nRF Beacons vs ST BLE Sensor
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
nRF Beacons
This utility app demonstrates the capabilities of a Bluetooth beacon kit. It enables users to configure beacon settings and define actions triggered by proximity events. Supported actions include displaying content, opening web links, and playing alarms.
- Configure beacon UUID, Major, and Minor
- Set calibrated RSSI
- Define actions for proximity events
- Trigger web browser opening
- Play alarm sounds
- Monitor multiple beacons simultaneously
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The nRF Beacon application has been designed to demonstrate all the features of the nRF8122 Bluetooth® Smart Beacon Kit. It allows you to register actions that will be triggered when a specified event occurs and it also allows you to modify the content of a beacon including the beacon’s UUID, Major, Minor and calibrated RSSI. Currently the app supports the following actions: •Show an object (Mona Lisa painting) •Open a web browser •Play an alarm The app supports the following four events: •User enters the Beacon’s range. •User exits the Beacon’s range. •User is near to the Beacon. •User is at the Beacon. Note: •Supported on IOS 7.0 or later and iPhone 4S or later. •Supports simultaneous monitoring of multiple beacons. •Compatible with nRF51822 Bluetooth® Smart Beacon Kit. •You may find more information about nRF51822 Bluetooth® Smart Beacon Kit on our website: http://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Products/Bluetooth-R-low-energy/nRF51822-Bluetooth-Smart-Beacon-Kit . •The source code of the app nRF Beacon is available on http://www.nordicsemi.com and can be downloaded if you have purchased the nRF51822 Bluetooth® Smart Beacon Kit. Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
ST BLE Sensor
This app connects to ST development boards via Bluetooth Low Energy to access sensor data. You can log data to cloud providers, update board firmware, and explore various demo functionalities like environmental sensing and machine learning.
- Access sensor data
- Log data to cloud
- Update board firmware
- Explore demo functionalities
- Bluetooth Low Energy communication
- Motion-sensor data fusion
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The ST BLE Sensor application is used in conjunction with an ST development board and firmware compatible with the BlueST protocol to give you access to all the sensor data, which you can log to different cloud providers, and to update the board firmware directly from a mobile device via the Bluetooth® Low Energy protocol. After discovery ST development board, the app shows you a list of available demos and you can navigate through them to discover the functionalities of your board. Demos can be related about environmental, cloud, audio, board configuration, machine learning and and many other functionalities. The application is built on top of the BlueST SDK library implementing the BlueST protocol and helps you export the data easily via Bluetooth® Low Energy. The application also supports firmware library algorithms like motion-sensor data fusion, activity recognition and pedometer functionality. Both SDK and application source code are freely available at: https://github.com/STMicroelectronics
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: nRF Beacons at 3.5 against ST BLE Sensor's 2.0. nRF Beacons also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). ST BLE Sensor's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (10 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, 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 Beacons holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ST BLE Sensor has 10 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 0% and 0% positive.
nRF Beacons ships an update every 4 months, ST BLE Sensor every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | nRF Beacons | ST BLE Sensor |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (2 ratings) — better | 2.0 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | STMicroelectronics |
Customer experience
nRF Beacons
ST BLE Sensor
In-app purchases
nRF Beacons
No in-app purchases
ST BLE Sensor
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is nRF Beacons free?
Is ST BLE Sensor free?
Which has better reviews, nRF Beacons or ST BLE Sensor?
Do nRF Beacons or ST BLE Sensor have ads?
Which is updated more often, nRF Beacons or ST BLE Sensor?
Other comparisons
