Dabble vs VGamepad Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dabble
Control and communicate with hardware like Arduino and ESP32 using your smartphone's sensors and Bluetooth. This app transforms your phone into a virtual controller, offering modules for LED control, terminal commands, gamepad functionality, and access to phone sensors.
- LED Brightness Control
- Terminal for text and voice commands
- Gamepad control (analog, digital, accelerometer)
- Pin State Monitor
- Phone Sensor access (GPS, mic, accelerometer, etc.)
- Scratch & Arduino compatible projects
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Dabble is a versatile project interaction & Bluetooth controller app for Arduino, ESP32 & evive that replaces a wide variety of electronic components and exploits the inbuilt features and sensors of your Smartphone like the GPS, mic & accelerometer thus transforming into a virtual treasury of infinite shields & more. It lets you control & communicate with hardware via Bluetooth. It also provides you with dedicated projects compatible with Scratch & Arduino to help you learn by doing. What Dabble has in store: Currently Available Modules: • LED Brightness Control: Control brightness of LEDs and digital/analog pins. • Terminal: Send and receive textual and voice commands over Bluetooth. • Gamepad: Control devices/robot in analog (Joystick), digital, and accelerometer mode. • Pin State Monitor: Remotely monitor the live status of devices and debug them. • Phone Sensor: Access different sensors of your Smartphone such as the accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, magnetometer, light meter, sound meter, GPS, temperature sensor, and barometer to make projects and conduct experiments. Coming Soon: • Motor Control (Coming Soon): Control actuators such as the DC motor and servo motor. • Inputs (Coming Soon): Provide analog and digital inputs via buttons, knobs, and switches. • Camera (Coming Soon): Use the camera of your Smartphone for taking photos, record videos, colour picking, and face recognition (coming soon). • IoT (Coming Soon): Log data, publish it on cloud, and access data from API. • Oscilloscope (Coming Soon): Visualize and analyse the input and output signals given to the device using the oscilloscope module. • Music (Coming Soon): Receive commands from the device and play tones, songs, or other recorded audio files on your Smartphone. • Projects (Coming Soon): Make dedicated projects to experience different concepts of the real world first-hand like home automation, line-follower, and robotic arm. Boards Compatible with Dabble: • evive • Arduino Uno • Arduino Mega • Arduino Nano • ESP32 Bluetooth Modules Compatible with Dabble: • HM-10 BT 4.0 BLE (or AT-09) Want to know more about Dabble? Visit: https://thestempedia.com/product/dabble/ Module Documentation: https://thestempedia.com/docs/dabble/ Getting Started with Dabble: https://thestempedia.com/docs/dabble/getting-started-with-dabble/ Projects that you can make: https://thestempedia.com/product/dabble-app/ Permissions required for: Bluetooth: to provide connectivity. Microphone: to send voice commands and use the sound meter. Location: to use Location sensor and BLE.
VGamepad Lite
Transform your phone into a physical game controller for your PC. Enjoy customizable buttons, motion controls, and haptic feedback for an immersive gaming experience. Supports standard controller emulation and basic mouse/keyboard functions.
- Emulates standard controllers
- Motion control using phone sensors
- Customizable button layout
- Haptic feedback
- Game capture button
- AR Body Tracking (iPhone XS+)
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VGamepad gives you the full experience of a physical controller. Customizable buttons, haptic feedback, motion control, and more. Play on your PC using nothing but your phone. Features: - Emulates standard controllers (including Joy-Con). - Motion Control: steer, aim, and move using your phone’s sensors. - AR Body Tracking (iPhone XS or later): play certain games using body motion. - Customizable layout: move and resize buttons to fit your hands. - Game Capture button for quick recording. - Haptic feedback that makes every press feel physical. - Pressure-sensitive inputs with 3D Touch (supported devices). - Optional sound feedback for buttons. - Change joystick images from a large selection. - Basic mouse & keyboard support (W/A/S/D buttons on keyboard). Connectivity: Use the simple Windows/Mac companion app for Wi-Fi/LAN pairing, or use PCGameConsole to turn your PC into a full gaming console compatible with VGamepad. Full setup guide: https://github.com/PJSoftCo/VGamepad TERMS OF USE: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ PRIVACY POLICY: https://pjsoftco.com/vgamepadpp.html ONLINE SUPPORT: Please join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/ZcAuAJp8py
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Dabble at 3.9 against VGamepad Lite's 3.2. Dabble also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 40%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). VGamepad Lite's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). On price, ratings volume, 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. VGamepad Lite sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Dabble asks for nothing beyond the download.
