Comparison

LightBlue® vs Uni Controller

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Uni Controller

Features
Read full description

Uni Controller - Bluetooth RC Controller 'Uni Controller' is a smartphone Bluetooth controller app optimized for microcontrollers like Arduino and Raspberry Pi, as well as DIY RC devices. With the ability to customize data packets and freely set joystick ranges, it offers flexible and powerful control for any project environment. # Key Features 1. Intuitive Joystick & Custom Buttons Various Button Modes: Each of the 6 buttons can be individually set to Toggle or Push mode to fit your project's specific needs. Joystick Axis Settings: Achieve precise control by setting custom integer ranges for the joystick's X and Y axes. 2. Powerful Data Packet Settings Customizable Protocols: Customize and send data packets exactly how you want within the designated protocol rules. Checksum Support: Supports both SUM and XOR checksum types to enhance the integrity and stability of data communication. Transmission Interval Control: Fine-tune the data transmission interval delay from 10ms up to 500ms to match your device's connection status. 3. Stable Bluetooth Connection Quickly and easily scan for and connect to nearby Bluetooth devices. Supports custom UUID settings to ensure compatibility with a wide variety of Bluetooth modules. 4. Convenience Features for Developers Debug Mode: View real-time Bluetooth connection status and data packet transmission logs at a glance, making project debugging and testing much easier. 5. Pro Mode Unlock Benefits Upgrade to Pro Mode within the app to unlock these exclusive features! Ad-Free Experience: Enjoy a clean, spacious control environment without any intrusive ads. Smart Auto-Connect: No need to scan every time you launch the app—it will instantly and automatically reconnect to your last paired device. Download 'Uni Controller' today and take perfect control of your amazing RC projects!

Screenshots

LightBlue®4 screens
Uni Controller4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LightBlue® at none against Uni Controller's 1. Uni Controller's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Uni Controller sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. LightBlue® asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
LightBlue® versus Uni Controller: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightBlue®Uni Controller
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (942 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings942 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.413.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPunch ThroughJunHyeok Kim

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

Uni Controller

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

LightBlue®

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Uni Controller

One-time1
  • Unlock Pro$2.99

Questions

Is LightBlue® free?
LightBlue® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Uni Controller free?
Uni Controller is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do LightBlue® or Uni Controller have ads?
Neither LightBlue® nor Uni Controller shows ads.

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