# Sphero Play vs XT

The clearest difference is rating: Sphero Play at 4.8 against XT's 3.5. Sphero Play also leads on ratings volume (37K vs 6). XT's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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.

Sphero Play holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sphero Play has 37K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Sphero Play ships an update every 2 months, XT monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sphero Play | XT |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (37K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sphero-play/id1280682522/reviews)** | [3.5 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xt-1-ar/id1462496454/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **37K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 69.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 193 MB | 97 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sphero, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/468699622) | [Shenzhen Joyhonest Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1472724044) |

## What reviewers say

### Sphero Play

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sphero-play/id1280682522)

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.

**Highlights:** Multiple drive modes (joystick, tilt, voice), Robot-controlled games, Block Drive programming, Sports-themed drive modes, Voice control

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun and engaging app
- 👍 Great controls and customization
- 🎮 Enjoyable games and activities
- 💡 Compatibility with multiple Sphero products

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional connectivity issues
- 🔧 Limited features compared to older apps
- 🔋 Concerns about battery life and durability

**Reported bugs**

- Joystick controls not working as expected
- Alignment issues causing unexpected movement

**Requested features**

- 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


### XT

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xt-1-ar/id1462496454)

Control a four-axis aircraft with your iPhone. View real-time camera feeds, capture photos and videos, and use voice commands for flight operations like take-off and landing.

**Highlights:** Aircraft flight control, Real-time camera feed viewing, Photo and video capture, Speech control for flight, iPhone connectivity

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sphero Play free?

Sphero Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is XT free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Sphero Play or XT?

Sphero Play is rated higher. Sphero Play averages 4.8 out of 5 from 37K ratings, while XT averages 3.5 from 6 ratings.

### Do Sphero Play or XT have ads?

Neither Sphero Play nor XT shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sphero Play or XT?

Sphero Play ships an update every 2 months, and XT monthly. Most recently, Sphero Play was updated on October 31, 2026 and XT on October 24, 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.*