nRF Toolbox vs Bluefruit Connect
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
Read full descriptionHide 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
Bluefruit Connect
Wirelessly connect your iOS device to Adafruit Bluefruit LE modules. Control projects, send sensor data, and communicate via UART or CircuitPython. Features include a control pad, NeoPixel control, and a serial plotter.
- Wireless sensor and GPS data transmission
- Control Pad for project direction
- Arduino pin input/output control
- UART and CircuitPython message monitoring
- Interactive NeoPixel color picker
- Bluetooth LE peripheral scanning
- Serial data plotting
Read full descriptionHide full description
Wirelessly connect your iOS device to Adafruit Bluefruit LE modules for control & communication with your projects. Features: • Send iOS sensor & GPS data wirelessly over Bluetooth LE (Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life) • Control Pad for simple directional control of your projects • Control Arduino Digital, Analog, & PWM pin input & output • Send & receive messages via UART monitor in Hex or ASCII format • Send & receive messages via CircuitPython REPL • Control NeoPixels individually with an interactive color picker • Scan & list nearby Bluetooth LE peripherals with RSSI and Advertisement data • Connect & List peripheral Services & Characteristics in Info mode • Serial Plotter to plot numeric data graphically • Multiple simultaneous connections (UART and Serial Plotter only) • Send Images via UART • Update your Bluefruit device to the latest firmware version from within the app • Use Apple Watch to control Bluefruit with Color Picker & Control Pad Learn more about Adafruit Bluefruit LE at: http://www.adafruit.com/bluefruitle
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bluefruit Connect at 69% against nRF Toolbox's 22%. Bluefruit Connect also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.6) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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.
Bluefruit Connect holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 19 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of nRF Toolbox's written reviews are positive against 69% of Bluefruit Connect's.
nRF Toolbox ships an update every 5 weeks, Bluefruit Connect every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | nRF Toolbox | Bluefruit Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (8 ratings) | 4.3 (19 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 22.2% of reviews | 69.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 19 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | Adafruit Industries |
Customer experience
nRF Toolbox
Bluefruit Connect
In-app purchases
nRF Toolbox
No in-app purchases
Bluefruit Connect
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is nRF Toolbox free?
Is Bluefruit Connect free?
Which has better reviews, nRF Toolbox or Bluefruit Connect?
Do nRF Toolbox or Bluefruit Connect have ads?
Which is updated more often, nRF Toolbox or Bluefruit Connect?
Other comparisons
