Comparison

nRF Toolbox vs Scanner Bluetooth

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity
  • Demonstrates BLE profiles
  • Heart Rate Monitor support
  • Glucose Monitor support
  • Cycling Speed and Cadence
  • Running Speed and Cadence
Read full description

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

About

Scanner Bluetooth

This utility helps locate and identify Bluetooth Low Energy devices, including beacons and smartwatches. It allows users to scan, filter, and search for devices by name or manufacturer, and provides RSSI data to estimate proximity. It's useful for both developers and individuals seeking lost Bluetooth gadgets.

Highlights
  • Scan BLE, iBeacon, and Eddystone devices
  • Filter devices by type
  • Search devices by name and manufacturer
  • Estimate proximity with RSSI
  • Generate iBeacon automatically
  • Advertise phone as iBeacon
  • Copy device details to clipboard
Features
Read full description

#1 Bluetooth Scanner for BLE devices, Beacons, iBeacon and Eddystones /*****************************************************************************/ Bluetooth Scanner was developed with the intention to help Bluetooth community, including developers willing to create Bluetooth products and Apps. Bluetooth Scanner is not only used by developers, but also users that need to find their lost bluetooth devices, like fitness trackers, smartwatches, beacons and other bluetooth devices. Bluetooth Scanner Main Features /********************************/ • Scan all nearby Bluetooth Low Energy, iBeacon and Eddystone devices • Filter devices by type (All, Beacons, Eddystones, iBeacons) • Search devices by name and manufacturer • Run, pause and stop the scanner as you like to keep battery safe • Showing name, manufacturer and last update time for every device • RSSI to find out how far your devices are. The lower the number, the closer you are to the source (i.e. -25 dB very near and -80 dB is far from your BLE devices) • Supporting all Eddystone types (UID, URI and TLM) • Automatic iBeacon generator (Proximity UUID, Major and Minor) • Advertise your phone as iBeacon • Find your BLE device in proximity using the RSSI bars • Copy BLE device details to clipboard when tapping rows • Find your lost Bluetooth or BLE device Follow us on: facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scannerbluetooth Comments, questions or suggestions? message us on facebook messenger: https://m.facebook.com/ScannerBluetooth

Screenshots

nRF Toolbox4 screens
Scanner Bluetooth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Scanner Bluetooth at 100% against nRF Toolbox's 22%. Scanner Bluetooth also leads on rating (3.0 vs 2.6). nRF Toolbox's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 84 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Scanner Bluetooth holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of nRF Toolbox's written reviews are positive against 100% of Scanner Bluetooth's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

nRF Toolbox ships an update every 5 weeks, Scanner Bluetooth every 84 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
nRF Toolbox versus Scanner Bluetooth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRF ToolboxScanner Bluetooth
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.6 (8 ratings)3.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 84 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNordic Semiconductor ASAInigo Mato

Customer experience

nRF Toolbox

All ratings8 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative62.5%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral16.7%
Negative61.1%

Scanner Bluetooth

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

nRF Toolbox

No in-app purchases

None

Scanner Bluetooth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is nRF Toolbox free?
nRF Toolbox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scanner Bluetooth free?
Scanner Bluetooth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, nRF Toolbox or Scanner Bluetooth?
Scanner Bluetooth is rated higher. nRF Toolbox averages 2.6 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Scanner Bluetooth averages 3.0 from 3 ratings.
Do nRF Toolbox or Scanner Bluetooth have ads?
Neither nRF Toolbox nor Scanner Bluetooth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, nRF Toolbox or Scanner Bluetooth?
nRF Toolbox ships an update every 5 weeks, and Scanner Bluetooth every 84 months. Most recently, nRF Toolbox was updated on October 6, 2026 and Scanner Bluetooth on October 5, 2026.

Other comparisons