Sphero Play vs CubePaintAR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sphero Play
Control and play with various Sphero robots using a single application. Explore multiple drive modes, engage in robot-controlled games, and learn basic programming through a block-based interface.
- Multiple drive modes (joystick, tilt, voice)
- Robot-controlled games
- Block Drive programming
- Sports-themed drive modes
- Voice control
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Drive and play games from ONE app with your Sphero Mini, Sphero 2.0, SPRK, SPRK+, BOLT, and BOLT+. Connect and control your robots with several exciting drive modes, use your robot as a controller to play games, or try out Block Drive for an intro to programming with colorful blocks. Features include: DRIVE MODES Drive your robots several ways with the Sphero Play app. Use the joystick and slingshot controls, tilt your device, or use your voice. Our sports-themed drive modes keep things fun with the ability to swing your device to "golf"*, or flick to "kick" your robot. BLOCK DRIVE PROGRAMMING Learn programming basics by controlling your robot with colorful movement and light blocks. GAMES Use your robot as a controller to shoot your way through space, race your vehicle through a tunnel avoiding obstacles and scoring points, or rotate your ball to destroy a polygon of bricks. Need robots? We know a guy. Visit sphero.com and order today. *This mode is not available on iPads.
CubePaintAR
This augmented reality coloring book lets you bring 13 different animals to life in real space. Scan a special cube with your device, choose an animal, and paint it with your finger. The animated creatures can be recorded and shared.
- Color 13 different animals
- Augmented reality integration
- Animated animal models
- Adjustable brush size
- Record and share creations
- Requires Merge Cube
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PLEASE NOTE: This app requires a Merge Cube. To find out how to get a Merge Cube and to learn more, visit www.mergevr.com/cube CubePaintAR ist a Coloring Book for kids and adults. You can choose 13 different animals and color them in real space. 1 Select the animal you want to color. 2. Put the Merge Cube on the table or elsewhere. 3. Scan the Merge Cube with your smartphone camera until you can see an animal which you have previously chosen. 4. Choose the desired color with the color palette and start to paint with your finger. 5. You can also adjust the size of the brush for more detailed painting. 6. The animals are animated. Watch them in action if you want. 7. When you are ready, record your result and share your animal with other users on the Everyplay platform.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sphero Play at 69% against CubePaintAR's 10%. Sphero Play also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). CubePaintAR's advantage is iOS requirement (10.3 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. CubePaintAR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sphero Play asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sphero Play holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sphero Play has 37K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Sphero Play's written reviews are positive against 10% of CubePaintAR's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sphero Play | CubePaintAR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (37K ratings) — better | 2.1 (18 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.9% of reviews — better | 10.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 37K — better | 18 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 10.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 193 MB | 160 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sphero, Inc. | highlewelt GmbH |
Customer experience
Sphero Play
CubePaintAR
Bugs and requests
Sphero Play
Reported bugs
2 issues- Joystick controls not working as expected
- Alignment issues causing unexpected movement
Requested features
4 requests- More games and activities
- Support for additional Sphero products (e.g. Ollie, BB-8)
- Improved aiming and control precision
- Camera integration to see the Sphero's view
CubePaintAR
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sphero Play
No in-app purchases
CubePaintAR
- Animals$1.99
