Dabble vs Game Controller Tester Gamepad
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.
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.
- Test buttons and sticks
- Test pressure sensitive triggers
- Visualize controller designs
- Connect multiple controllers
- Helps with controller connections
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Dabble ships an update every 6 months, Game Controller Tester Gamepad every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.
| Parameter | Dabble | Game Controller Tester Gamepad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (128 ratings) | 4.5 (1.4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 47.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 128 | 1.4K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | STEMpedia | Emoji Apps GmbH |
Customer experience
Dabble
Game Controller Tester Gamepad
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
Game Controller Tester Gamepad
From 1.4K App Store ratingsWhat 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
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- 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
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
Dabble
No in-app purchases
Game Controller Tester Gamepad
- Premium3 Days trial$0.997 Days
- Premium3 Days trial2 variants$1.991 Month
- Premium3 Days trial$4.997 Days
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Premium3 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Premium$29.991 Year
Questions
Is Dabble free?
Is Game Controller Tester Gamepad free?
Which has better reviews, Dabble or Game Controller Tester Gamepad?
Do Dabble or Game Controller Tester Gamepad have ads?
Which is updated more often, Dabble or Game Controller Tester Gamepad?
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