Comparison

BlackBLE vs HeatNext

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

Head to head
About

BlackBLE

Control Arduino devices via Bluetooth Low Energy from your iPhone. Send characters to trigger actions, use your phone as a joystick, and receive data. A simple way to connect your microcontroller projects to your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth LE connection to HC-08 modules
  • Send characters to microcontroller
  • Joystick mode for device control
  • Receive data from Bluetooth
  • Simple button interface
Features
Read full description

Finally you will be able to send information through Bluetooth to your Arduino using your iPhone! With this app, you can connect to a Bluetooth Low Energy module HC-08 and send characters to it. With these characters you can program actions in your microcontroller to be executed when receiving. On a very simple way, press the black Bluetooth icon on the upper right screen to see the list of every HC-08 available nearby. Press the name of your module and the app will automatically connect to it. When pressing each button of the app, the character present on button label will be send through Bluetooth and you can read it in a serial protocol on the module. Do you want more? What about rotating your iPhone and make it a joystick to control robots or whatever kind of system you want? If you rotate your device, screen will automatically changes to a joystick, with the same concept than the previous screen. And, of course, you can receive information from bluetooth and read on your screen (maximum of 20 bytes, or 20 chars). Now you can control whatever device using Bluetooth with your iPhone!

About

HeatNext

Features
Read full description

HeatNext is a friendly app that allows you to remotely manage your home heating system using your mobile device. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/.

Screenshots

BlackBLE3 screens
HeatNext4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HeatNext at Free against BlackBLE's $0.99. HeatNext also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). BlackBLE's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). On 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

HeatNext is free to download; BlackBLE costs $0.99 up front. HeatNext sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. BlackBLE asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BlackBLE ships an update every 11 months, HeatNext every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
BlackBLE versus HeatNext: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlackBLEHeatNext
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoboCore Tecnologia LTDANomnio

In-app purchases

None

BlackBLE

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

HeatNext

Subscriptions4
  • Plus Package$1.991 Month
  • Advanced Package$3.991 Month
  • Plus Package$18.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Advanced Package$37.991 Year

Questions

Is BlackBLE free?
BlackBLE costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is HeatNext free?
HeatNext is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BlackBLE or HeatNext have ads?
Neither BlackBLE nor HeatNext shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BlackBLE or HeatNext?
BlackBLE ships an update every 11 months, and HeatNext every 2 months. Most recently, BlackBLE was updated on September 16, 2026 and HeatNext on September 15, 2026.

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