BLE UART vs nRF Device Firmware Update
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
nRF Device Firmware Update
This application enables Over-The-Air Device Firmware Upgrade (OTA-DFU) for nRF5 devices using Bluetooth LE. It supports updating firmware in .zip format, prepared with the 'nrf util' tool.
- Over-The-Air Device Firmware Upgrade (OTA-DFU)
- Bluetooth LE connectivity
- Supports nRF5x Series chips
- Updates Secure or Legacy DFU bootloaders
- Requires .zip firmware format
- Uses 'nrf util' for firmware preparation
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The nRF5x Series chips are flash-based SoCs, and as such they represent the most flexible solution available. A key feature of the nRF5x Series and their associated software architecture and S-Series SoftDevices is the possibility for Over-The-Air Device Firmware Upgrade (OTA-DFU) over Bluetooth LE. The DFU application allows to update nRF5 devices using Secure or Legacy DFU bootloader from nRF5 SDK version 4.3 or newer. The firmware should be in .zip file format, prepared using "nrf util" (https://github.com/NordicSemiconductor/pc-nrfutil).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BLE UART at 3.7 against nRF Device Firmware Update's 2.2. BLE UART also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). nRF Device Firmware Update's advantage is update cadence (every 9 months vs every 23 months) and chart position (#113 vs unranked). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BLE UART holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 9 respectively.
BLE UART ships an update every 23 months, nRF Device Firmware Update every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BLE UART | nRF Device Firmware Update |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) — better | 2.2 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 20.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 9 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 23 months | Every 9 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #113 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 韩 明洁 | Nordic Semiconductor ASA |
Customer experience
BLE UART
nRF Device Firmware Update
In-app purchases
BLE UART
No in-app purchases
nRF Device Firmware Update
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BLE UART free?
Is nRF Device Firmware Update free?
Which has better reviews, BLE UART or nRF Device Firmware Update?
Do BLE UART or nRF Device Firmware Update have ads?
Which is updated more often, BLE UART or nRF Device Firmware Update?
Other comparisons
