nRF Mesh vs BLE Laboratory Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
BLE Laboratory Pro
This app allows users to scan for and interact with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices, displaying advertisement data and enabling communication with services and characteristics. It also supports configuring the device as a BLE peripheral with custom profiles and services.
- Discover BLE devices with advertisement data
- Interact with services, characteristics, and descriptors
- Read and write UTF-8 and HEXA data
- Configure as a BLE peripheral
- Create custom services and characteristics
- Detailed runtime performance logs
- Slick UI and efficient navigation
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Are you developing BLE hard- or software? Are you interested in experimenting with BLE devices? Or do you just want to learn about devices in your vicinity? Look no further, you have found the best app! This is the result of years of BLE research and development. Here are the highlights: === Operation Mode Scanner === * Display discovered devices with complete advertisement data, * Interact with found services, characteristics, and descriptors, * Read and write UTF-8 and HEXA data with optimized keyboards. === Operation Mode Transmitter === * Configure as sending BLE peripheral with multiple profiles, * Create as many services and characteristics as you need, * Compose readable values out of static, dynamic, and interactive components. === Besides These === * Detailed log for analyzing the run-time-performance of every operation, * Slick UI and efficient navigation – the UI will never block you. Test the app with both operation modes – later on, unlock what you need via In-App-Purchase. Stay tuned for many more professional features – Version 1.0 is just the beginning!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: nRF Mesh at 4.0 against BLE Laboratory Pro's 3.4. nRF Mesh also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 8 months). BLE Laboratory Pro's advantage is review sentiment (55% vs 30%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. BLE Laboratory Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. nRF Mesh asks for nothing beyond the download.
nRF Mesh holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 7 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 30% of nRF Mesh's written reviews are positive against 55% of BLE Laboratory Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
nRF Mesh ships an update every 6 weeks, BLE Laboratory Pro every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on August 24, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | nRF Mesh | BLE Laboratory Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (3 ratings) — better | 3.4 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 30.0% of reviews | 54.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | Michael Lauer |
Customer experience
nRF Mesh
BLE Laboratory Pro
In-app purchases
nRF Mesh
No in-app purchases
BLE Laboratory Pro
- Scanner Support$8.99
- Transmitter Support$12.99
- All Operation Modes$17.99
Questions
Is nRF Mesh free?
Is BLE Laboratory Pro free?
Which has better reviews, nRF Mesh or BLE Laboratory Pro?
Do nRF Mesh or BLE Laboratory Pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, nRF Mesh or BLE Laboratory Pro?
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