Bluefruit Playground vs MicroBlue
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bluefruit Playground
This app wirelessly connects to specific hardware to control LEDs, display sensor data like light and temperature, and play sounds. It allows users to interact with electronic devices for fun and learning without coding.
- Control LED color and animation
- View sensor data (light, temperature, accelerometer)
- Monitor button and switch states
- Play tones and music
- Animate 3D puppets
- View barometer and humidity data
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Bluefruit Playground connects wirelessly to Adafruit's Bluefruit hardware to remotely display sensor data, control hardware & more. Connect the Bluefruit Playground app to a CLUE or Circuit Playground Bluefruit device and you can: • Control LED color & animation • View continuous light sensor readings • View state of built-in buttons & switch • Play tones & music • View orientation based on accelerometer data • View & graph temperature readings • Animate a 3D puppet in real time • View Barometer & Humidity data from CLUE – all without soldering or writing a single line of code!
MicroBlue
This app connects to microcontrollers via Bluetooth/BLE, offering a customizable interface for control and interaction. It supports various components like joysticks and buttons, streamlining hobbyist and professional projects.
- Bluetooth/BLE connectivity
- Customizable control interface
- D-pads, joysticks, buttons, sliders
- Text input support
- Works with Arduino and Raspberry Pi
- Writable custom service communication
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The ultimate companion app for your microcontroller projects! Whether you're a hobbyist or a professional, MicroBlue simplifies the way you interact with your microcontrollers through seamless Bluetooth/BLE connectivity. Connect effortlessly and explore the potential of your projects with an intuitive interface designed for customization. Customize your layout using a variety of components such as d-pads, joysticks, buttons, sliders, switches, and text inputs. Tailor the interface to suit your specific needs and project requirements. It has been verified to work with: - Arduino Uno R3 with HM10 - Arduino Uno R4 Minima with HM10 - Arduino Uno R4 Wifi - Raspberry Pi Pico with HM10 - Raspberry Pi Pico W - ESP32-S3 Starting from v1.1.1, the app communicates exclusively with the writable custom services of the connected devices. Empower your creativity and streamline your projects with MicroBlue. Take your microcontroller experience to the next level today! For assistance and more information, visit: https://snappyxo.io/microblue.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MicroBlue at 4.5 against Bluefruit Playground's 4.0. Bluefruit Playground's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MicroBlue holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.
Bluefruit Playground ships an update every 6 weeks, MicroBlue every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bluefruit Playground | MicroBlue |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adafruit Industries | Mechanismic Inc. |
Customer experience
Bluefruit Playground
MicroBlue
In-app purchases
Bluefruit Playground
No in-app purchases
MicroBlue
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Bluefruit Playground free?
Is MicroBlue free?
Which has better reviews, Bluefruit Playground or MicroBlue?
Do Bluefruit Playground or MicroBlue have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bluefruit Playground or MicroBlue?
Other comparisons
