ST BLE Sensor vs MPLAB PTG
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
MPLAB PTG
This utility app enables remote programming of target devices using a connected PICkit 5 tool via Bluetooth. Users can select and initiate programming from multiple saved images on their iOS device.
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Remote programming initiation
- Multiple program image selection
- Saved image management
- iOS device integration
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The MPLAB® PICkit™ 5 Programmer-to-Go mobile app allows you to connect your iPhone or iPad to the PICkit 5 using Bluetooth. With your iOS device connected, you can select from multiple saved program images on the memory card installed in the tool, and remotely start programing the target from the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MPLAB PTG at 4.0 against ST BLE Sensor's 2.0. MPLAB PTG also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). ST BLE Sensor's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 19 months) and ratings volume (10 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
MPLAB PTG holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ST BLE Sensor has 10 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
ST BLE Sensor ships an update every 2 months, MPLAB PTG every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on June 19, 2026 and July 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ST BLE Sensor | MPLAB PTG |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (10 ratings) | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 19 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | STMicroelectronics International N.V. | Microchip Technology Inc. |
Customer experience
ST BLE Sensor
MPLAB PTG
In-app purchases
ST BLE Sensor
No in-app purchases
MPLAB PTG
No in-app purchases
