BLExAR vs A5 Rail
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BLExAR
This app enables iOS devices to communicate with Arduino boards via Bluetooth Low Energy. It allows real-time control of Arduino pins, data logging with GPS coordinates, and serial text communication for makers and students.
- Real-time control of Arduino digital and analog pins
- Real-time data plotting
- Data logging to CSV files
- Capture GPS coordinates for data points
- Serial text communication terminal
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BLExAR turns your iPhone or iPad into a pocket bench instrument for Arduino-class boards over Bluetooth Low Energy. Connect to a board with an HM-10 style UART module (CC2541, AT-09, JDY-08, SH-M08), an nRF52840 MakerBLE board or a Seeed XIAO ESP32-C6, then switch pins, stream sensor values, plot and record them, all without writing an app of your own. BLExAR 3.0 is a complete rewrite that keeps working with the sketches and tutorials written for earlier versions: the same commands, the same pins and the same CSV files. CONTROL • Switch digital pins and set PWM from pin tiles laid out like your board's header • Analog sliders for the A-pins • Board profiles for Arduino Uno, Arduino Nano, MakerBLE (nRF52840), Seeed XIAO ESP32-C6 and the classic 2.7 layout • TX/RX activity lights show every message to and from the board DATA • Live chart of the comma-separated values your board sends, with Run/Hold and 10 s, 1 min and 10 min windows • Readout cards with min, max and standard deviation for each series, plus the incoming stream rate • Record sessions to CSV, optionally with your location on each row, and keep recording in the background • Browse, reopen and share recorded sessions; they also appear in the Files app CONSOLE • Serial terminal to send and receive text, with a hex view and quick command keys PANELS • Build your own control dashboards with buttons, toggles, sliders, a joystick and gauges bound to your board's commands and data columns • Share panels with others as files ALWAYS AT HAND • Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island while connected or recording • Control Center controls to toggle a pin without opening the app • Scan list puts UART-ready boards first, ordered by signal strength • Automatic reconnect after a dropped link • Light and dark appearance and Dynamic Type BLExAR is made for makers, students, teachers and engineers. Tutorials and example sketches are at makersportal.com.
A5 Rail
This educational app utilizes augmented reality to provide a self-directed learning experience. It also offers remote collaboration tools, allowing users to work together on educational projects.
- Self-directed learning
- Remote collaboration
- Augmented reality education
- Demoing capabilities
- Cross-device support
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A5 Rail brings a self-directed education app with remote collaboration features, uses augmented reality for education purposes as well as demoing.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: A5 Rail at Free against BLExAR's $4.99. A5 Rail also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). BLExAR's advantage is ratings volume (14 vs 2). On ads, in-app purchases 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
A5 Rail is free to download; BLExAR costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
A5 Rail holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BLExAR has 14 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of BLExAR's written reviews are positive against 100% of A5 Rail's.
BLExAR ships an update every 3 months, A5 Rail every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BLExAR | A5 Rail |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (14 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 393 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Maker Portal LLC | CGS Canada Ltd. |
Customer experience
BLExAR
A5 Rail
In-app purchases
BLExAR
No in-app purchases
A5 Rail
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BLExAR free?
Is A5 Rail free?
Which has better reviews, BLExAR or A5 Rail?
Do BLExAR or A5 Rail have ads?
Which is updated more often, BLExAR or A5 Rail?
Other comparisons
