nRF Connect for Mobile vs BroadLink
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
nRF Connect for Mobile
This app is a versatile tool for scanning, exploring, and communicating with Bluetooth Low Energy devices. It also enables your device to act as a peripheral and supports firmware updates for compatible devices.
- Scan and discover Bluetooth LE peripherals
- Communicate with Bluetooth LE devices
- Advertise as a Bluetooth LE peripheral
- Update compatible device firmware (DFU)
- Filter scanned peripherals
- Live RSSI chart
- Log BLE function calls
Read full descriptionHide full description
nRF Connect is a powerful generic tool that allows you to scan and explore your Bluetooth Low Energy (henceforth Bluetooth LE, also called Bluetooth Version 4.0+ of the Bluetooth specification) devices and communicate with them. nRF Connect also allows your iOS device to advertise as a peripheral, with full support of many of Bluetooth SIG adopted profiles. Additionally, nRF Connect supports Nordic Semiconductor’s Device Firmware Update profile (DFU) capabilities, allowing you to update compatible peripherals! + Features: • Supports DFU on all Nordic Semiconducto-powered devices. • Supports Nordic Thingy™ from Nordic Semiconductor. • Scan and discover nearby Bluetooth LE peripherals. • Filter Scanned Peripherals by Name, Manufacturer, Services (Advertised & Connected) and RSSI Level. • Parsing Multiple Formats of Bluetooth LE Advertisement Data. • Live RSSI Chart of Scanned Bluetooth LE Peripherals. • Complete iPad Support, including Multi-Tasking and Mouse Support as of 13.4. • Logs: Including BLE Function calls, and Export Function as CSV and Text. • Privacy-Oriented: Full-Disclosure of Scanned Data, Advertised Data, and User-Performed Actions held by nRF Connect. • Connecting to Any Connectable Bluetooth LE Smart Device. • Discovery of Services, Characteristics and Descriptors. • Read and Write Characteristics and Descriptors. • Enable and Disable Notifications and Indications. • Advertising as a Bluetooth LE Peripheral. • Setting up a Bluetooth LE (Peripheral) Server and Notifying/Indicating back to connected Central(s). • Low-Fat: nRF Connect for iOS is Very Small, so You Can Always Keep Us With You! >= Requirements: • iOS 16.0 and above. - Notes: nRF Connect also works with our Development Kits, which you may acquire online here: https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/buy-online
BroadLink
Manage all your smart home devices from one place, anywhere in the world. Control lighting, appliances, security, and more with intelligent automation and one-button scene control. Features zero-configuration setup for compatible devices.
- Remote device management
- Intelligent power control
- Lighting control
- IR and RF remote control
- Security and sensor integration
- Scene creation
- Zero configuration device setup
Read full descriptionHide full description
The new BroadLink super app lets you manage all BroadLink and compatible products in your home from anywhere in the world at any time, enjoying smart life style with intelligent power control, lighting control, IR and RF remote control, security protection, sensors, home appliances, etc. With BroadLink app, you can easily set triggers for interaction or scenes for one-button control of multiple devices. Also new FastCon technology is adopted in BroadLink app which enables you to add FastCon compatible devices without configuration process (Zero Configuration). If you have any questions, please click the "Feedback" Button in the "Help and Feedback" of the App.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: nRF Connect for Mobile at 4.5 against BroadLink's 4.3. nRF Connect for Mobile also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 58%). BroadLink's advantage is ratings volume (2.6K vs 455) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
nRF Connect for Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BroadLink has 2.6K ratings behind it against 455, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of nRF Connect for Mobile's written reviews are positive against 58% of BroadLink's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.
| Parameter | nRF Connect for Mobile | BroadLink |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (455 ratings) — better | 4.3 (2.6K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.7% of reviews — better | 57.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 455 | 2.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 167 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | Broadlink Co.,Ltd |
Customer experience
nRF Connect for Mobile
BroadLink
User reviews
nRF Connect for Mobile
From 455 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great product
- 🚀 Very handy
- 🚀 Amazing functionality
- 🚀 Love the technology
- 🚀 Versatile program
Room to improve
- 🐛 Doesn't seem to work on iOS 17
- 🐛 Can't really disconnect from peripherals
- 🐛 New update freezes on launch screen DON'T UPDATE!
- 🐛 Legacy DFU not working
- 🐛 Hitting terrible bug
BroadLink
From 2.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Works well with Alexa
- 💡 Consolidates multiple remotes
- 🔒 Secure connection
- 👍 Intuitive app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 Unreliable device pairing
- 🐛 Buggy app updates
- 🔧 Difficult setup process
- 🔧 Confusing user interface
Bugs and requests
nRF Connect for Mobile
Reported bugs
4 issues- Can't read data from Bluetooth device
- Tries to ask for Bluetooth connection when Bluetooth is off. Asks to connect to devices when Bluetooth is off. Who knows what this app is doing in the background without permission?! What ever it is , it ain't good
- Tapping "tabs" doesn't work (nothing changes in the UI). To get some response from tapping UI controls typically requires (a) launching nRF Connect, (b) switching to another app, (c) switching back to nRF Connect. I've tried uninstalling and re-downloading. Same result. This used to be the bee's knees of BLE tools but it's only worth 1 star at the moment (v2.7.11).
- Cant go past the initial announcement. The app is unresponsive to the taps.
Requested features
4 requests- Where's the mac addresses
- Max rssi limit
- Log view
- We need macros in iOS version
BroadLink
Reported bugs
4 issues- Scenes not working as expected
- Frequent app crashes
- Devices going offline randomly
- Alexa integration issues
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to customize button layouts
- Integration with more smart home platforms
- Improved scheduling and automation features
- Temperature display in Fahrenheit
- Backup and restore functionality
In-app purchases
nRF Connect for Mobile
No in-app purchases
BroadLink
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?
Is BroadLink free?
Which has better reviews, nRF Connect for Mobile or BroadLink?
Do nRF Connect for Mobile or BroadLink have ads?
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or BroadLink?
Other comparisons
