NMR with mobile and compact devices is experiencing considerable growth in recent years in particular since instruments have become available, which are capable not only of measuring NMR relaxation but also images and highresolution spectra. Based on permanent magnet technology, compact tabletop NMR instruments measure samples of materials and solutions positioned inside the magnet, while compact mobile instruments measure material properties of intact objects and samples nondestructively in the inhomogeneous stray field outside the magnet. Following a brief introduction to NMR with homogeneous and inhomogeneous magnetic fields and to the concepts of permanent center-and stray-field NMR magnets, the evolution of the technology over the past 10 years is reviewed and illustrated with selected applications. Relaxation and diffusion measurements find use in the analysis of foods, biological tissues, polymer materials, porous media, and objects of cultural heritage. Compact imaging