LightBlue® vs Device Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LightBlue®
This app allows users to interact with Bluetooth Low Energy devices. It supports scanning for, connecting to, and analyzing BLE peripherals, as well as simulating your own BLE devices. It's a comprehensive tool for developers and enthusiasts working with BLE technology.
- Scan and discover BLE peripherals
- Connect and view device profiles
- Read and write characteristics
- Subscribe to notifications
- Create and advertise virtual BLE devices
- Clone peripheral profiles
- Log and share BLE events
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LightBlue® by Punch Through® Your ultimate BLE debugging and development toolkit. Trusted by BLE developers and engineers since 2012 to scan, inspect, and troubleshoot Bluetooth Low Energy devices with precision. Scan For Peripherals Discover, connect, and interact with nearby BLE devices. Quickly view advertising peripherals, sort by signal strength (RSSI), and connect with a single tap. Once connected, explore the device's advertisement data, services, and characteristics. Isolate SDK Issues Simplify debugging by pinpointing issues in your BLE SDKs. LightBlue lets you isolate your app's business logic and focus on core tasks like connecting, scanning, reading, writing, and receiving notifications, built on years of BLE development experience and platform best practices. Mimic Your Devices Prototype your application by creating virtual BLE peripherals. Build a profile from scratch or clone an advertising peripheral to mimic your product's functionality, even before your own firmware is ready. Key features: - Scan and discover BLE peripherals nearby - Browse services and characteristics in detail - Read, write, and subscribe to notifications and indications - Send data from notifications to AWS IoT or Adafruit IO via Cloud Connect - Write to characteristics in Hex, Octal, Binary, Decimal, or ASCII - Clone peripheral profiles or build your own from scratch - Advertise as a custom peripheral to simulate your device - Thoroughly log and share BLE events - Available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Android LightBlue started in 2012 as an internal tool. Punch Through built it to test and debug BLE devices while working on client projects. It worked well, so we shared it with the community. We've kept it free ever since. Today, LightBlue is used by solo developers and engineering teams alike, including inside some of the world's most respected tech and device companies.
Device Tracker
Easily locate lost Bluetooth devices like headphones and watches. Features include a real-time device radar, a distance meter, and proximity alerts to guide you directly to your missing item. Keep track of your gadgets and stay connected.
- Device Radar
- Distance Meter
- Proximity Alerts
- Live Map Location
- Broad Compatibility
- Favorite Devices
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With Device Tracker, locating your lost Bluetooth devices is quick and effortless. In just a few taps, you can find your wireless headphones, watch, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device. Our advanced algorithms keep continuous track of your devices, so you’ll always stay connected and never lose them again! KEY FEATURES • Device Radar: Instantly view all nearby devices in real-time. • Distance Meter: Measure your proximity to a device on a 100-point scale, guiding you directly to your lost item. • Broad Compatibility: Works with a wide range of Bluetooth devices, including wireless earphones, portable speakers, fitness trackers, and more. • Live Map Location: Access precise, live location updates to easily pinpoint your lost device. • Alerts on Proximity: Receive sound and vibration alerts when your device is nearby. • Favorite Devices: Pin your most-used devices to the top for faster access and improved tracking efficiency. HOW IT WORKS • Open Device Tracker to start scanning. • The app will automatically detect nearby Bluetooth devices. • Walk around and observe the distance score to locate your device. • When you’re close, Device Tracker will alert you with a sound, letting you know your device is within reach. • Success! You’ve found your lost device. END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT (EULA) Read our full end-user license agreement here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION Choose from the following auto-renewable subscription options: • $4.99 per week • $19.99 per year Subscriptions renew automatically unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions and disable auto-renewal anytime in Account Settings. Please note, any unused portion of a free trial (if offered) is forfeited once a subscription is purchased. CONNECT WITH US Questions or feedback? We’d love to hear from you! Visit our website at https://devicetracker.app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: LightBlue® at 66% against Device Tracker's 25%. LightBlue® also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 9). Device Tracker's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (37K vs 942). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Device Tracker sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. LightBlue® asks for nothing beyond the download.
Device Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Device Tracker has 37K ratings behind it against 942, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of LightBlue®'s written reviews are positive against 25% of Device Tracker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
LightBlue® ships an update every 3 weeks, Device Tracker every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LightBlue® | Device Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (942 ratings) | 4.7 (37K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.1% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 942 | 37K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Punch Through | Find My Device LLC |
Customer experience
LightBlue®
Device Tracker
User reviews
LightBlue®
From 942 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Found lost devices
- 🔍 Helpful for locating Bluetooth devices
- 👍 Works great
- 👍 Lifesaver
- 👍 Fantastic app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Doesn't work with dead devices
- 🐛 Unreliable connection
- 🐛 Confusing to use
- 🐛 Doesn't work with all devices
Device Tracker
From 37K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Helpful in finding lost devices
- 👍 Accurate location tracking
- 🔒 Provides security features
Room to improve
- 💰 Subscription required for full functionality
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance
- 🔍 Limited free version capabilities
Bugs and requests
LightBlue®
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes after updates
- Fails to connect Apple Pencil
- Doesn't detect all nearby devices
Requested features
3 requests- Ability to manually name devices
- More precise location tracking
- Integration with Siri/Shortcuts
Device Tracker
Reported bugs
3 issues- Devices not detected despite being nearby
- Subscription issues and inability to cancel
- Misleading app description
Requested features
3 requests- Option to track individual devices without subscription
- Improved accuracy and range for device detection
- Ability to track devices even when in case
In-app purchases
LightBlue®
No in-app purchases
Device Tracker
- Weekly Subscription$3.997 Days
- Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
- Weekly Subscription with Trial3 Days trial$4.997 Days
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- Weekly Subscription$6.997 Days
- Weekly Subscription with Trial3 Days trial$6.997 Days
- Monthly Subscription$9.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription$19.991 Year
- Lifetime Purchase$29.99
- Lifetime Purchase$39.99
Questions
Is LightBlue® free?
Is Device Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, LightBlue® or Device Tracker?
Do LightBlue® or Device Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, LightBlue® or Device Tracker?
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