Comparison

nRF Connect for Mobile vs GRToolbox

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

GRToolbox

Read full description

GRToolbox是一款由Goodix自主开发的iOS BLE Profile/Service功能测试工具,用于同Goodix BLE开发平台进行Profile/Service功能联调,目前涵盖测试功能包含: • BPM (Blood Pressure Monitor) • CSC (Cycling Speed and Cadence) • HRS (Heart Rate Service) • HTM (Health Thermometer Monitor) • RSC (Running Speed and Cadence) • DFU (Device Firmware Update) • PCS (Power Consumption Profile) • RELAY (Heart Rate Sensor & Running Speed and Cadence Sensor Relay) • THS (Thoughput Service) • UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) GRToolbox提供通用的BLE蓝牙扫描功能,用于扫描、连接和控制BLE蓝牙设备: • 提供扫描过滤功能 • 按信号强度排列扫描到的设备 • 查看广播数据 • 提供基本的特征读写操作 • 读取连接信号强度 • 设置连接参数 • 解析常见的Profile/Service的数据

Screenshots

nRF Connect for Mobile4 screens
GRToolbox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: nRF Connect for Mobile at monthly against GRToolbox's every 3 months. GRToolbox's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update monthly, GRToolbox every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
nRF Connect for Mobile versus GRToolbox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF Connect for MobileGRToolbox
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (455 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings455 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASAShenzhen Goodix Technology Co., Ltd.

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

GRToolbox

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

nRF Connect for Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

GRToolbox

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?
nRF Connect for Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GRToolbox free?
GRToolbox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do nRF Connect for Mobile or GRToolbox have ads?
Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor GRToolbox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or GRToolbox?
nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update monthly, and GRToolbox every 3 months. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on September 25, 2026 and GRToolbox on September 15, 2026.

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