# Dabble vs 8BitDo Ultimate Software

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dabble at 75% against 8BitDo Ultimate Software's 26%. Dabble also leads on rating (3.9 vs 2.4). 8BitDo Ultimate Software's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Dabble holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 128 and 197 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Dabble's written reviews are positive against 26% of 8BitDo Ultimate Software's.

Dabble ships an update every 6 months, 8BitDo Ultimate Software every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dabble | 8BitDo Ultimate Software |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.9 (128 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dabble-bluetooth-controller/id1472734455/reviews)** | [2.4 (197 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8bitdo-ultimate-software/id1532713768/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 128 | **197** |
| Positive reviews | **75.0% of reviews** | 26.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 18 MB | 167 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [STEMpedia](https://appshunter.io/developer/1472734454) | [8BitDo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1532713770) |

## What reviewers say

### Dabble

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dabble-bluetooth-controller/id1472734455)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use for beginners
- 🚀 Works well with ESP32 and Arduino
- 💰 Free and fully functional
- 💡 Great for robotics projects
- 📱 Useful phone sensors

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Gamepad issues on iOS
- 🐛 Not all functions available on iPhone
- 🐛 GPS data transfer unreliable
- 🐛 Phone sensor data flaky
- 🐛 UI issues on older versions

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### 8BitDo Ultimate Software

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8bitdo-ultimate-software/id1532713768)

Gain complete control over your compatible gamepad. Customize button layouts, fine-tune analog stick and trigger responses, and manage vibration intensity. Create custom macro commands for advanced gameplay.

**Highlights:** Button mapping customization, Stick and trigger sensitivity adjustment, Vibration power control, Macro creation, Controller compatibility management

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Functional app
- 💡 Helpful for left-hand device use
- 🚀 Seamless controller connection
- 🚀 Intuitive key mapping

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance
- 🐛 Lack of support for certain controllers
- 🐛 Buggy firmware updates
- 🐛 Profiles not saving properly

**Reported bugs**

- App unable to detect connected controllers
- Key mapping not working as expected
- Profiles resetting after app restart
- Firmware update issues bricking controllers

**Requested features**

- Support for more controllers (e.g. 8bitdo Zero 2, SN30 Pro+)
- Add ability to remap command/option keys for macOS/iOS
- Improve macro functionality (e.g. adjustable delay, ability to hold keys)
- Add media control key mapping options
- Implement Bluetooth firmware update capability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dabble free?

Dabble is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is 8BitDo Ultimate Software free?

8BitDo Ultimate Software is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Dabble or 8BitDo Ultimate Software?

Dabble is rated higher. Dabble averages 3.9 out of 5 from 128 ratings, while 8BitDo Ultimate Software averages 2.4 from 197 ratings.

### Do Dabble or 8BitDo Ultimate Software have ads?

Neither Dabble nor 8BitDo Ultimate Software shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dabble or 8BitDo Ultimate Software?

Dabble ships an update every 6 months, and 8BitDo Ultimate Software every 2 months. Most recently, Dabble was updated on September 23, 2026 and 8BitDo Ultimate Software on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*