Comparison

nRF Connect for Mobile vs BamBuddy

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

BamBuddy

Monitor and control your 3D printers remotely with live status updates, camera feeds, and print management. Offers advanced features like AI assistance and smart notifications for a seamless printing experience.

Highlights
  • Live printer status and camera feed
  • Remote print control (pause, resume, stop)
  • Filament and error message monitoring
  • Print statistics and history
  • Live Activity and Lock Screen widgets
  • AI Print Assistant for error codes
Features
Read full description

BamBuddy is the companion app for your self-hosted Bambuddy server. Monitor and control your Bambu Lab 3D printers from iPhone and iPad: over your local network at home, via your remote address on the go. The app switches automatically. LIVE ON YOUR LOCK SCREEN • Live Activity with progress, finish time and a pause button, also in the Dynamic Island and StandBy • Widgets for your Home Screen and Lock Screen, with pause and chamber light without opening the app • Chamber light and BamBuddy in Control Center and on the Action button • Ask Siri: "How's my print in BamBuddy?" MONITOR EVERYTHING LIVE • Real-time status: progress, layers, time remaining and finish time • Live camera view, with a snapshot you can share instantly • Temperatures, fans and AMS units with filament colors • Filament overview: every spool on one screen, including what's running low • HMS error messages right in view CONTROL WITH CONFIDENCE • Pause, resume or stop prints • Print speed and chamber light • Manage the queue: start, reorder, cancel • Archive with favorites and print history STATISTICS • Success rate, print hours, filament usage, cost and energy • Charts by filament type and by printer FREE AND PRO The free version controls one printer, including widgets, Siri and all the features above. BamBuddy Pro (subscription or one-time purchase, 7-day free trial) adds: • Unlimited printers: your entire print farm in one app • Live Activity and Dynamic Island for every print • AI Print Assistant: explains error codes and gives advice on failed prints, fully on-device with Apple Intelligence • AI Insights: analysis of your print statistics with practical tips • Smart notifications: print finished or failed, printer error, filament running low PRIVACY FIRST No account, no cloud, no tracking. The app only talks to your own server. Your server token is stored securely in the Keychain. Available in English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese. Requires a running Bambuddy server (open source, free). SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION BamBuddy Pro is available as a monthly subscription (EUR 1.99 per month) or an annual subscription (EUR 14.99 per year, with a 7-day free trial). There is also a one-time lifetime purchase (EUR 29.99). Prices may vary by country; the App Store shows the price in your currency. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your Apple Account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://wemeekit.nl/privacy/bambuddy/

Screenshots

nRF Connect for Mobile4 screens
BamBuddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: nRF Connect for Mobile at 71% against BamBuddy's 0%. nRF Connect for Mobile also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (477 vs 1). BamBuddy's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. BamBuddy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. nRF Connect for Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BamBuddy 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 477 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 0% of BamBuddy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, BamBuddy every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
nRF Connect for Mobile versus BamBuddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF Connect for MobileBamBuddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (477 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings477 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASAWeMeekIt

Customer experience

nRF Connect for Mobile

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

BamBuddy

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
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

BamBuddy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

nRF Connect for Mobile

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

BamBuddy

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?
nRF Connect for Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BamBuddy free?
BamBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, nRF Connect for Mobile or BamBuddy?
BamBuddy is rated higher. nRF Connect for Mobile averages 4.5 out of 5 from 477 ratings, while BamBuddy averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do nRF Connect for Mobile or BamBuddy have ads?
Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor BamBuddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or BamBuddy?
nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, and BamBuddy every 2 weeks. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on October 29, 2026 and BamBuddy on October 16, 2026.

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