nRF Connect Device Manager vs BLE UART
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
nRF Connect Device Manager
This tool allows for the updating and management of devices running specific SDKs via Bluetooth LE. It supports features like firmware updates, file system access, and device reset.
- Firmware Update Over-The-Air (FOTA)
- File System Management
- Device Reset
- Logs & Stats
- Bluetooth LE Support
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nRF Connect Device Manager is a generic tool for updating and managing devices running nRF Connect SDK supporting Device Manager module over Bluetooth LE (aka Management Subsystem, Mcu Manager, Bare Metal, SMP Server, SUIT). Features: * Basic: Echo, Reset * Firmware Update Over-The-Air (FOTA, DFU) * File System * Logs & stats Links: Source code: https://github.com/NordicSemiconductor/IOS-nRF-Connect-Device-Manager * nRF Connect SDK: https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-tools/Software/nRF-Connect-SDK * SMP Server Sample Doc: https://developer.nordicsemi.com/nRF_Connect_SDK/doc/latest/zephyr/samples/subsys/mgmt/mcumgr/smp_svr/README.html#smp-svr-sample * McuManager: https://github.com/apache/mynewt-mcumgr * SMP over Bluetooth: https://github.com/apache/mynewt-mcumgr/blob/master/transport/smp-bluetooth.md
BLE UART
This tool facilitates iOS program development by connecting to low-power Bluetooth devices. It allows users to read data from serial devices via Bluetooth and send data to the serial port for debugging purposes.
- Connects to low-power Bluetooth devices
- Reads data from RXD serial port
- Sends data to TXD serial port
- Facilitates iOS program development
- Debugging tool for serial devices
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During iOS program development, you may need to read and write serial devices. This tool connects to low-power Bluetooth devices (BT24, etc.) through the low-power Bluetooth interface on iPhone and iPad, displays the data received by RXD, and sends TXD data to the serial port, thus achieving the goal of debugging the device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: nRF Connect Device Manager at 5.0 against BLE UART's 3.7. nRF Connect Device Manager also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 23 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
nRF Connect Device Manager holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively.
nRF Connect Device Manager ships an update every 3 weeks, BLE UART every 23 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | nRF Connect Device Manager | BLE UART |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 3.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 23 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | 韩 明洁 |
Customer experience
nRF Connect Device Manager
BLE UART
In-app purchases
nRF Connect Device Manager
No in-app purchases
BLE UART
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is nRF Connect Device Manager free?
Is BLE UART free?
Which has better reviews, nRF Connect Device Manager or BLE UART?
Do nRF Connect Device Manager or BLE UART have ads?
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect Device Manager or BLE UART?
Other comparisons
