# Sphero Play vs acubemy

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sphero Play | acubemy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (37K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sphero-play/id1280682522/reviews)** | [4.8 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acubemy/id6760343507/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **37K** | 29 |
| Positive reviews | 69.1% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 193 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Sphero, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/468699622) | [Tan Grumser](https://appshunter.io/developer/1448102125) |

## 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


### acubemy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acubemy/id6760343507)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Supporter (Monthly) | $14.99 | per month |
| Premium (Yearly) | $49.99 | per year |
| Supporter (Yearly) | $149.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sphero Play free?

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

### Is acubemy free?

acubemy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

Sphero Play is rated higher. Sphero Play averages 4.8 out of 5 from 37K ratings, while acubemy averages 4.8 from 29 ratings.

### Do Sphero Play or acubemy have ads?

Neither Sphero Play nor acubemy shows ads.

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

Sphero Play ships an update every 2 months, and acubemy every 10 days. Most recently, Sphero Play was updated on October 29, 2026 and acubemy on October 28, 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.*