# Sphero Play vs Legacy Bot Controller

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 16) and review sentiment (69% vs 50%). Legacy Bot Controller's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Sphero Play against 4.7 for Legacy Bot Controller. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sphero Play has 37K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 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 October 16, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sphero Play | Legacy Bot Controller |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (37K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sphero-play/id1280682522/reviews)** | [4.7 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/legacy-bot-controller/id6749281917/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **37K** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | **69.0% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 193 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sphero, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/468699622) | [Gerardo Bilbatua](https://appshunter.io/developer/1829823805) |

## 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


### Legacy Bot Controller

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/legacy-bot-controller/id6749281917)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| rq5 lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |
| bb8 lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |
| bb9 lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |
| r2 lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |
| Premium Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |
| robots package deal lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sphero Play free?

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

### Is Legacy Bot Controller free?

Legacy Bot Controller is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Sphero Play or Legacy Bot Controller?

Sphero Play is rated higher. Sphero Play averages 4.8 out of 5 from 37K ratings, while Legacy Bot Controller averages 4.7 from 16 ratings.

### Do Sphero Play or Legacy Bot Controller have ads?

Neither Sphero Play nor Legacy Bot Controller shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sphero Play or Legacy Bot Controller?

Sphero Play ships an update every 2 months, and Legacy Bot Controller every 3 weeks. Most recently, Sphero Play was updated on October 16, 2026 and Legacy Bot Controller on October 6, 2026.

---

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