarkSide, nested authentication). Do not use MIFARE Classic for any application where security matters. Use it only for legacy compatibility or where security is enforced at the application layer.

DESFire EV2 uses industry-standard AES-128 with mutual authentication. It is the recommended choice for any new deployment requiring actual security.

Ultralight C fills the gap between Classic (broken) and DESFire (expensive). It uses 3DES authentication, making it suitable for medium-security applications like event tickets or loyalty cards.

Use Our Tool

Configuring MIFARE Classic sector permissions? Use our MIFARE Access Bits Calculator.

Working with MIFARE cards requires a compatible reader. The ACR122U is the classic NFC reader for MIFARE development (~$40) — Check Price on Amazon. For dual contact + contactless support, the ACR1252U handles MIFARE Classic, DESFire, and EMV cards — Check Price on Amazon.

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