# nRF Connect for Mobile vs Barcode & QR Scanner

The clearest difference is rating: Barcode & QR Scanner at 5.0 against nRF Connect for Mobile's 4.5. Barcode & QR Scanner also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 71%). nRF Connect for Mobile's advantage is ratings volume (475 vs 6). 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.

Barcode & QR Scanner 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 475 ratings behind it against 6, 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 Barcode & QR Scanner's.

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, Barcode & QR Scanner every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | nRF Connect for Mobile | Barcode & QR Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (475 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrf-connect-for-mobile/id1054362403/reviews) | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barcode-and-qr-scanner-rawcode/id1636758263/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **475** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 70.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 15 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nordic Semiconductor ASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/497679114) | [Glitchbuster Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1448053032) |

## 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


### Barcode & QR Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barcode-and-qr-scanner-rawcode/id1636758263)

Quickly scan QR codes and barcodes to reveal their contents. This utility app provides a simple interface to understand the data encoded in various codes. It also keeps a history of scanned codes for easy reference.

**Highlights:** Scan QR codes, Scan barcodes, View code contents, Scan history, Simple interface

**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 Barcode & QR Scanner free?

Barcode & QR Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, nRF Connect for Mobile or Barcode & QR Scanner?

Barcode & QR Scanner is rated higher. nRF Connect for Mobile averages 4.5 out of 5 from 475 ratings, while Barcode & QR Scanner averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do nRF Connect for Mobile or Barcode & QR Scanner have ads?

Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor Barcode & QR Scanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or Barcode & QR Scanner?

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, and Barcode & QR Scanner every 4 days. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on October 25, 2026 and Barcode & QR Scanner on October 19, 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.*