Comparison

Joplin vs BLESerial nRF

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

Head to head
About

Joplin

A privacy-focused note-taking and to-do application that allows you to capture multimedia notes, organize them with notebooks and tags, and sync across devices. It offers end-to-end encryption and an offline-first approach for secure and accessible information management.

Highlights
  • Capture multimedia notes (speech, photos, videos, PDFs)
  • Organize notes with notebooks and tags
  • Create to-dos and set reminders
  • End-to-end encryption for privacy
  • Cross-device synchronization (Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive)
  • Offline-first access
  • OCR search for text within images and PDFs
Features
Read full description

Privacy-first app Capture your thoughts freely and without distractions, tracking, or ads. With Joplin’s end-to-end encryption and open-source code, you can concentrate on your ideas and tasks without worrying about your privacy. Capture multimedia notes Capture multimedia notes effortlessly. In Joplin you can : • create manuscript notes, • transcribe speech to note, • add multimedia: photos, videos, PDFs, and images, • insert documents as attachments, • create math expressions, add tables, write code and insert diagrams, • create to-dos and add reminders. Organise your ideas Organise your notes into notebooks. Connect your notes with tags by subject or priority. Use colours and rich text editor to format your notes with ease. Make task lists, create to-dos and add reminders. Effortlessly find your notes, even within PDFs and images, thanks to the powerful search feature enhanced by Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Use Joplin to store your bills, lecture notes, photos or receipts. Reliable synchronisation Access your notes from computer, phone or tablet by synchronising with various services including Joplin Cloud, Dropbox and OneDrive. Seamlessly move from one device to another. Offline-first You can access your notes anytime and anywhere, even without Internet. If you’re using Joplin on multiple devices, they will synchronise and update once you regained the connection. Enhance your productivity across devices Extend your note-taking experience by using Joplin on additional devices such as a desktop computer or tablet. Make the most of each device by using its specific features. On the desktop app, use a web clipper extension, wide-range of community plugins and a Markdown editor. Experience flawless handwriting and drawing on your tablet. Join active community Connect with Joplin’s vibrant community on Joplin Forum. It’s a place where users can share ideas, ask questions, exchange information and give feedback. Joplin’s dynamic community also develops powerful plugins, so you can customise your app to suit your needs.

About

BLESerial nRF

This app provides a direct serial terminal connection to Nordic nRF52 Bluetooth Low Energy boards. It allows for real-time command sending and data reception without cables or adapters. Features include device scanning, a smooth scrolling console, and smart alerts for specific data patterns.

Highlights
  • Real-time data transfer
  • Device scanning and connection
  • Customizable console view
  • Smart data alerts
  • Configurable UUIDs
  • Bluetooth explorer
Features
Read full description

The dedicated serial terminal for Nordic nRF52 Bluetooth Low Energy boards. BLE Serial nRF52 connects your iPhone or iPad directly to any nRF52-based device and lets you send commands and receive data in real time — no cables, no adapters, no fuss. This free version is identical to the Pro version, except it does not include Functions (custom send buttons and toggle switches) and only works with Nordic nRF52 modules — not CC254x boards such as the HM-10. Built specifically for the nRF52 UART service (6E400001), it works out of the box with popular nRF52 development boards and custom firmware alike. **CONNECT IN SECONDS** Scan for nearby nRF52 devices and see their name, advertised services, manufacturer data, and live signal strength at a glance. Tap to connect. Auto-reconnect brings you straight back to your device every time you open the app. **SERIAL CONSOLE** A smooth scrolling console displays all incoming and outgoing data, with sent text highlighted for easy reading. Adjust font size, line endings, and display format (ASCII or hex) to suit your workflow. **SMART ALERTS** Set text patterns to watch for in incoming data. When a match is found, the app notifies you immediately — ideal for monitoring autonomous devices or catching error conditions. **FULLY CONFIGURABLE** The service and characteristic UUIDs can be adjusted in Settings for custom nRF52 firmware. Supports both standard and 128-bit UUIDs. **CLEAN AND FOCUSED** No ads. No subscriptions. No unnecessary permissions. Just a fast, reliable connection to your nRF52 hardware. **WANT MORE?** Check out BLE Serial Pro — it adds programmable one-tap command buttons, supports HM-10 and CC2541 in the same app, and shows a live console strip so you can see device responses without switching views. Features: • Fully customisable console view, with options like: - Display format (ASCII, Hex, Dec, etc.) - Line numbers and timestamps - Newline behaviour - Style (code or chat) and sound effects • Send data how it suits you: - In different formats (ASCII, Hex, Dec, etc.) - With or without newline/carriage return character at the end - All at once or in chunks (to accommodate for processing time) • Completely functional bluetooth explorer included! Find out the services, descriptors and other properties of any bluetooth device in range • "Send on Connect" option, to send a preset message after pairing • "Auto Reconnect" option, to reconnect automatically to the previous device • Easily copy or share the sent and received messages • Editable service/characteristic UUIDs to connect to • Read/Write characteristic UUIDs can be set separately • Easy to use minimalist layout

Screenshots

Joplin4 screens
BLESerial nRF4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BLESerial nRF at 5.0 against Joplin's 4.1. BLESerial nRF also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 66%). Joplin's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (479 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

BLESerial nRF holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Joplin has 479 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Joplin's written reviews are positive against 100% of BLESerial nRF's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Joplin ships an update monthly, BLESerial nRF every 6 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Joplin versus BLESerial nRF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJoplinBLESerial nRF
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (479 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings479 — better1
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLaurent CozicEd Nieuwenhuys

Customer experience

Joplin

All ratings476 ratings
Positive76.7%
Neutral6.3%
Negative17.0%
Written reviews495 reviews
Positive66.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative24.2%

BLESerial nRF

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Joplin

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Sync issues with WebDAV and Dropbox
  • Crashes when creating new notes
  • Keyboard issues, text getting obscured
  • Rendering problems in dark mode
  • Compatibility issues with older iOS versions

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add web clipper functionality on iOS
  • Implement nested notebooks on iOS
  • Allow password/biometric protection for notes
  • Improve text editing experience on mobile
  • Add more font and formatting options
Show 1 more
  • Implement a trash/recycle bin for deleted notes

BLESerial nRF

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Joplin

No in-app purchases

None

BLESerial nRF

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Joplin free?
Joplin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BLESerial nRF free?
BLESerial nRF is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Joplin or BLESerial nRF?
BLESerial nRF is rated higher. Joplin averages 4.1 out of 5 from 479 ratings, while BLESerial nRF averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Joplin or BLESerial nRF have ads?
Neither Joplin nor BLESerial nRF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Joplin or BLESerial nRF?
Joplin ships an update monthly, and BLESerial nRF every 6 months. Most recently, Joplin was updated on October 24, 2026 and BLESerial nRF on October 24, 2026.

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