Comparison

nRF Connect for Mobile vs Sentry by RF Code

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

Sentry by RF Code

Continuously monitors remote IT environments, providing real-time video and thermal data. Receive automated alerts for potential threats to prevent costly IT issues.

Highlights
  • Real-time video monitoring
  • Thermal activity tracking
  • Automated threat alerts
  • Failure-tolerant connection
  • Critical asset visibility
Read full description

Know what’s going on in your remote IT spaces without having to be on-site. Sentry is constantly monitoring unmanned, remote IT environments so you don’t have to. With deep intelligence and real-time alerts, Sentry makes it easier to prevent, thwart, or remediate costly IT situations. Key Features: * Critical Asset Visibility: Get live and recorded video monitoring of all your remote IT environments from anywhere at any time. * Thermal Monitoring: Sentry tracks temperature activity. Thermal sensors monitor temperature fluctuations, pinpoint hot spots, and alert you of any spikes. * Failure-Tolerant Connection: With a backup battery, Sentry stays up and running to give you uninterrupted visibility in the face of power failure or an area-wide outage. * Automated, Real-Time Alerts: When something goes wrong, you need to know. Sentry will send an alert when it detects a threat to your remote IT environment. https://www.rfcode.com/sentry

Screenshots

nRF Connect for Mobile4 screens
Sentry by RF Code4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sentry by RF Code at 5.0 against nRF Connect for Mobile's 4.5. Sentry by RF Code also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). nRF Connect for Mobile's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (466 vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sentry by RF Code 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 466 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, Sentry by RF Code every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
nRF Connect for Mobile versus Sentry by RF Code: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF Connect for MobileSentry by RF Code
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (466 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings466 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASARF Code, Inc.

Customer experience

nRF Connect for Mobile

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

Sentry by RF Code

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Sentry by RF Code

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

nRF Connect for Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Sentry by RF Code

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 Sentry by RF Code free?
Sentry by RF Code is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, nRF Connect for Mobile or Sentry by RF Code?
Sentry by RF Code is rated higher. nRF Connect for Mobile averages 4.5 out of 5 from 466 ratings, while Sentry by RF Code averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do nRF Connect for Mobile or Sentry by RF Code have ads?
Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor Sentry by RF Code shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or Sentry by RF Code?
nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, and Sentry by RF Code every 7 months. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on October 11, 2026 and Sentry by RF Code on October 3, 2026.

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