Comparison

nRF Blinky vs Smena

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” 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

Smena

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Take the headache out of time-tracking and shift management. With Smena, employees clock in and out with a tap or scan β€” no expensive hardware needed β€” and you get real-time visibility into who’s working, when and where. Instant setup β€” start tracking in under 5 minutes. Works on any smartphone or tablet; no special hardware required. Flexible check-in options. Employees simply scan a QR code or tap an NFC tag to check in/out β€” ideal for offices, warehouses, retail shops, and more. Works for any size business. Unlimited locations and check-in points. Manage multiple offices, warehouses or stores from one dashboard. Employees can’t check in unless physically on-site. Powerful shift planning & scheduling. Build weekly schedules with a simple grid β€” avoid conflicts, reuse shift templates, and collaborate across managers in real time. Insightful reporting & analytics. Export data to Excel, review raw working hours, monitor productivity, and identify underperforming employees β€” all without manual paperwork.

Screenshots

nRF Blinky2 screens
Smena4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Smena at weekly against nRF Blinky's every 9 months. nRF Blinky's advantage is device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.4). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· 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, Smena weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
nRF Blinky versus Smena: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF BlinkySmena
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsWeekly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 β€” better16.4
Further details β€” not scored
Size10 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASAGreen IT

In-app purchases

None

nRF Blinky

No in-app purchases

None

Smena

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is nRF Blinky free?
nRF Blinky is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smena free?
Smena is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do nRF Blinky or Smena have ads?
Neither nRF Blinky nor Smena shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Blinky or Smena?
nRF Blinky ships an update every 9 months, and Smena weekly. Most recently, nRF Blinky was updated on October 15, 2026 and Smena on September 28, 2026.

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