Comparison

nRF Mesh vs ESP Home

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

Head to head
About

nRF Mesh

Easily deploy and manage Bluetooth Mesh networks. Control individual nodes, configure network settings, and update device firmware remotely. Supports a wide range of BLE devices compatible with Bluetooth Mesh.

Highlights
  • Node provisioning and identification
  • Remote provisioning capabilities
  • Network and application key configuration
  • Node control via various server models
  • Device firmware updates
  • Granular control over publication data and subscriptions
  • Explore node capabilities and security settings
Features
Read full description

nRF Mesh allows you to easily deploy nodes to any Bluetooth Mesh compatible Nodes, giving you flexibility to deploy many different Mesh network Setups. Features: • Identifying: Identify a node before provisioning it. • Provisioning: Deployment of a new Node is as simple as a press of a button. All Out-Of-Band (OOB) methods are supported. • Remote Provisioning: Allows provisioning Nodes that are too faw to reach them directly. • Configuration: Create Network and Application keys or use the randomly generated ones, subscribe to groups and setup your nodes for publishing. • Node Control: Control nodes with Generic OnOff Server, Generic Level Server, Generic OnPowerUp Server, Scene Server and many other models. • Device Firmware Update: Quickly send a new firmware to the Distributor and observe it slowly distributing it to all the nodes. Additionally, you may also run the following configuration commands on your network: • Fully control node publication data. All publication parameters are configurable. • Add/Remove one or more subscription addresses on a model. • Create own AppKeys, or generate them using the builtin crypto-safe generator. • Bind/unbind an Application Key to a specific model for full granular control of your networks' security. • Explore the nodes' capabilities to view all elements, models, provisioning time and date, Manufacturer and available vendor data. • Set the Default TTL on a per-node basis. • Manage global AppKey list on a node. • And much more... Hardware support: - This version of the app is capable of communicating with any BLE devices that speak Bluetooth Mesh! - We recommend nRF5 devices with our nRF SDK for Mesh or nRF Connect SDK.

About

ESP Home

Control your IoT devices using custom JavaScript interfaces. Design your device controls on a web platform and sync them to your mobile device for seamless interaction.

Highlights
  • IoT device control
  • Custom JavaScript interfaces
  • Web-based design tool
  • Data and file synchronization
  • API command execution
Features
Read full description

ESP Home is a general framework for controlling an IoT (internet of things) device from mobile. ESP Home App uses your JavaScript files to connect and control the interface. You design sections and rows and then control them from JavaScript. All design tasks can be done on www.esphome.app in user area. ESP Home hosts your data and JavaScript files. Once you logged into the App, your files will be synchronized with the server and when you select a device on the list in app, JavaScript of that device will be run and starts working. You connect to the real device for API commands from within JavaScript files.

Screenshots

nRF Mesh4 screens
ESP Home4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: nRF Mesh at 4.0 against ESP Home's 2.1. nRF Mesh also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4). ESP Home's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (12 vs 3). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. ESP Home sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. nRF Mesh asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

nRF Mesh holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of nRF Mesh's written reviews are positive against 25% of ESP Home's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

nRF Mesh ships an update every 6 weeks, ESP Home every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
nRF Mesh versus ESP Home: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF MeshESP Home
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (3 ratings) — better2.1 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews30.0% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings312 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.011.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASADayana Networks Ltd

Customer experience

nRF Mesh

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative60.0%

ESP Home

All ratings12 ratings
Positive16.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

None

nRF Mesh

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

ESP Home

One-time4
  • Donate 5 USD$4.99
  • Donate 10 USD$9.99
  • Donate 20 USD$19.99
Show 1 more
  • Donate 50 USD$49.99

Questions

Is nRF Mesh free?
nRF Mesh is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ESP Home free?
ESP Home is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, nRF Mesh or ESP Home?
nRF Mesh is rated higher. nRF Mesh averages 4.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while ESP Home averages 2.1 from 12 ratings.
Do nRF Mesh or ESP Home have ads?
Neither nRF Mesh nor ESP Home shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Mesh or ESP Home?
nRF Mesh ships an update every 6 weeks, and ESP Home every 2 weeks. Most recently, nRF Mesh was updated on October 20, 2026 and ESP Home on October 24, 2026.

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