Comparison

nRF Connect for Mobile vs Efento

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

Efento

Monitor wireless sensors remotely or via Bluetooth. View real-time data, receive alerts for exceeded thresholds, and generate reports. Configure settings and check sensor health from your smartphone.

Highlights
  • Remote sensor monitoring
  • Real-time data visualization
  • Threshold alerts
  • Report generation
  • Local Bluetooth connectivity
  • Sensor configuration
Features
Read full description

The Efento mobile app gives you full control over your wireless sensors – whether you’re right next to them or halfway around the world. The app includes two tools: 1. Efento Cloud Access: log in to your Efento Cloud account and monitor all your sensors remotely. Check measurements in real time, get notified when thresholds are exceeded, generate reports, and keep an eye on sensor health – all from your smartphone. 2. Local Bluetooth Connectivity: quickly connect to Efento sensors via Bluetooth. View live and historical data, check status, and configure settings directly from your phone – no cables or gateways needed.

Screenshots

nRF Connect for Mobile4 screens
Efento4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Efento at 15.6 against nRF Connect for Mobile's 17.0. On price, review sentiment, 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

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, Efento every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and August 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
nRF Connect for Mobile versus Efento: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF Connect for MobileEfento
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (455 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.6% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings455 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASAEfento sp.z o.o

Customer experience

nRF Connect for Mobile

All ratings455 ratings
Positive85.3%
Neutral6.4%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews228 reviews
Positive70.6%
Neutral8.3%
Negative21.1%

Efento

Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

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

Efento

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

nRF Connect for Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Efento

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 Efento free?
Efento is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do nRF Connect for Mobile or Efento have ads?
Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor Efento shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or Efento?
nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update monthly, and Efento every 5 weeks. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on September 30, 2026 and Efento on August 29, 2026.

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