Comparison

Periphery vs NearSight

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

Head to head
About

Periphery

Features
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Professional Bluetooth LE scanner and debugger for iOS. Periphery gives developers, engineers, and power users a complete toolkit for inspecting Bluetooth Low Energy devices. Scan nearby devices, read GATT services and characteristics, write values, and subscribe to notifications — all in one elegant app. FEATURES - Scan and discover nearby BLE devices in real time - Full GATT inspector: browse services, characteristics, and descriptors - Read, write, and subscribe to BLE characteristics - Automatic UUID identification for known devices - Device fingerprinting: identify chips from Nordic, ESP32, Xiaomi, Shelly - Export scan logs for documentation and debugging - Offline UUID database — no internet required - Dark interface optimized for hardware labs - Find lost Bluetooth devices, tags, and trackers by signal strength (RSSI) with a live proximity meter PRO FEATURES Unlock with Periphery Pro: - Unlimited scanning, with no session limit - Session logging: every read, write and notification saved - Unlimited saved sessions, exportable as plain text - No ads, ever BUILT FOR - iOS and embedded developers - IoT engineers and hobbyists - Hardware prototypers - QA engineers testing BLE products - Anyone debugging Bluetooth connectivity - Anyone hunting a lost Bluetooth tag, tracker, or pair of earbuds The cleanest BLE inspector on the App Store. COMMON QUESTIONS Does it work without an account or internet? Yes to both. Everything happens over Bluetooth on the device. What can it actually see? Any Bluetooth Low Energy device advertising nearby: name, address, RSSI, advertisement data, then the full GATT tree — services, characteristics, descriptors — with read, write and notify. Can it find my lost earbuds or a tracker? It can tell you whether they are advertising and how strong the signal is, which gets you warmer or colder as you walk. It cannot show a map or a direction: BLE gives signal strength, not bearing. Does it work with classic Bluetooth devices? No. iOS only exposes Bluetooth Low Energy to apps. Car kits and older audio devices that use classic Bluetooth are invisible to any app on the App Store. Why does the address change every few minutes? That is iOS, not the app. Apple rotates the identifier it shows you for privacy, so the same device can appear under different addresses. Does it work on iPad? Yes. Terms of Use: https://masaapps360.com/periphery/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://masaapps360.com/periphery/privacy/

About

NearSight

Discover the unseen world around you by decoding Bluetooth signals from nearby devices. Identify earbuds, trackers, and sensors, with optional AI insights for plain-language explanations. This app prioritizes privacy, working offline without ads or tracking.

Highlights
  • Real-time Bluetooth device scanning
  • Device identification (make, model, type)
  • Detection of unknown devices
  • Raw advertisement and signal strength inspection
  • Optional AI-powered insights
  • Offline functionality
  • Privacy-focused design
Features
Read full description

See the hidden world around you. NearSight listens for the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals that nearby devices are constantly broadcasting and decodes what they actually are. Earbuds, watches, fitness trackers, beacons, smart-home sensors, item trackers, and more turn from anonymous radio noise into a clear, readable list right on your iPhone. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Scan live. Watch nearby devices appear in real time, sorted by how close they are. • Know what's there. NearSight recognizes a growing catalog of device types and shows make, model, and what each signal means, not just a cryptic address. • Notice the unexpected. Surface unknown or unfamiliar devices around you and decide for yourself what belongs. • Go deeper. Open any device to inspect its raw advertisement, signal strength, and parsed technical details. OPTIONAL AI INSIGHTS Turn on AI to get plain-language explanations of what NearSight is seeing. Bring your own Anthropic or OpenAI API key, or run a compact model entirely on your device. Your choice. AI is completely optional and stays off until you enable it. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Scanning happens on your iPhone. NearSight works fully offline and shows what it sees to no one but you. AI insights and anonymous telemetry are strictly opt-in and off by default. Nothing leaves your device unless you turn it on. No ads, no third-party tracking, no account required. WHAT NEARSIGHT CAN (AND CAN'T) SEE NearSight decodes the Bluetooth signals that devices broadcast but it can't see everything: • Not every device is recognized. New or niche hardware may show up as Unknown until we've researched it and added support. • Some devices are intentionally excluded. We don't surface certain safety-sensitive devices (for example personal panic buttons), because revealing someone's private safety equipment could put them at risk. However, AI Insights may identify such devices. • It only sees Bluetooth. Devices that are powered off, not currently broadcasting, or that use other radios (Wi-Fi-only cameras, wired, or cellular devices) are invisible to NearSight. NearSight is a Bluetooth explorer, not a safety or security device, bug sweeper, or hidden-camera detector. It cannot guarantee it will find every tracker, camera, or listening device near you, and not seeing something here does not mean it isn't there. If you have a real safety concern, use dedicated tools and contact local authorities. Questions, or a device you'd like us to identify? Email hello@nearsight.one.

Screenshots

Periphery4 screens
NearSight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NearSight at none against Periphery's 4. NearSight also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. Periphery sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. NearSight asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Periphery ships an update every 3 weeks, NearSight fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Periphery versus NearSight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPeripheryNearSight
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGrima HdezBenjamin Smith

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Periphery

Subscriptions3
  • Periphery Pro Weekly$6.997 Days
  • Periphery Pro Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Periphery Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Periphery Pro Lifetime$79.99
None

NearSight

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Periphery free?
Periphery is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NearSight free?
NearSight is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Periphery or NearSight have ads?
Periphery shows ads; NearSight does not.
Which is updated more often, Periphery or NearSight?
Periphery ships an update every 3 weeks, and NearSight fortnightly. Most recently, Periphery was updated on October 7, 2026 and NearSight on October 10, 2026.

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