IvyPal vs microbitBLE
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
IvyPal
Connect with native English speakers for one-on-one tutoring. Learn English language skills and gain real-life experiences from students attending top US universities.
- One-on-one English tutoring
- Native English speaker instructors
- Real-life US student experiences
- College preparation insights
- Language and cultural learning
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IvyPal is an one-on-one English tutoring program. IvyPal provides a platform for Chinese youth to learn not only language from native English speakers, but also real life experiences of US students who have diligently worked their way into first-class American colleges and universities.
microbitBLE
Connect your smartphone to a micro:bit device via Bluetooth. Send text from your keyboard to display on the micro:bit's LED, and receive messages sent from the micro:bit. Ideal for interactive coding projects and learning.
- Bluetooth UART connection
- Send text to micro:bit LED
- Receive messages from micro:bit
- Button press triggers messages
- Interactive coding projects
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It is an application that allows you to connect the micro:bit Bluetooth UART. When you hit the keyboard of your smartphone, characters will be displayed on the LED of the micro:bit. Displays the characters sent from the micro:bit. In the sample, when the A button is pressed, Hello is sent and displayed on the smartphone. Usage 1. program the micro:bit 2. The micro:bit start and wait for Bluetooth connection (in the sample, a square mark is displayed) 3. Press the "connect to micro:bit" button in the app 4. When the connection is complete, the square display in the middle (transmission character display) will turn black and a check mark will appear on the micro:bit. 5. Hit the keyboard and the character will be displayed on the micro:bit 6. When you press the A button on the micro:bit, "Hello" is displayed in the "received message" part of the app 7. Press the "disconnect from micro:bit" button to disconnect Bluetooth and display a cross mark on the micro:bit
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: IvyPal at 4.3 against microbitBLE's 2.0. IvyPal also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
IvyPal holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.
IvyPal ships an update fortnightly, microbitBLE every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and June 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | IvyPal | microbitBLE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) — better | 2.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 98 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Oneplus Smartware | Atsushi Yamada |
Customer experience
IvyPal
microbitBLE
In-app purchases
IvyPal
No in-app purchases
microbitBLE
No in-app purchases
