Universal BLE vs TransparentBLE
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Universal BLE
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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
TransparentBLE
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TransparentBLE is a local-first Bluetooth Low Energy utility for discovering, inspecting, logging, and controlling BLE devices from iPhone or iPad. Use it to scan nearby BLE peripherals, connect to devices, inspect GATT services and characteristics, read values, write payloads, subscribe to notifications, and debug raw BLE traffic in console and terminal-style views. TransparentBLE also supports reusable BLE profile files. A profile can describe how a device should be matched, which services and characteristics it uses, how notification payloads should be parsed, and which controls should appear in the app. This lets makers, developers, and hardware owners create an iOS control surface for BLE devices without building a custom Swift app. Features: - BLE device scanning with configurable refresh intervals - GATT service and characteristic inspection - Read, write, and notify support - Console and terminal-style BLE debugging - RSSI tracking and RSSI history graph - JSONL diagnostic log recording - Log history with filtering, timeline view, export, and share support - Optional background recording for diagnostics - Live Activity and Dynamic Island status while recording - Import local .bleprofile.json files - Import profiles from supported TransparentBLE links - Profile-based controls including switches, sliders, RGB controls, and option pickers - Local-first design with no ads, analytics, tracking SDKs, or developer-operated cloud service TransparentBLE is useful for BLE debugging, hardware testing, IoT projects, ESP32 experiments, embedded devices, meters, sensors, chargers, and custom BLE hardware where you understand the device protocol. Safety note: BLE profiles and write commands can affect connected hardware. Only import profiles you understand and trust, and test control commands carefully.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Universal BLE at 13.0 against TransparentBLE's 26.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Universal BLE | TransparentBLE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | โ |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 โ better | 26.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Navideck Labs OU | Artur Pilavetz |
In-app purchases
Universal BLE
No in-app purchases
TransparentBLE
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Universal BLE free?
Is TransparentBLE free?
Do Universal BLE or TransparentBLE have ads?
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