Comparison

nRF Blinky vs ST BLE Sensor Classic

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

Head to head
About

nRF Blinky

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nRF Blinky is an application targeted towards developers who are new to Bluetooth Low Energy. nRF Blinky has the following features: - Scan and connect to any nRF5 DK containing the Nordic Semiconductor’s proprietary LED/Button Service. - Toggle the LED on the development kit On and Off from within the application. - Receive Button press and release events from the development kit and display it within the application. This application is open sourced and the is written in Swift 5 and available on GitHub: https://github.com/NordicSemiconductor/IOS-CoreBluetooth-Mock

About

ST BLE Sensor Classic

This app connects to ST development boards via Bluetooth Low Energy to access sensor data. It allows logging data to cloud providers and updating board firmware directly from your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Access sensor data
  • Log data to cloud providers
  • Update board firmware
  • Discover board functionalities
  • Supports motion-sensor data fusion
  • Activity recognition
  • Pedometer functionality
Features
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The ST BLE Sensor Classic application is used in conjunction with an ST development board and firmware compatible with the BlueST protocol to give you access to all the sensor data, which you can log to different cloud providers, and to update the board firmware directly from a mobile device via the Bluetooth® Low Energy protocol. After discovery ST development board, the app shows you a list of available demos and you can navigate through them to discover the functionalities of your board. Demos can be related about environmental, cloud, audio, board configuration, machine learning and and many other functionalities. Cloud side, ST BLE Sensor can communicate with Microsoft Azure IoT Central, Aws IoT and ST Asset Tracking dashboard. The application is built on top of the BlueST SDK library implementing the BlueST protocol and helps you export the data easily via Bluetooth® Low Energy. The application also supports firmware library algorithms like motion-sensor data fusion, activity recognition and pedometer functionality. Both SDK and application source code are freely available at: https://github.com/STMicroelectronics

Screenshots

nRF Blinky2 screens
ST BLE Sensor Classic4 screens

Verdict

The call

nRF Blinky and ST BLE Sensor Classic are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

nRF Blinky ships an update every 9 months, ST BLE Sensor Classic every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
nRF Blinky versus ST BLE Sensor Classic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF BlinkyST BLE Sensor Classic
PriceFreeFree
Rating—2.3 (3 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASASTMicroelectronics

In-app purchases

None

nRF Blinky

No in-app purchases

None

ST BLE Sensor Classic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is nRF Blinky free?
nRF Blinky is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ST BLE Sensor Classic free?
ST BLE Sensor Classic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do nRF Blinky or ST BLE Sensor Classic have ads?
Neither nRF Blinky nor ST BLE Sensor Classic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Blinky or ST BLE Sensor Classic?
nRF Blinky ships an update every 9 months, and ST BLE Sensor Classic every 6 months. Most recently, nRF Blinky was updated on September 20, 2026 and ST BLE Sensor Classic on September 17, 2026.

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