Comparison

BLE Update vs Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

BLE Update

This utility app enables convenient over-the-air firmware updates for Bluetooth Low Energy devices. It is specifically designed for devices utilizing the Arendi BLE-Platform, allowing seamless updates directly from your mail application.

Highlights
  • Over-the-air firmware updates
  • Bluetooth Low Energy device support
  • Arendi BLE-Platform integration
  • Convenient updates from mail app
Features
Read full description

Keep your Bluetooth Low Energy devices running the latest firmware — quickly, securely, and without ever plugging in a cable. Ble Update is the firmware update companion for devices built on the Arendi BLE‑Platform. It scans for nearby BLE devices, connects, and pushes new firmware directly over the air — no PC, no cables, no workshop visit required. Built for the field, not just the lab: Nordic DFU support — the proven standard for firmware updates on Nordic Semiconductor‑based BLE devices SMP (Simple Management Protocol) support — for the latest generation of connected devices, including those built on Zephyr and MCUboot Guided, step‑by‑step update flow — connect, select the firmware file, and update in a few taps Reliable over‑the‑air delivery — built to handle real‑world BLE conditions out in the field Works straight from your phone or tablet — take firmware updates wherever your devices are Whether you're a technician updating a single device on‑site or managing a whole fleet of connected products, Ble Update gives you a fast, dependable way to keep firmware current — right from your pocket. Part of the Arendi BLE‑Platform ecosystem.

About

Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs

This app enables Bluetooth mesh networking on iOS devices. It allows users to provision and configure Bluetooth mesh devices, manage network nodes, and control devices implementing light and lightness models.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth mesh networking implementation
  • Device provisioning
  • Node configuration
  • Publish and subscribe settings
  • Node grouping
  • Light and lightness model control
Features
Read full description

This application implements Bluetooth mesh networking for the iOS operating system. The Bluetooth Mesh by Silicon Labs application can be used to provision Bluetooth mesh capable devices and add them as nodes into a Bluetooth mesh network. The application also supports the configuration of the mesh models, publish and subscribe settings as well grouping of nodes. The application also implements light and lightness models for Bluetooth mesh, so it can be used to control Bluetooth mesh nodes which implement the same models. The application implements the Bluetooth mesh networking stack from the GATT bearer and up all the way to the mesh model layer. The native Bluetooth stack on iOS is used to open LE GATT connections to Bluetooth mesh nodes with a proxy feature enabled.

Screenshots

BLE Update3 screens
Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BLE Update at 5.0 against Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs's 3.1. Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 23 months) and ratings volume (7 vs 1). 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

BLE Update holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BLE Update ships an update every 23 months, Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
BLE Update versus Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBLE UpdateBluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.1 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better
Update frequencyEvery 23 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArendi AGSilicon Labs

Customer experience

BLE Update

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs

All ratings7 ratings
Positive57.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

BLE Update

No in-app purchases

None

Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BLE Update free?
BLE Update is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs free?
Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BLE Update or Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs?
BLE Update is rated higher. BLE Update averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs averages 3.1 from 7 ratings.
Do BLE Update or Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs have ads?
Neither BLE Update nor Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BLE Update or Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs?
BLE Update ships an update every 23 months, and Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs every 2 months. Most recently, BLE Update was updated on October 6, 2026 and Bluetooth mesh by Silicon Labs on October 25, 2026.

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