Dabble holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 128 and 105 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Dabble's written reviews are positive against 40% of VGamepad Lite's.
Dabble ships an update every 6 months, VGamepad Lite every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dabble | VGamepad Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (128 ratings) — better | 3.2 (105 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 39.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 128 — better | 105 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 111 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | STEMpedia | PJSOFTCO |
Customer experience
Dabble
VGamepad Lite
User reviews
Dabble
From 128 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use for beginners
- 🚀 Works well with ESP32 and Arduino
- 💰 Free and fully functional
- 💡 Great for robotics projects
- 📱 Useful phone sensors
Room to improve
- 🐛 Gamepad issues on iOS
- 🐛 Not all functions available on iPhone
- 🐛 GPS data transfer unreliable
- 🐛 Phone sensor data flaky
- 🐛 UI issues on older versions
VGamepad Lite
From 105 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast connection speed between phone and PC
- 👍 Straightforward setup process with video tutorials
- 🎮 Works well with Steam games and emulators
- 🔧 Customizable button mapping and controller size
- 💰 Affordable or free alternative to physical controllers
Room to improve
- 📢 Excessive ads interrupting gameplay every 5 minutes
- 🐛 Buttons frequently unresponsive or detect wrong inputs
- 🔌 Difficult connection setup requiring IP address entry
- ❌ App doesn't work after connection established
- 💳 Paywall after initial free use
Bugs and requests
Dabble
Reported bugs
15 issues- Gamepad doesn't work on iOS
- Joystick values are blank on iOS
- Buttons do not show for gamepad
- Controller function broken on iPhones without a home button
- Gamepad won't turn, only shows left/right controls, format off
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Gamepad doesn't load properly, shows only two arrows
- Game pad section is useless after iOS 16 update, doesn't show entire gamepad
- Lag and robot continues to move
- Joystick resets values when action button is pressed
- GPS data transfer not reliable
- Phone sensor data is flaky
- UI completely messed up due to no updates
- Auto connect problem (BLE services in reverse order)
- Doesn't connect to Nintendo Switch Lite, no SYNC button
- Gamepad doesn't display on iPhone 8, works on iPad
Requested features
7 requests- More buttons on gamepad or custom gamepad creation
- Additional controller types (joystick, button rows)
- Ability to map terminal commands to virtual actions/notifications
- Offline automation and scripts for iOS
- Xbox controller support
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- Motor control on iPhone
- Pro version with more options
VGamepad Lite
Reported bugs
9 issues- Connection fails despite correct IP and password entry
- Ads appear but don't load, blocking app usage
- RT button and other buttons not functioning
- Buttons disappear after rearranging
- Mouse cursor moves in background during gameplay
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- App crashes or freezes during use
- Controller not recognized by PC after connection
- Inconsistent performance across different iPhone models
- PC download fails with Error 1001
Requested features
7 requests- Bluetooth connectivity for easier pairing
- Mac OS support for server-side application
- Nintendo Switch controller support
- Remove or reduce ad frequency with paid option
- Apple TV compatibility
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- L1, L2, R1, R2 buttons for PlayStation controllers
- Better documentation and troubleshooting guides
In-app purchases
Dabble
No in-app purchases
VGamepad Lite
- VGamepad Monthly Subscription$0.991 Month
- VGamepad Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
Questions
Is Dabble free?
Is VGamepad Lite free?
Which has better reviews, Dabble or VGamepad Lite?
Do Dabble or VGamepad Lite have ads?
Which is updated more often, Dabble or VGamepad Lite?
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