Comparison

STL Viewer vs BLE Scope

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

Head to head
About

STL Viewer

Features
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STL Viewer is a free, offline 3D model viewer for iPhone and iPad. It opens STL, 3MF, OBJ, PLY, OFF, 3DS, GLB and glTF files, measures them, estimates the print, shows them in AR at real size and converts them to STL. Your models never leave your device and no account is needed. AT A GLANCE • 8 file formats: STL, 3MF, OBJ, PLY, OFF, 3DS, GLB, glTF • Works fully offline, with no upload and no sign-up • Free: no subscription and no in-app purchase • No pop-up, timed or full-screen ads; at most one small banner • 17 languages, on iPhone and iPad VIEW IN AR AT REAL SIZE Place your model on a real desk or floor with AR Quick Look and see its true size before you print it. The camera is used only while AR is open. MEASURE AND ESTIMATE THE PRINT • Measure the distance between any two points, in millimetres • See dimensions, volume, surface area and triangle count • Print estimate: weight, filament length, print time and cost, by printer class, material (PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, Nylon), layer height, infill and walls • Cut through the model with a section view CONVERT AND EXPORT TO STL Turn an OBJ, 3MF, PLY, OFF, 3DS, GLB or glTF model into a binary STL in millimetres, ready for any slicer. Every triangle of the source is kept, even when the on-screen preview is simplified. INSPECT EVERY DETAIL • Orbit, pan, zoom and fit to screen • Shaded or wireframe, perspective or orthographic • Front, back, left, right, top and bottom views from the view cube • Change the colour and the surface look: plastic, glossy, wood, stone or carbon SHARE • A rotating 360° GIF • A 9:16 video for stories • An STL copy, only when you choose WORKING WITH 3MF 3MF is the format most modern slicers save. STL Viewer reads the geometry inside a 3MF so you can check a part before printing, with real-world units from the file. Modifier meshes and negative volumes are left out, so you see the part itself. A 3MF that holds only print data, such as G-code, says so instead of opening empty. LOCAL AND PRIVATE Models are processed on your device. STL Viewer does not send model files, filenames, paths, geometry or dimensions to any cloud service, advertising provider or analytics platform. WHAT IT DOES NOT DO STL Viewer is for viewing, measuring, sharing and STL export. It does not edit, repair, slice or print models. Textures, materials and animations are not loaded. Native CAD formats (STEP, IGES, SOLIDWORKS, Fusion) need to be exported to STL, OBJ or 3MF first. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS How do I open an STL file on iPhone or iPad? Tap Open file in STL Viewer, or choose STL Viewer from Open With or Share in the Files app. Is STL Viewer free? Yes. There is no subscription and no in-app purchase. At most one small banner appears after a model is ready. Does it work offline? Yes. Opening, measuring, AR and export all run on the device without an internet connection. Can I open a 3MF from Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer or Cura? Yes. The part's geometry opens with its real units; print settings and plates are not read. Can I see an STL in AR at real size? Yes. Tap the AR button to place the model in your room at its real size. How do I measure an STL on iPhone? Open the model, tap the ruler, then Measure distance, and tap two points on the model. Can it estimate filament and print time? Yes. Print estimate shows weight, filament length, time and cost from the part's volume and your printer class, material and settings. It is an estimate, not a slicer result. How do I convert OBJ, 3MF or GLB to STL on iPhone? Open the model, tap Export, then Share as STL. How do I open a GLB or glTF file on iPhone? Open it like any other model. glTF files must keep their buffers embedded; use GLB if yours has a separate .bin file. Are my files uploaded anywhere? No. Models stay on your device.

About

BLE Scope

Features
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BLE Scope is a lightweight utility for anyone working with Bluetooth Low Energy hardware — firmware developers, integrators, and hobbyists who need to see exactly what a device is broadcasting and talk to it directly. SCAN - Real-time scan of nearby BLE peripherals with continuous RSSI updates. - Per-device RSSI history chart with a moving-average line, so you can watch signal behaviour as you move around. - Signal-strength grouping and sorting that stays readable while scanning. INSPECT ADVERTISEMENTS - Connectable flag, Tx power level, and advertised service UUIDs with well-known names resolved. - Hex dump of manufacturer-specific and service data, with the company identifier decoded. GATT - Connect to a peripheral and discover its services, characteristics, and descriptors. - Read characteristic values, with decoders for well-known characteristics. - Subscribe to notifications and indications with a rolling value log. - Write values as hex or text, with or without response. FAVORITES - Mark the peripherals you care about; favorites are stored on device and persist across sessions. BLE Scope has no account, makes no network connections, shows no ads, and collects no data. Scanning and connections run only while the app is in the foreground.

Screenshots

STL Viewer4 screens
BLE Scope4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: BLE Scope at none against STL Viewer's shown. STL Viewer's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

STL Viewer ships an update every 5 days, BLE Scope every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
STL Viewer versus BLE Scope: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSTL ViewerBLE Scope
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlper Vuralbyungwoo koh

In-app purchases

None

STL Viewer

No in-app purchases

None

BLE Scope

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is STL Viewer free?
STL Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BLE Scope free?
BLE Scope is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do STL Viewer or BLE Scope have ads?
STL Viewer shows ads; BLE Scope does not.
Which is updated more often, STL Viewer or BLE Scope?
STL Viewer ships an update every 5 days, and BLE Scope every 4 days. Most recently, STL Viewer was updated on October 22, 2026 and BLE Scope on October 7, 2026.

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