Sphero Play vs Legacy Bot Controller
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.
Legacy Bot Controller
Control your R2-D2 droid with intuitive joystick or tilt controls. Program custom routes, activate patrol mode for autonomous movement, and trigger classic sounds and animations. Easily pair via Bluetooth for interactive fun.
- Joystick and tilt control
- Route mapping with auto-follow
- Patrol mode with autonomous movement
- Straight-line follow mode
- Classic sounds and animations
- Easy Bluetooth pairing
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Bring your legacy robots back to life! Compatible With: * R2-D2 * R2-Q5 * BB-8 * BB-E9 * Ultimate Lighting McQueen Drive your robot with a joystick or tilt controls, talk to it using AI-powered conversations, control it with your voice, trigger sounds and animations, go on patrol, or draw a custom route for it to follow. Features: - Joystick and tilt control - AI-powered conversations - AI Voice control - Animation Lab for creating custom robot animations - Head rotation control - Volume control - Route mapping with auto-follow - Patrol mode with autonomous movement - Straight-line follow mode - Classic sounds and animations - Easy Bluetooth pairing Create custom animations, give your robot more personality with AI, and enjoy more ways to interact with your favorite legacy droids. This app is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any robot manufacturer or brand. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://legacybotcontroller.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sphero Play at none against Legacy Bot Controller's 9. Sphero Play also leads on ratings volume (37K vs 35) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Legacy Bot Controller's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Legacy Bot Controller sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Sphero Play asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sphero Play holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sphero Play has 37K ratings behind it against 35, 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 50% of Legacy Bot Controller's.
Sphero Play ships an update every 2 months, Legacy Bot Controller every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sphero Play | Legacy Bot Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (37K ratings) — better | 4.5 (35 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 37K — better | 35 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| 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 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 193 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sphero, Inc. | Gerardo Bilbatua |
Customer experience
Sphero Play
Legacy Bot Controller
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
Legacy Bot Controller
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sphero Play
No in-app purchases
Legacy Bot Controller
- Premium Monthly$2.991 Month
- Premium Yearly$9.991 Year
- Premium Yearly$19.991 Year
- rq5 lifetime$19.99
- bb8 lifetime$19.99
- bb9 lifetime$19.99
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- r2 lifetime$19.99
- Premium Lifetime$19.99
- robots package deal lifetime$59.99
Questions
Is Sphero Play free?
Is Legacy Bot Controller free?
Which has better reviews, Sphero Play or Legacy Bot Controller?
Do Sphero Play or Legacy Bot Controller have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sphero Play or Legacy Bot Controller?
Other comparisons
