# nRF Beacons vs ST BLE Sensor

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | nRF Beacons | ST BLE Sensor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrf-beacons/id879614768/reviews)** | [2.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/st-ble-sensor/id993670214/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **10** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 3 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nordic Semiconductor ASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/497679114) | [STMicroelectronics](https://appshunter.io/developer/1801774735) |

## What reviewers say

### nRF Beacons

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrf-beacons/id879614768)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**In-app purchases:** none


### ST BLE Sensor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/st-ble-sensor/id993670214)

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.

**Highlights:** Access sensor data, Log data to cloud, Update board firmware, Explore demo functionalities, Bluetooth Low Energy communication, Motion-sensor data fusion

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is nRF Beacons free?

nRF Beacons is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ST BLE Sensor free?

ST BLE Sensor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, nRF Beacons or ST BLE Sensor?

nRF Beacons is rated higher. nRF Beacons averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while ST BLE Sensor averages 2.0 from 10 ratings.

### Do nRF Beacons or ST BLE Sensor have ads?

Neither nRF Beacons nor ST BLE Sensor shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, nRF Beacons or ST BLE Sensor?

nRF Beacons ships an update every 4 months, and ST BLE Sensor every 2 months. Most recently, nRF Beacons was updated on November 5, 2026 and ST BLE Sensor on November 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*