# nRF Connect for Mobile vs IDEA

The clearest difference is rating: IDEA at 5.0 against nRF Connect for Mobile's 4.5. IDEA also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). nRF Connect for Mobile's advantage is ratings volume (455 vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). 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.

IDEA 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 455 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of nRF Connect for Mobile's written reviews are positive against 50% of IDEA's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update monthly, IDEA every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | nRF Connect for Mobile | IDEA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (455 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrf-connect-for-mobile/id1054362403/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idea-ble/id6667117980/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **455** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **70.7% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 18 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nordic Semiconductor ASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/497679114) | [和平 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/1743103495) |

## 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


### IDEA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idea-ble/id6667117980)

This intelligent operation app allows users to customize product usage and expand functionality. It provides a convenient way to interact with specific company products and gain a deeper understanding of their features.

**Highlights:** Intelligent operation, Product customization, Expandable functions, Enhanced product understanding, Convenient user interface

**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 IDEA free?

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

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

IDEA is rated higher. nRF Connect for Mobile averages 4.5 out of 5 from 455 ratings, while IDEA averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do nRF Connect for Mobile or IDEA have ads?

Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor IDEA shows ads.

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

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update monthly, and IDEA every 6 months. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on September 25, 2026 and IDEA on September 2, 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.*