SunFounder Controller vs MicroBlue
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SunFounder Controller
This app acts as a virtual remote control for robot kits powered by ESP32 and Raspberry Pi. It offers customizable controls like radar ranging, tracking, sliders, buttons, and arrow keys for interactive robot operation.
- Virtual remote control
- ESP32 and Raspberry Pi compatibility
- Radar ranging control
- Three-channel tracking
- Customizable control layout
- Sliders, buttons, and arrow keys
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Sunfounder Controller is a virtual remote control APP, used to control ESP32 and Raspberry Pi-based robot kits. The APP integrates controls such as radar ranging, three-channel tracking, sliders, buttons, and arrow keys. Users can customize the arrangement of these controls according to their own preferences.
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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MicroBlue is a companion app for microcontroller projects. Connect to your board over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), control it from your phone, and see what it sends back. DRIVE Two halves, each a D-Pad, Joystick, Tank (one stick per side), Tilt (steer by tilting the phone), Panel or Console. Leaving the Drive screen or the app sends the stop position. Buttons, switches, sliders with your own min and max, steppers, color buttons and text fields. Each sends its value with an id you choose. DISPLAYS Show what your board sends: a Value with its unit, a Bar, an LED, or a Chart of the last 10, 30 or 60 seconds that draws up to 4 lines from values like x,y,z. CONSOLE AND RECORDING See every message sent and received. Record a session to a CSV file and open it in Google Sheets, Excel or Numbers, great for classroom experiments. LAYOUTS Save a layout for each project and switch between them. Share a layout with a whole class by QR code or link; students add it with Scan QR Code. A STEADY CONNECTION • A heartbeat lets your board's program stop safely when the phone goes out of range or the app closes (can be turned off in Settings) • Reconnects to your board automatically • Shows the signal strength • Choose what to send to and receive from on each board WORKS WITH Boards with built-in BLE or an HM-10 module, such as the Arduino UNO R4 WiFi, Arduino UNO R3 or UNO R4 Minima with an HM-10, Raspberry Pi Pico W (or Pico with an HM-10) and ESP32-S3. Messages use a simple format in both directions: [0x01] id [0x02] value [0x03]. Help in the app shows what each control sends. Requires iOS 16.4 or later. For assistance and more information, visit: https://snappyxo.io/microblue.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MicroBlue at 4.7 against SunFounder Controller's 4.1. SunFounder Controller's advantage is ratings volume (28 vs 3) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SunFounder Controller has 28 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
SunFounder Controller ships an update every 3 months, MicroBlue every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SunFounder Controller | MicroBlue |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (28 ratings) | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 94.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 92 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Shenzhen Maker Stars Technology Co., Ltd. | Mechanismic Inc. |
Customer experience
SunFounder Controller
MicroBlue
Bugs and requests
SunFounder Controller
Reported bugs
2 issues- App disconnects and requires reinstallation to reconnect
- Link button is off-screen on iPhone XS Max
Requested features
2 requests- Add a list-box or radio-button widget class
- More warm functions
MicroBlue
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SunFounder Controller
No in-app purchases
MicroBlue
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SunFounder Controller free?
Is MicroBlue free?
Which has better reviews, SunFounder Controller or MicroBlue?
Do SunFounder Controller or MicroBlue have ads?
Which is updated more often, SunFounder Controller or MicroBlue?
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