Comparison

BlackBLE vs ESP32

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

ESP32

Control and manage ESP32-CAM devices with various camera modules. Stream live video, adjust image settings, and apply creative effects. Effortlessly discover and manage multiple cameras from a single interface.

Highlights
  • Smart network discovery
  • Live JPEG video streaming
  • Adjustable image quality and effects
  • LED flash control
  • Multi-device management
  • Save and organize camera configurations
Features
Read full description

What is ESP32-CAM Controller? ESP32 CAM Controller is the companion app for managing ESP32-CAM devices with the OV2640, OV3660 or OV5640 module. This app makes controlling your ESP32-CAM devices effortless and professional. Smart Network Discovery • Automatically scan your network to discover ESP32-CAM devices running the CameraWebServer sketch for the AI Thinker ESP32-CAM. • No manual IP configuration needed • Fast parallel scanning with real-time progress • Alternative Arduino sketches with UDP, WebSocket, and BLE support are available on GitHub. Live Video Streaming • JPEG video streaming • Smooth, responsive preview thumbnails • Save and share images Complete Camera Control • Adjust image quality, brightness, contrast, saturation and white balance • Multiple resolution options from 128x128 to 1600x1200 • Creative effects: sepia, negative, grayscale, color tints • LED flash control with adjustable intensity • Mirror and flip options for perfect orientation Multi-Device Management • Manage multiple ESP32-CAM devices from one app • Save and organize your camera configurations • Quick access to all connected devices • Easy device addition via network/BLE scan or manual URL

Screenshots

BlackBLE3 screens
ESP324 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ESP32 at Free against BlackBLE's $0.99. ESP32 also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 11 months). BlackBLE's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On rating, 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

ESP32 is free to download; BlackBLE costs $0.99 up front. ESP32 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BlackBLE asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for BlackBLE against 5.0 for ESP32. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BlackBLE ships an update every 11 months, ESP32 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
BlackBLE versus ESP32: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlackBLEESP32
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB22 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperRoboCore Tecnologia LTDAPeter Sauer

Customer experience

BlackBLE

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ESP32

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

In-app purchases

None

BlackBLE

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ESP32

One-time1
  • Support this project$1.99

Questions

Is BlackBLE free?
BlackBLE costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ESP32 free?
ESP32 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BlackBLE or ESP32?
BlackBLE and ESP32 are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do BlackBLE or ESP32 have ads?
Neither BlackBLE nor ESP32 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BlackBLE or ESP32?
BlackBLE ships an update every 11 months, and ESP32 every 2 weeks. Most recently, BlackBLE was updated on October 3, 2026 and ESP32 on October 4, 2026.

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