Comparison

nRF Connect for Mobile vs PCAP Analyzer · File Reader

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

PCAP Analyzer · File Reader

Features
Read full description

PCAP Analyzer opens and analyzes .pcap and .pcapng network captures right on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no desktop required. Troubleshoot a flaky connection, investigate a security incident, or learn how networks really work, with a fast, deep, and clear packet analyzer in your pocket. Open captures created by tcpdump, tshark, and any standard pcap or pcapng tool, and read the wire like a page. DEEP PROTOCOL DECODING Every frame is dissected down to the field: Ethernet and VLAN, IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP, ICMP, ICMPv6, IGMP, ARP, DNS, mDNS, LLMNR, DHCP, HTTP, HTTP/2, TLS, DTLS, QUIC, SMB2, SNMP, NTP, RADIUS, TFTP, MQTT, SCTP, GRE, ESP, and NetFlow/IPFIX. A clean, tappable detail tree and a full hex view show every byte. TLS FINGERPRINTING, JA3 AND JA4 PCAP Analyzer computes JA3 and JA4 client fingerprints natively, and even decrypts QUIC Initial packets to recover the SNI and fingerprints, analysis that usually needs desktop plugins. FIND THE PROBLEM FAST • Color coded packets, so retransmissions, resets, errors, and stalls stand out • Expert diagnostics: TCP retransmissions, duplicate ACKs, zero window stalls, connection resets, HTTP errors, and DNS failures • Threat detection: port and host scans, suspicious C2 and backdoor ports, possible DNS tunneling, and cleartext credentials POWERFUL DISPLAY FILTER A real, field aware filter language with autocomplete and saved filters: tcp.port == 443, tls.sni contains "example", tcp.analysis.zero_window, dns or http. Tap any field in a packet to filter by it instantly. STATISTICS AND VISUALS Conversations, Endpoints, Protocol Hierarchy, a network topology map, an I/O graph, Follow Stream with a TCP sequence and time graph, and automatic name resolution, so you see hostnames instead of raw IP addresses. ON-DEVICE AI On supported iPhones with Apple Intelligence, an on device model summarizes a capture in plain language and turns plain English requests into filters, like "show failed connections". It runs entirely on your device, and your capture never leaves your phone. BUILT FOR BIG CAPTURES A native streaming engine opens very large captures without running out of memory, files that crash other mobile viewers. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything happens on your device. PCAP Analyzer reads saved files only, captures no live traffic, needs no special permissions, and never uploads your data. Privacy Policy: https://rush.tools/privacy Terms of Use: https://rush.tools/terms

Screenshots

nRF Connect for Mobile4 screens
PCAP Analyzer · File Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: nRF Connect for Mobile at none against PCAP Analyzer · File Reader's 2. PCAP Analyzer · File Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and device support (4 vs 2). On price 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. PCAP Analyzer · File Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. nRF Connect for Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update monthly, PCAP Analyzer · File Reader every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
nRF Connect for Mobile versus PCAP Analyzer · File Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF Connect for MobilePCAP Analyzer · File Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (455 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings455 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASARush Tools LLC

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

PCAP Analyzer · File Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

nRF Connect for Mobile

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

PCAP Analyzer · File Reader

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Weekly3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • Pro Annual$79.991 Year

Questions

Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?
nRF Connect for Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PCAP Analyzer · File Reader free?
PCAP Analyzer · File Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do nRF Connect for Mobile or PCAP Analyzer · File Reader have ads?
Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor PCAP Analyzer · File Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or PCAP Analyzer · File Reader?
nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update monthly, and PCAP Analyzer · File Reader every 5 days. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on September 30, 2026 and PCAP Analyzer · File Reader on September 22, 2026.

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