Comparison

AirBeacon vs Beaconator

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

Head to head
About

AirBeacon

This app simulates a Bluetooth 4.0 / LE beacon on your iPhone or iPod touch. It allows for multiple beacon profiles with different UUIDs and major/minor values. It can also share beacon information with another device over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Highlights
  • Simulates Bluetooth 4.0 / LE beacon
  • Multiple beacon profiles
  • Custom UUIDs, major/minor values
  • Share beacon data over Wi-Fi
  • Share beacon data over Bluetooth
Features
Read full description

AirBeacon simulates a Bluetooth 4.0 / LE beacon using an iPhone or iPod touch. AirLocate allows multiple beacon profiles with different UUID's and major / minor values. In addition, when testing with an AirLocate device, AirBeacon can share beacon UUID's with AirLocate over a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless connection.

About

Beaconator

Features
Read full description

Beaconator is an all-in-one iBeacon broadcaster and detector for developers, testers, and educators. Whether you're building an indoor navigation app, testing proximity interactions, validating hardware, or learning about Bluetooth beacons, Beaconator makes iBeacon development simple. Configure a custom UUID, Major, and Minor, then instantly turn your iPhone into an iBeacon transmitter. On another device, detect nearby beacons, monitor signal strength, verify your configuration, and troubleshoot deployments without additional hardware. Features • Broadcast fully configurable iBeacon signals • Detect nearby iBeacons in real time • Adjustable UUID, Major, and Minor values • Generate random UUIDs for testing • Share beacon configurations with QR codes • Scan QR codes to configure another device instantly • View beacon proximity, RSSI, and estimated distance • Clean SwiftUI interface optimized for quick testing Perfect for • iOS developers • Bluetooth LE developers • Indoor positioning projects • Museum and exhibit installations • Retail and proximity marketing prototypes • Classroom demonstrations • QA and field testing • Hardware validation Typical Workflow 1. Configure a beacon on one device. 2. Display a QR code containing the beacon UUID. 3. Scan the QR code with a second device. 4. Begin ranging immediately to verify the broadcast. No typing. No extra hardware. No complicated setup. Beaconator was created by a developer who needed a simple way to test iBeacon-enabled applications in real-world environments. It has helped validate countless Bluetooth beacon deployments and continues to evolve with modern iOS and SwiftUI. All of the code is open-source and available at https://github.com/jeffreality/beaconator . Whether you're shipping a production app or experimenting with Core Location and Bluetooth LE, Beaconator gives you the tools you need to test quickly and confidently.

Screenshots

AirBeacon3 screens
Beaconator1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: AirBeacon at every 2 weeks against Beaconator's every 7 months. AirBeacon also leads on iOS requirement (7.0 vs 17.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AirBeacon ships an update every 2 weeks, Beaconator every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 6 level
AirBeacon versus Beaconator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAirBeaconBeaconator
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPerCon Corporationpushplay.net

In-app purchases

None

AirBeacon

No in-app purchases

None

Beaconator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AirBeacon free?
AirBeacon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Beaconator free?
Beaconator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AirBeacon or Beaconator have ads?
Neither AirBeacon nor Beaconator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AirBeacon or Beaconator?
AirBeacon ships an update every 2 weeks, and Beaconator every 7 months. Most recently, AirBeacon was updated on September 28, 2026 and Beaconator on October 3, 2026.

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