Floatplane vs Mad Scientist Controls
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Floatplane
This platform allows users to support content creators directly, offering an ad-free and high-quality video viewing experience. The mobile app extends this premium content access to users on the go.
- Ad-free viewing
- High-quality video
- Support content creators
- Personal premium experience
- Mobile access
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Say hello to Floatplane! We believe in supporting both content creators and fans by providing a stable platform to grow on, with ad-free viewing and high-quality video for a personal, premium experience for all. Floatplane’s iPhone app lets you bring all this awesomeness with you wherever you go!
Mad Scientist Controls
Control your JAWS Rover robot via Bluetooth for exciting adventures. Explore and maneuver your robot with an easy-to-use interface. Requires the JAWS Rover device.
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Robot control
- Exploration
- Maneuvering
- Easy-to-use interface
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Take control of your JAWS Rover! This app lets you connect to your robot via Bluetooth and guide it on exciting adventures. Explore, maneuver, and have fun with this easy-to-use interface. This app requires the JAWS Rover device built with the Mad Scientist Labs (Session at CodeMash 2025)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Mad Scientist Controls at 5.0 against Floatplane's 4.1. Mad Scientist Controls also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). Floatplane's advantage is ratings volume (394 vs 4). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Mad Scientist Controls holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Floatplane has 394 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Floatplane ships an update every 3 weeks, Mad Scientist Controls every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Floatplane | Mad Scientist Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (394 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 394 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Floatplane Media Inc. | Gregory Shayko |
Customer experience
Floatplane
Mad Scientist Controls
Bugs and requests
Floatplane
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inconsistent video loading indicators
- Unreliable login/sign-up process
- Orientation issues on iPad
- Casting/mirroring problems
Requested features
5 requests- Picture-in-Picture mode
- Resume playback across devices
- Notification settings
- Offline video downloads
- Improved video scrubbing
Mad Scientist Controls
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Floatplane
No in-app purchases
Mad Scientist Controls
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Floatplane free?
Is Mad Scientist Controls free?
Which has better reviews, Floatplane or Mad Scientist Controls?
Do Floatplane or Mad Scientist Controls have ads?
Which is updated more often, Floatplane or Mad Scientist Controls?
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