BLE Terminal vs BLESerial HM
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BLE Terminal
Connect, scan, and communicate with Bluetooth Low Energy devices. Discover nearby devices, view their properties, and interact using read, write, and notify functions. Supports pre-filled and hex commands for efficient interaction.
- Scan for nearby BLE devices
- View device properties and descriptions
- Connect to devices
- Read, write, and notify BLE characteristics
- Pre-filled command lists
- Hex and ASCII command support
Read full descriptionHide full description
BLE Terminal is a scanner and communicator between your iPhone, iPad or Mac and any Bluetooth Low Energy device. You can find all the devices nearby, see their properties and description, signal strength, all services and characteristics. It is also possible to connect to any device, watch detailed information and communicate with it using read, write and notify properties. For convenience, pre-filled commands are provided, the list of which can be expanded and edited. We also added support for Hex commands with a convenient keyboard. You can always switch between Hex and ASCII modes.
BLESerial HM
This utility app provides a direct serial terminal connection to HM-10 and CC2541 Bluetooth Low Energy modules. It allows real-time sending of commands and receiving of data without cables, featuring smart alerts for specific data patterns and full configurability for custom firmware.
- Connects to HM-10/CC2541 BLE modules
- Real-time command sending and data receiving
- Scans for nearby BLE devices
- Auto-reconnect functionality
- Configurable display formats (ASCII/hex)
- Smart alerts for data patterns
- Supports custom firmware UUIDs
Read full descriptionHide full description
The dedicated serial terminal for HM-10 and CC2541 Bluetooth Low Energy modules. BLE Serial HM-10 connects your iPhone or iPad directly to any HM-10 or compatible device and lets you send commands and receive data in real time — no cables, no adapters, no fuss. Built specifically for the HM-10 / CC2541 serial service (FFE0 / FFE1), it works out of the box with popular modules and custom BLE firmware alike. **CONNECT IN SECONDS** Scan for nearby HM-10 and CC2541 devices and see their name, advertised services, manufacturer data, and live signal strength at a glance. Tap to connect. Auto-reconnect brings you straight back to your device every time you open the app. **SERIAL CONSOLE** A smooth scrolling console displays all incoming and outgoing data, with sent text highlighted for easy reading. Adjust font size, line endings, and display format (ASCII or hex) to suit your workflow. **SMART ALERTS** Set text patterns to watch for in incoming data. When a match is found, the app notifies you immediately — ideal for monitoring autonomous devices or catching error conditions. **FULLY CONFIGURABLE** Supports both the HM-10 (FFE0/FFE1) and CC2541 service profiles. The service and characteristic UUIDs can be adjusted in Settings for custom firmware. Supports both standard and 128-bit UUIDs. **CLEAN AND FOCUSED** No ads. No subscriptions. No unnecessary permissions. Just a fast, reliable connection to your HM-10 hardware. **WANT MORE?** Check out BLE Serial Pro — it supports nRF52 in the same app, and shows a live console strip so you can see device responses without switching views. See examples here: https://ednieuw.nl/BLESerial/BLESerialUsage.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: BLESerial HM at 100% against BLE Terminal's 56%. BLESerial HM also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and price ($2.99 vs $9.99). BLE Terminal's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
BLE Terminal costs $9.99 and BLESerial HM $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BLESerial HM holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BLE Terminal has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of BLE Terminal's written reviews are positive against 100% of BLESerial HM's.
BLE Terminal ships an update every 2 weeks, BLESerial HM every 6 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | BLE Terminal | BLESerial HM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LANARS LLC | Ed Nieuwenhuys |
Customer experience
BLE Terminal
BLESerial HM
In-app purchases
BLE Terminal
No in-app purchases
BLESerial HM
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BLE Terminal free?
Is BLESerial HM free?
Which has better reviews, BLE Terminal or BLESerial HM?
Do BLE Terminal or BLESerial HM have ads?
Which is updated more often, BLE Terminal or BLESerial HM?
Other comparisons
