# BLE UART vs SmartHear

The clearest difference is update cadence: SmartHear at every 2 months against BLE UART's every 23 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

BLE UART ships an update every 23 months, SmartHear every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and August 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BLE UART | SmartHear |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ble-uart/id1570770115/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3** | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 23 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 6 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [韩 明洁](https://appshunter.io/developer/399378149) | [上海合微智能科技有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/1121192106) |

## What reviewers say

### BLE UART

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ble-uart/id1570770115)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### SmartHear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smarthear/id1574424611)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BLE UART free?

BLE UART is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SmartHear free?

SmartHear is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do BLE UART or SmartHear have ads?

Neither BLE UART nor SmartHear shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BLE UART or SmartHear?

BLE UART ships an update every 23 months, and SmartHear every 2 months. Most recently, BLE UART was updated on September 7, 2026 and SmartHear on August 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*