AirBeacon vs Beaconator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
Beaconator
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
| Parameter | AirBeacon | Beaconator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | ā |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks ā better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | ā |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 ā better | 17.2 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PerCon Corporation | pushplay.net |
In-app purchases
AirBeacon
No in-app purchases
Beaconator
No in-app purchases









