Sphero Play vs acubemy
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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.
acubemy
This app connects to your Bluetooth smart cube to analyze every solve, providing detailed breakdowns of your performance. It offers WCA-compliant scrambles, stats tracking, algorithm training, and competitive modes like PvP and tournaments.
- Bluetooth smart cube connectivity
- Full solve reconstruction and analysis
- WCA-compliant scrambles with countdown
- Detailed stats and insights
- Algorithm trainer with spaced repetition
- Real-time PvP races
- Online tournaments with prizes
Read full descriptionHide full description
Set your target time. acubemy tells you exactly what's holding you back. Connect your Bluetooth smart cube and get a full solve reconstruction after every attempt, based on 25M+ analyzed solves. acubemy breaks down every step with split times and separates recognition from execution so you know precisely where your seconds are going. Free to use. No ads. ------------ CONNECT YOUR CUBE Works with all Bluetooth smart cubes including GAN, MoYu, QiYi, GoCube and Giiker. Just connect and start solving. CUBE TIMER WCA-compliant random-state scrambles with inspection countdown. Every solve is saved with full move data for replay and analysis. STATS & INSIGHTS Track averages, personal bests, TPS and move counts over time. See which steps and algorithm cases cost you the most time and target them directly. ALGORITHM TRAINER Spaced repetition schedules reviews when you need them. Covers CFOP, Roux and ZZ. Jump from any case straight into targeted practice. PVP Race head-to-head against other cubers on the same scramble in real-time. TOURNAMENTS Biweekly online tournaments with multiple elimination rounds, global rankings and prizes. DAILY SCRAMBLE One scramble per day, shared globally. See where you rank on the leaderboard. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sphero Play at none against acubemy's 4. Sphero Play also leads on ratings volume (37K vs 29). acubemy's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (80% vs 69%). On price, rating, 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. acubemy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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 4.8 for acubemy. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sphero Play has 37K ratings behind it against 29, 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 80% of acubemy's.
Sphero Play ships an update every 2 months, acubemy every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sphero Play | acubemy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (37K ratings) — better | 4.8 (29 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.1% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 37K — better | 29 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 10 days — 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 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 193 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Sphero, Inc. | Tan Grumser |
Customer experience
Sphero Play
acubemy
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
acubemy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sphero Play
No in-app purchases
acubemy
- Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Supporter (Monthly)7 Days trial$14.991 Month
- Premium (Yearly)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Supporter (Yearly)7 Days trial$149.991 Year
