Comparison

nRF Programmer for Thingy vs IoT sensors

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

Head to head
About

nRF Programmer for Thingy

Features
Read full description

The nRF Programmer allows users to upload precompiled firmware samples from the nRF Connect SDK to your Nordic Thingy:53 over Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE), without connecting to a PC or external programmer. This allows you to easily test out different applications and update firmware without the need of having physical access to the device. Read more about Thingy:53 at https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-hardware/Nordic-Thingy-53

About

IoT sensors

Features
Read full description

IoT sensors is a development app for visualisation of sensor data sent as JSON over BLE, TCP or UART. The sensor type is detected automatically, showing appropriate UI elements. Sensors can be shared with other clients by enabling bridge mode. – Thingy:91 temperature, pressure, humidity, air resistance, ambient light, accelerometer, impact, LED control – compass with 3D calibration, gravity, gyroscope, battery state of charge – JSON format for sensor data – connectivity: BLE, TCP, UART – bridge TCP to BLE or UART requires g_relay, gncom or compatible server, and allows multiple clients to share a single sensor – compatible with sensor samples from nano RTOS – new sensors can be added on demand

Screenshots

nRF Programmer for Thingy3 screens
IoT sensors4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: IoT sensors at monthly against nRF Programmer for Thingy's every 8 months. IoT sensors also leads on device support (4 vs 2). nRF Programmer for Thingy's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

nRF Programmer for Thingy ships an update every 8 months, IoT sensors monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
nRF Programmer for Thingy versus IoT sensors: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF Programmer for ThingyIoT sensors
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB1 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASAGeorgi Valkov

In-app purchases

None

nRF Programmer for Thingy

No in-app purchases

None

IoT sensors

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is nRF Programmer for Thingy free?
nRF Programmer for Thingy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is IoT sensors free?
IoT sensors is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do nRF Programmer for Thingy or IoT sensors have ads?
Neither nRF Programmer for Thingy nor IoT sensors shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Programmer for Thingy or IoT sensors?
nRF Programmer for Thingy ships an update every 8 months, and IoT sensors monthly. Most recently, nRF Programmer for Thingy was updated on October 20, 2026 and IoT sensors on October 27, 2026.

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