Here is a quick comparison of iBeacon with other mobile payment technologies:
| General | Phone can communicate to the cloud/online payment service provider without a signal (great for thick concrete walls, Victorian buildings) |
| Geofencing | Drains battery life, less accurate, requires pre-selecting a limited number of locations, relies on Wi-Fi or cellular network |
| NFC | Requires you to pull out phone to pay (slower to tap a phone), requires NFC-enabled phone |
| Regular Bluetooth | Drains battery |
| iBeacon | iOS only |
| Other Beacons | iOS and Android |
