Comparison

nRF Connect for Mobile vs Desk Remote Control

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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 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

About

Desk Remote Control

Control your height-adjustable standing desk directly from your iPhone using voice commands or one-touch presets. Easily switch between sit, stand, and favorite positions, and calibrate height for accuracy. Unlock advanced features like automatic movement and custom Siri shortcuts with the Pro version.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth desk control
  • Siri voice commands
  • One-touch sit/stand/fav positions
  • Display current height
  • Set favorite positions
  • Height calibration
  • Siri Shortcuts integration
Read full description

Desk Remote Control is a small utility application that lets you easily control your height adjustable standing desk right from your iPhone. Just say "Hey Siri, move my desk" or "Hey Siri, move the desk to the sit/stand/fav position". Easily switch between sit, stand and fav positions by simply pressing one button. No need to press and hold the key on the desk. Please see the list of supported bluetooth desks for details. FEATURES: • Easy pairing over bluetooth • Automatically re-connects to known desks • Displays current height and sit/stand memory positions • Lets you move the desk up or down • Allows to set favourite sit and stand positions • Rename the desk • Height calibration. For a more accurate display of the desk height • Support for Siri Shortcuts And even more if you buy PRO FEATURES: • Automatically moves desk to sit or stand position with 1 touch. No need to hold the button down in the app • Use Siri to switch back and forth between sit and stand positions • Add a shortcut to Siri and then run it anytime by asking Siri • Get more options for customizing your workspace - use additional 'Fav' position SUPPORTED DESKS: • The app is tested and should work fine with IKEA Idasen sit/standing desk. • 'Easydesk Line' desk from boho office • The app may work with LINAK desk systems using DPG bluetooth desk panel. Do not hesitate to contact me at support@kaasoft.com Terms of Use: https://www.kaasoft.com/termsofuse Privacy Policy: https://www.kaasoft.com/privacy

Screenshots

nRF Connect for Mobile4 screens
Desk Remote Control4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: nRF Connect for Mobile at 4.5 against Desk Remote Control's 3.4. nRF Connect for Mobile also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ratings volume (476 vs 5). Desk Remote Control's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Desk Remote Control sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. nRF Connect for Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

nRF Connect for Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: nRF Connect for Mobile has 476 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 71% and 71% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, Desk Remote Control monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
nRF Connect for Mobile versus Desk Remote Control: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF Connect for MobileDesk Remote Control
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (476 ratings) — better3.4 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews70.7% of reviews
Number of ratings476 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASAAlexander Khripunov

Customer experience

nRF Connect for Mobile

All ratings466 ratings
Positive85.2%
Neutral6.7%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews239 reviews
Positive70.7%
Neutral8.4%
Negative20.9%

Desk Remote Control

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive70.7%
Neutral8.6%
Negative20.7%

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

Desk Remote Control

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

nRF Connect for Mobile

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Desk Remote Control

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Features Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pro Features Annual7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • 14-day trialFree
  • Pro Features2 variants$19.99

Questions

Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?
nRF Connect for Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Desk Remote Control free?
Desk Remote Control is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, nRF Connect for Mobile or Desk Remote Control?
nRF Connect for Mobile is rated higher. nRF Connect for Mobile averages 4.5 out of 5 from 476 ratings, while Desk Remote Control averages 3.4 from 5 ratings.
Do nRF Connect for Mobile or Desk Remote Control have ads?
Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor Desk Remote Control shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or Desk Remote Control?
nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, and Desk Remote Control monthly. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on October 27, 2026 and Desk Remote Control on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons