# Dabble vs Dolphin Ctrl

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dabble at 75% against Dolphin Ctrl's 14%. Dabble also leads on rating (3.9 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (128 vs 6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dabble has 128 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Dabble's written reviews are positive against 14% of Dolphin Ctrl's.

Dabble ships an update every 6 months, Dolphin Ctrl every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dabble | Dolphin Ctrl |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.9 (128 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dabble-bluetooth-controller/id1472734455/reviews)** | [3.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dolphin-ctrl/id1584272645/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **128** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | **75.0% of reviews** | 14.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 months** | Every 14 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 18 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [STEMpedia](https://appshunter.io/developer/1472734454) | [Cameron Little](https://appshunter.io/developer/964698586) |

## 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


### Dolphin Ctrl

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dolphin-ctrl/id1584272645)

This app transforms your phone into a GameCube controller for the Dolphin emulator. Connect wirelessly to your computer to play games with friends. Performance depends on network and emulator speed.

**Highlights:** Simulates GameCube controller, Play games on Dolphin emulator, Use phones as controllers, Supports multiplayer, Wireless connectivity

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dabble free?

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

### Is Dolphin Ctrl free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Dabble or Dolphin Ctrl?

Dabble is rated higher. Dabble averages 3.9 out of 5 from 128 ratings, while Dolphin Ctrl averages 3.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do Dabble or Dolphin Ctrl have ads?

Neither Dabble nor Dolphin Ctrl shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dabble or Dolphin Ctrl?

Dabble ships an update every 6 months, and Dolphin Ctrl every 14 months. Most recently, Dabble was updated on September 23, 2026 and Dolphin Ctrl on June 5, 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.*