Comparison

Dabble vs Game Controller Tester Gamepad

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Game Controller Tester Gamepad

Easily test and troubleshoot your game controllers on iOS devices. Visualize controller layouts, test buttons, sticks, and pressure-sensitive triggers. Connect multiple controllers and get help with connections. Offers a premium subscription for an ad-free experience and advanced features.

Highlights
  • Test buttons and sticks
  • Test pressure sensitive triggers
  • Visualize controller designs
  • Connect multiple controllers
  • Helps with controller connections
Features
Read full description

Test and troubleshoot the functionality of your game controller. Connect your controller to an iOS device. Works with specific Xbox controllers, specific PlayStation controllers and "Made for iPhone" (MFI) Game Controllers. SUPPORTED CONTROLLERS: • Xbox One Wireless • Xbox Series Wireless • Playstation 4 - DualShock 4 Wireless • Playstation 5 DualSense • Blackbone One • Megadream • Razer Kishi • Razer Kishi V2 • SteelSeries Nimbus+ • GameSir T4 Pro • Rotor Riot • PXN-Speedy • Moga Rebel • Gamevice • ... FEATURES: • Visualization of different controller designs • Test buttons and sticks • Test pressure sensitive triggers and sticks • Connect Multiple Controllers • Helps you to connect your controllers SUBSCRIPTION: • Premium: - Remove Ads - Unlock all controller features like haptic feedback or adaptive triggers • Payments are charged to the user’s Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless the user cancels at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The account is charged for renewal within 24-hours before the end of the current period. Users can manage and cancel subscriptions in their account settings on the App Store. Privacy policy: https://emoji-apps.com/Apps/Game_Controller_Tester/terms_and_privacy/privacy_policy.html Terms of Use: https://emoji-apps.com/Apps/Game_Controller_Tester/terms_and_privacy/terms.html Enjoy this free App.

Screenshots

Dabble4 screens
Game Controller Tester Gamepad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Game Controller Tester Gamepad at 4.5 against Dabble's 3.9. Game Controller Tester Gamepad also leads on ratings volume (1.4K vs 128) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). Dabble's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Game Controller Tester Gamepad sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Dabble asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Game Controller Tester Gamepad holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Game Controller Tester Gamepad has 1.4K ratings behind it against 128, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Dabble's written reviews are positive against 48% of Game Controller Tester Gamepad's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dabble ships an update every 6 months, Game Controller Tester Gamepad every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Dabble versus Game Controller Tester Gamepad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDabbleGame Controller Tester Gamepad
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (128 ratings)4.5 (1.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better47.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1281.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSTEMpediaEmoji Apps GmbH

Customer experience

Dabble

All ratings128 ratings
Positive71.9%
Neutral7.8%
Negative20.3%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral5.4%
Negative19.6%

Game Controller Tester Gamepad

All ratings1,354 ratings
Positive86.6%
Neutral3.0%
Negative10.4%
Written reviews347 reviews
Positive47.6%
Neutral4.9%
Negative47.6%

User reviews

Dabble

From 128 App Store ratings

What 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

Game Controller Tester Gamepad

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate controller testing
  • ⚙️ Helpful for troubleshooting
  • 📊 Detailed controller diagnostics

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive subscription pricing
  • 📺 Intrusive ads
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
  • 🤖 Unreliable controller connectivity

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 more
  • 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
Show 2 more
  • Motor control on iPhone
  • Pro version with more options

Game Controller Tester Gamepad

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Incompatible with certain controller models
  • App crashes on launch

Requested features

3 requests
  • Support for Nintendo Switch controllers
  • Stick drift detection
  • Customizable controller lighting

In-app purchases

None

Dabble

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Game Controller Tester Gamepad

Subscriptions5
  • Premium3 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • Premium3 Days trial2 variants$1.991 Month
  • Premium3 Days trial$4.997 Days
Show 2 more
  • Premium3 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Premium$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Dabble free?
Dabble is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Game Controller Tester Gamepad free?
Game Controller Tester Gamepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dabble or Game Controller Tester Gamepad?
Game Controller Tester Gamepad is rated higher. Dabble averages 3.9 out of 5 from 128 ratings, while Game Controller Tester Gamepad averages 4.5 from 1.4K ratings.
Do Dabble or Game Controller Tester Gamepad have ads?
Game Controller Tester Gamepad shows ads; Dabble does not.
Which is updated more often, Dabble or Game Controller Tester Gamepad?
Dabble ships an update every 6 months, and Game Controller Tester Gamepad every 2 months. Most recently, Dabble was updated on September 23, 2026 and Game Controller Tester Gamepad on September 23, 2026.

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