Comparison

Bluefruit Playground vs Bluetooth Serial Connect

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

Head to head
About

Bluefruit Playground

This app wirelessly connects to specific hardware to control LEDs, display sensor data like light and temperature, and play sounds. It allows users to interact with electronic devices for fun and learning without coding.

Highlights
  • Control LED color and animation
  • View sensor data (light, temperature, accelerometer)
  • Monitor button and switch states
  • Play tones and music
  • Animate 3D puppets
  • View barometer and humidity data
Features
Read full description

Bluefruit Playground connects wirelessly to Adafruit's Bluefruit hardware to remotely display sensor data, control hardware & more. Connect the Bluefruit Playground app to a CLUE or Circuit Playground Bluefruit device and you can: • Control LED color & animation • View continuous light sensor readings • View state of built-in buttons & switch • Play tones & music • View orientation based on accelerometer data • View & graph temperature readings • Animate a 3D puppet in real time • View Barometer & Humidity data from CLUE – all without soldering or writing a single line of code!

About

Bluetooth Serial Connect

Control your Arduino projects with your phone. Design custom interfaces with buttons, joysticks, and displays to send and receive data via Bluetooth low-energy modules. An integrated library simplifies the connection process.

Highlights
  • Customizable control boards
  • Button and joystick inputs
  • Display integration
  • Bluetooth low-energy module support
  • Arduino library for easy integration
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a custom control panel for Arduino and BLE projects, without building a dedicated iOS app. Bluetooth Serial Connect lets you design a board, connect to an HM-10-style Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) UART module, and exchange commands and live readouts with your hardware. The companion Bluetooth Serial Connect Arduino library makes it straightforward to read controls and update displays, indicators, and gauges in your sketch. DESIGN YOUR BOARD Place, move, resize, and customize nine component types: • Buttons with momentary, latch, and repeat behavior • Joysticks, sliders, toggles, and D-pads • Text displays, labels, indicators, and gauges Assign channel numbers that stay fixed when you rearrange controls. Fine-tune colors, labels, value ranges, board appearance, and haptic feedback. Undo and redo changes, duplicate and lock controls, snap them to the grid, and adjust their front-to-back order. START WITH TEMPLATES AND EXAMPLES Explore seven editable board templates for RC cars, robotic arms, menu remotes, sensor hubs, smart-home relays, and more. Companion Arduino sketches and protocol examples help you connect the app to your code. Follow the interactive walkthrough or try a board with simulated data—no hardware required. Import, export, share, and duplicate boards as your projects grow. CONNECT AND TROUBLESHOOT Scan for nearby BLE devices, follow clear connection progress, remember frequently used modules for quick reconnecting, and configure service and characteristic UUIDs. Use the timestamped two-way console to inspect sent and received messages or send console text while you troubleshoot. Setup guides, wiring help, complete examples, and the wire protocol reference are available at bluetooth.henhen1227.com. Bluetooth Serial Connect is designed for HM-10-style BLE modules. Other BLE UART hardware may work when its service and characteristic UUIDs match the app settings. HC-05 and HC-06 Bluetooth Classic modules are not supported. A compatible BLE module is required for live hardware control. FREE OR PRO Start with one board free. Add more by watching rewarded ads, or unlock Bluetooth Serial Pro with a one-time in-app purchase for unlimited boards and no ads. The free version may also show occasional ads after edits. Existing boards remain available to use. No app account is required. Board files stay on your device unless you choose to share them.

Screenshots

Bluefruit Playground4 screens
Bluetooth Serial Connect4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bluefruit Playground at 100% against Bluetooth Serial Connect's 0%. Bluefruit Playground also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 10 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bluefruit Playground holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Bluefruit Playground's written reviews are positive against 0% of Bluetooth Serial Connect's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bluefruit Playground ships an update every 6 weeks, Bluetooth Serial Connect every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bluefruit Playground versus Bluetooth Serial Connect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBluefruit PlaygroundBluetooth Serial Connect
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings) — better3.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings47 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.2
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdafruit IndustriesHenry Abrahamsen

Customer experience

Bluefruit Playground

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bluetooth Serial Connect

All ratings7 ratings
Positive57.1%
Neutral28.6%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Bluefruit Playground

No in-app purchases

None

Bluetooth Serial Connect

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bluefruit Playground free?
Bluefruit Playground is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bluetooth Serial Connect free?
Bluetooth Serial Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bluefruit Playground or Bluetooth Serial Connect?
Bluefruit Playground is rated higher. Bluefruit Playground averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Bluetooth Serial Connect averages 3.7 from 7 ratings.
Do Bluefruit Playground or Bluetooth Serial Connect have ads?
Bluetooth Serial Connect shows ads; Bluefruit Playground does not.
Which is updated more often, Bluefruit Playground or Bluetooth Serial Connect?
Bluefruit Playground ships an update every 6 weeks, and Bluetooth Serial Connect every 10 months. Most recently, Bluefruit Playground was updated on October 4, 2026 and Bluetooth Serial Connect on September 29, 2026.

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