Comparison

microbitBLE vs Group Control

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

microbitBLE

Connect your smartphone to a micro:bit device via Bluetooth. Send text from your keyboard to display on the micro:bit's LED, and receive messages sent from the micro:bit. Ideal for interactive coding projects and learning.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth UART connection
  • Send text to micro:bit LED
  • Receive messages from micro:bit
  • Button press triggers messages
  • Interactive coding projects
Features
Read full description

It is an application that allows you to connect the micro:bit Bluetooth UART. When you hit the keyboard of your smartphone, characters will be displayed on the LED of the micro:bit. Displays the characters sent from the micro:bit. In the sample, when the A button is pressed, Hello is sent and displayed on the smartphone. Usage 1. program the micro:bit 2. The micro:bit start and wait for Bluetooth connection (in the sample, a square mark is displayed) 3. Press the "connect to micro:bit" button in the app 4. When the connection is complete, the square display in the middle (transmission character display) will turn black and a check mark will appear on the micro:bit. 5. Hit the keyboard and the character will be displayed on the micro:bit 6. When you press the A button on the micro:bit, "Hello" is displayed in the "received message" part of the app 7. Press the "disconnect from micro:bit" button to disconnect Bluetooth and display a cross mark on the micro:bit

About

Group Control

Features
Read full description

1, through the connection of the LAN, control the robot movement. You can control a variety of action groups, such as kicking the left foot, kicking the right foot, sitting down, you can also customize the action group.

Screenshots

microbitBLE3 screens
Group Control2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: microbitBLE at every 2 months against Group Control's every 7 months. Group Control's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

microbitBLE ships an update every 2 months, Group Control every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
microbitBLE versus Group Control: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermicrobitBLEGroup Control
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.512.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAtsushi YamadaShenzhen Hiwonder Technology Co.,Ltd

In-app purchases

None

microbitBLE

No in-app purchases

None

Group Control

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is microbitBLE free?
microbitBLE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Group Control free?
Group Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do microbitBLE or Group Control have ads?
Neither microbitBLE nor Group Control shows ads.
Which is updated more often, microbitBLE or Group Control?
microbitBLE ships an update every 2 months, and Group Control every 7 months. Most recently, microbitBLE was updated on October 26, 2026 and Group Control on October 27, 2026.

Other comparisons