BLE Buddy vs MeshCore Update
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BLE Buddy
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.
- Discover nearby BLE devices
- Display enumerable device metadata
- View device state
- Establish terminal connection
- Communicate directly with BLE devices
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Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) explorer. Discovers nearby bluetooth devices and displays any enumerable metadata. Designed for educational and development purposes. BLE Buddy is able to display device state and lets you browse the (often hidden) metadata published by common devices, such as location trackers, health and fitness devices, wireless headphones, and much more. For devices that support it, a terminal connection can be established to communicate directly with the BLE device.
MeshCore Update
This utility app facilitates firmware updates for compatible MeshCore repeater devices. It supports both Bluetooth DFU and Wi-Fi OTA update methods, allowing users to download firmware, manage local files, and initiate the update process.
- Bluetooth DFU updates
- Wi-Fi OTA updates
- Check official firmware releases
- Download firmware packages
- Local firmware file management
- Scan for compatible devices
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MeshCore Update is a hardware utility app for updating supported MeshCore repeater devices. The app supports two firmware update methods: • Bluetooth DFU for supported nRF52-based MeshCore devices • Wi-Fi OTA for supported ESP32-based MeshCore devices You can select a supported hardware target, check official MeshCore firmware releases, download matching firmware packages, keep firmware files locally on your iPhone, and start the update flow from one place. For Bluetooth DFU devices, the app scans for compatible OTA / DFU devices and uploads the selected firmware package over Bluetooth. For ESP32 devices, the app connects to the device’s MeshCore OTA Wi-Fi access point and uploads the selected firmware using the device’s local OTA update interface. No login or account is required. Full firmware update testing requires supported MeshCore hardware. Without hardware, you can still browse supported targets, check official releases, download firmware files, and manage the local firmware repository.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: MeshCore Update at Free against BLE Buddy's $2.99. MeshCore Update also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). BLE Buddy's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
MeshCore Update is free to download; BLE Buddy costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for BLE Buddy against 5.0 for MeshCore Update. 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, MeshCore Update every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BLE Buddy | MeshCore Update |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Richard Stokes | Aleksandrs Sergejevs |
Customer experience
BLE Buddy
MeshCore Update
In-app purchases
BLE Buddy
No in-app purchases
MeshCore Update
No in-app purchases
