nRF Connect for Mobile vs ClicSmart
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
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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
ClicSmart
Effortlessly automate your existing lights without any wiring or special bulbs. Control your lights and appliances with timers, motion detection, voice commands, or your phone. Make any room or your entire home smart in seconds.
- No-install smart lighting
- Timer-based automation
- Motion activation
- Voice control (with Smart Plug)
- Remote device management (with Smart Plug)
- Portable and easy to move
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Instantly automate your existing lights without tools, wiring, special bulbs that need to be replaced, or hubs. The ClicSmart App makes it easy to turn your lights On & Off with Timer, Motion, Voice, & Phone. With the addition of a ClicSmart Smart Plug you can control all your ClicSmart devices remotely and with Smart Assistants. Make your bedroom, garage, porch, or whole home smart in an instant! ClicSmart uses patented technology to instantly "Clic" into place over your existing light switches for the only no-install smart lighting solution on the market! Control your lights and appliances in seconds and at a fraction of the cost of other lighting automation brands. Set-up is less than a minute! Multiple Timers Schedule your lights and devices for automatic on/off control that functions when you are away from home Motion Activation Lights turn on/off automatically when you enter/exit rooms Voice Control* Ask Alexa or Google to turn lights or devices on & off through voice commands Phone Control Control your devices with one tap of your phone. Manage your Lights & Devices Remotely* Not sure if you left your lights on? You can check and control while away from home. Manual Press Use ClicSmart Switch as a manual switch by pressing the center button Portability Move ClicSmart around your home, or take it with you when you go on vacation or move - just pull it off and you're good to go. ClicSmart Cover Adapter Make your ClicSmart fit your home’s style * Voice Control & Remote Capabilities require a ClicSmart Smart Plug which adds these features to all of your ClicSmarts.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: nRF Connect for Mobile at 478 against ClicSmart's 3. nRF Connect for Mobile also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 50%). ClicSmart's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, 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
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: nRF Connect for Mobile has 478 ratings behind it against 3, 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 50% of ClicSmart's.
nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, ClicSmart every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | nRF Connect for Mobile | ClicSmart |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (478 ratings) — better | 4.3 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.7% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 478 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | Switchmate Inc. |
Customer experience
nRF Connect for Mobile
ClicSmart
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
ClicSmart
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
nRF Connect for Mobile
No in-app purchases
ClicSmart
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?
Is ClicSmart free?
Which has better reviews, nRF Connect for Mobile or ClicSmart?
Do nRF Connect for Mobile or ClicSmart have ads?
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or ClicSmart?
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