# Joplin vs BLESerial nRF

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.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Joplin | BLESerial nRF |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (479 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joplin/id1315599797/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bleserial-nrf/id1632235163/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **479** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 66.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 73 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Laurent Cozic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1315599796) | [Ed Nieuwenhuys](https://appshunter.io/developer/1602239702) |

## What reviewers say

### Joplin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joplin/id1315599797)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 🔒 End-to-end encryption
- 👍 Excellent cross-platform support
- 👍 Intuitive Markdown support
- 👍 Flexible sync options (Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues, especially on iOS
- 🐛 Buggy UI, especially on iOS
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Slow performance at times
- 🐛 Confusing interface, not very intuitive

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### BLESerial nRF

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bleserial-nrf/id1632235163)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*