Comparison

BLE Term vs Universal BLE

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

Head to head
About

BLE Term

Features
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BLE Term is a general-purpose Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) terminal emulator designed for anyone who needs simple, text-based communication with BLE devices. The app allows users to scan, connect, and communicate with any BLE device that provides UART-style characteristics, making it suitable for a wide range of use cases including prototyping, IoT development, hardware debugging, and education. BLE Term is not limited to any specific organization or product. It can be used by developers, students, hobbyists, and engineers with their own BLE-enabled devices. Key features: โ€ข Scan and connect to standard BLE devices โ€ข Send and receive text-based data โ€ข UART-style BLE communication โ€ข Real-time log display โ€ข No registration or account required BLE Term is a simple, lightweight, and universal tool for everyday BLE communication.

About

Universal BLE

Features
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Universal BLE is an open-source developer tool for exploring and testing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices. It empowers developers, engineers, and hobbyists to discover, connect, and debug BLE devices with a consistent cross-platform experience. Key Features Device Discovery Real-time scanning โ€” Discover nearby BLE devices with live results; scanning continues when you open a device's detail screen Flexible filters โ€” Filter by service UUIDs, name prefix, or manufacturer data (comma- or newline-separated) Saved filter presets โ€” Save, rename, and reuse filter combinations; filters persist across app sessions Search โ€” Search devices by name or by company name (resolved from manufacturer data via Bluetooth company identifiers) Sort options โ€” Sort the device list by RSSI, last seen, or name Company identification โ€” Show company name from manufacturer data using the Bluetooth SIG company identifier list RSSI and advertisements โ€” View signal strength (RSSI), last advertisement (name, RSSI, timestamp), and a list of received ads that flashes on new advertisements System devices โ€” On supported platforms, view and connect to devices already connected at the system level (with optional service filter) Connection Management Connect and disconnect โ€” Connect to and disconnect from BLE peripherals with one tap Auto-reconnect โ€” Optional auto-connect for reconnection when a device becomes available again Connection state โ€” Real-time connection state updates Multiple connections โ€” Support for multiple simultaneous device connections Service & Characteristic Exploration GATT discovery โ€” Discover all services and characteristics on connected devices with detailed, human-readable formatting Favorite services โ€” Mark services as favorites; they appear first in the list (system services last) Property filters โ€” Filter characteristics by property (read, write, notify, indicate, etc.) with visual filter chips Navigation โ€” Previous/next buttons to move between characteristics without collapsing the list Copy services โ€” Copy the full discovered GATT layout (e.g. for documentation or debugging) from the Services panel header Data Operations Read โ€” Read characteristic values on demand Write โ€” Write data to characteristics (with or without response) Subscribe โ€” Subscribe to notifications/indications per characteristic or "subscribe to all" for notifiable characteristics Live updates โ€” Incoming values are shown in the logs with timestamps; clear or copy the full log Pairing & Security Pair and unpair โ€” Initiate pairing and unpair devices when supported Pairing state โ€” Monitor pairing state changes in real time Advanced & Developer Options MTU โ€” Request a larger MTU (e.g. 247) for better throughput where supported Command queue โ€” Choose queue type in the drawer: Global (single queue), Per Device, or None (parallel) Configurable timeout โ€” Set operation timeout (e.g. 10 seconds) for all BLE operations Logs โ€” Operation log with copy-all and per-entry clear; comprehensive error handling with detailed codes UUID formats โ€” Accepts common UUID string formats (e.g. with or without hyphens) UI & Cross-Platform Responsive layout โ€” Adapts to mobile, tablet, and desktop (e.g. breakpoints at 600px and 1000px) Bluetooth status โ€” Bluetooth availability icon with tooltip (tap on mobile to see state) Permissions โ€” Guided permission flow where required (e.g. location for BLE on Android); re-checks on app resume Cross-platform โ€” Built with the universal_ble plugin for consistent behavior across supported platforms Perfect For Developers building BLE-enabled applications Engineers testing and debugging BLE devices Hobbyists exploring IoT and smart device capabilities Students learning about Bluetooth Low Energy technology QA teams validating BLE device functionality

Screenshots

BLE Term2 screens
Universal BLE4 screens

Verdict

The call

BLE Term and Universal BLE are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters โ€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

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

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
BLE Term versus Universal BLE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBLE TermUniversal BLE
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyโ€”Every 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size0 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroshi OhtaNavideck Labs OU

In-app purchases

None

BLE Term

No in-app purchases

None

Universal BLE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BLE Term free?
BLE Term is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Universal BLE free?
Universal BLE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BLE Term or Universal BLE have ads?
Neither BLE Term nor Universal BLE shows ads.

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