# BLE Buddy vs MeshCoreScanner

The clearest difference is price: MeshCoreScanner at Free against BLE Buddy's $2.99. BLE Buddy's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

MeshCoreScanner is free to download; BLE Buddy costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

BLE Buddy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

BLE Buddy ships an update every 2 months, MeshCoreScanner monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BLE Buddy | MeshCoreScanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ble-buddy/id6757338331/reviews)** | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshcorescanner/id6761951768/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **2** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 1 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Richard Stokes](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684839871) | [Jaroslaw Karas](https://appshunter.io/developer/1873177164) |

## What reviewers say

### BLE Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ble-buddy/id6757338331)

Explore nearby Bluetooth Low Energy devices and view their metadata. This tool is designed for educational and development purposes, allowing you to inspect device states and communicate directly with compatible BLE devices.

**Highlights:** Discover nearby BLE devices, Display enumerable device metadata, View device state, Establish terminal connection, Communicate directly with BLE devices

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### MeshCoreScanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshcorescanner/id6761951768)

This app maps LoRa mesh network coverage in real-time by connecting to compatible BLE radio devices. It plots scan points and discovered repeaters on a map, cataloging signal quality and discovery history. Organize scans into sessions and export data for external analysis.

**Highlights:** Live coverage mapping on OpenStreetMap, Repeater database with discovery history, Coverage visualization per repeater, Organized scan sessions, Background scanning with GPS/BLE, GeoJSON data export, Fully offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BLE Buddy free?

BLE Buddy costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is MeshCoreScanner free?

MeshCoreScanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BLE Buddy or MeshCoreScanner?

BLE Buddy is rated higher. BLE Buddy averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while MeshCoreScanner averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do BLE Buddy or MeshCoreScanner have ads?

Neither BLE Buddy nor MeshCoreScanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BLE Buddy or MeshCoreScanner?

BLE Buddy ships an update every 2 months, and MeshCoreScanner monthly. Most recently, BLE Buddy was updated on October 9, 2026 and MeshCoreScanner on October 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*