# nRF Connect for Mobile vs Magic Smoke

The clearest difference is rating: Magic Smoke at 5.0 against nRF Connect for Mobile's 4.5. Magic Smoke also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 71%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). nRF Connect for Mobile's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (476 vs 11). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Magic Smoke holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: nRF Connect for Mobile has 476 ratings behind it against 11, 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 100% of Magic Smoke's.

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, Magic Smoke every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | nRF Connect for Mobile | Magic Smoke |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (476 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrf-connect-for-mobile/id1054362403/reviews) | **[5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-smoke/id1594832483/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **476** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 70.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 15 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nordic Semiconductor ASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/497679114) | [Caleb Barnett Wheeler](https://appshunter.io/developer/1719539575) |

## What reviewers say

### nRF Connect for Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrf-connect-for-mobile/id1054362403)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great product
- 🚀 Very handy
- 🚀 Amazing functionality
- 🚀 Love the technology
- 🚀 Versatile program

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Where's the mac addresses
- Max rssi limit
- Log view
- We need macros in iOS version


### Magic Smoke

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-smoke/id1594832483)

Establish custom TCP connections to send specific commands. Save up to ten commands for quick access, or type any message directly. This utility is ideal for testing network connections and embedded systems.

**Highlights:** Custom TCP connection setup, Save up to ten custom commands, Send any typed message, Appends carriage return and linefeed, Supports IP address and port input

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?

nRF Connect for Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Magic Smoke free?

Magic Smoke is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, nRF Connect for Mobile or Magic Smoke?

Magic Smoke is rated higher. nRF Connect for Mobile averages 4.5 out of 5 from 476 ratings, while Magic Smoke averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.

### Do nRF Connect for Mobile or Magic Smoke have ads?

Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor Magic Smoke shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or Magic Smoke?

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, and Magic Smoke every 5 months. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on October 27, 2026 and Magic Smoke on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*