nRF Toolbox vs TI SimpleLink™ Starter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
nRF Toolbox
This utility app connects to various Bluetooth Low Energy accessories. It demonstrates multiple BLE profiles, including health and fitness sensors, allowing users to monitor data from devices like heart rate monitors and glucose monitors.
- Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity
- Demonstrates BLE profiles
- Heart Rate Monitor support
- Glucose Monitor support
- Cycling Speed and Cadence
- Running Speed and Cadence
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nRF Toolbox works with a wide range of Bluetooth Low Energy accessories. It contains applications demonstrating BLE profiles: Cycling Speed and Cadence, Running Speed and Cadence, Heart Rate Monitor, Blood Pressure Monitor, Health Thermometer, Glucose Monitor, Continuous Glucose Monitor, Monitoring & Diagnostic and more. The source code of this application is available on GitHub: https://github.com/nordicsemi/iOS-nRF-Toolbox
TI SimpleLink™ Starter
Connects Simplelink™ Sensortags and Launchpads to your smartphone and the cloud via Bluetooth Low Energy and WiFi. Supports Over-the-Air upgrades and cloud connectivity through MQTT or dweet.io. Compatible with various development kits.
- Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity
- WiFi support
- Cloud connectivity (MQTT, dweet.io)
- Over-the-Air upgrades
- Supports multiple development kits
- Smartphone integration
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This app connects all your Simplelink(TM) Sensortags and Launchpads to your smartphone and the cloud with Bluetooth Low Energy and WiFi support. Includes support for Over-the-Air upgrades for all development platforms. Cloud connectivity is supported through MQTT to any cloudservice or with dweet.io. To learn more, see the web links to each development kit. The following development kits are currently supported: CC26xR LaunchPad CC1352R LauncPad CC2650 LaunchPad - www.ti.com/launchxl-cc2650 CC2650 SensorTag - www.ti.com/sensortag CC3200 SensorTag - www.ti.com/sensortag CC2650 Remote Control - www.ti.com/rc LPSTK
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: nRF Toolbox at 2.6 against TI SimpleLink™ Starter's 2.1. nRF Toolbox also leads on review sentiment (22% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). TI SimpleLink™ Starter's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
nRF Toolbox holds the better App Store score, 2.6 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of nRF Toolbox's written reviews are positive against 0% of TI SimpleLink™ Starter's.
nRF Toolbox ships an update every 5 weeks, TI SimpleLink™ Starter every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | nRF Toolbox | TI SimpleLink™ Starter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (8 ratings) — better | 2.1 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 22.2% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 291 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | Texas Instruments |
Customer experience
nRF Toolbox
TI SimpleLink™ Starter
In-app purchases
nRF Toolbox
No in-app purchases
TI SimpleLink™ Starter
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is nRF Toolbox free?
Is TI SimpleLink™ Starter free?
Which has better reviews, nRF Toolbox or TI SimpleLink™ Starter?
Do nRF Toolbox or TI SimpleLink™ Starter have ads?
Which is updated more often, nRF Toolbox or TI SimpleLink™ Starter?
Other comparisons
