microbitBLE vs PictoBlox Junior Blocks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Bluetooth UART connection
- Send text to micro:bit LED
- Receive messages from micro:bit
- Button press triggers messages
- Interactive coding projects
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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
PictoBlox Junior Blocks
This app introduces beginners to coding through a fun, block-based interface. Explore AI, robotics, and create games, animations, and interactive projects. Develop essential 21st-century skills like creativity and logical reasoning.
- Block-based coding interface
- AI and Machine Learning exploration
- Robotics and hardware interaction
- Create games and animations
- Develop 21st-century skills
- Logic and algorithm concepts
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Junior Blocks is a block-based educational coding app for beginners with enhanced hardware-interaction capabilities and emerging technologies such as robotics and AI that make learning to code fun and engaging. Just drag and drop the coding blocks and make cool games, animations, interactive projects, and even control robots the way you want! ● 21st-Century Skills Junior Blocks opens doors for beginners to learn creative and physical computing in an engaging way and helps develop essential skills for today’s technology-driven world such as: - Creativity - Logical reasoning - Critical thinking - Problem-solving ● Coding Skills With Junior Blocks, learners can understand key coding concepts such as: - Logic - Algorithms - Sequencing - Loops - Conditional statements ● AI and ML for Education Users can explore Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning concepts like: - Face and text recognition - Speech recognition and virtual assistant - AI-based games ● Extensions for Making Countless DIY Projects Junior Blocks offers dedicated extensions to create exciting projects involving AI, robotics, Scratch project control via Bluetooth, programming wheels, sensors, displays, NeoPixel RGB lights, and much more. Boards Compatible with PictoBlox App: - Quarky - Wizbot Want to know more about Junior Blocks? Visit: https://thestempedia.com/product/pictoblox Getting Started with Junior Blocks: Projects that you can make:https://thestempedia.com/project/ Permissions required for: Bluetooth: to provide connectivity. Camera: for taking pictures, videos, face recognition, etc. Microphone: to send voice commands and use the sound meter. Storage: to store the images and videos taken. Location: to use the location sensor and BLE. Download Junior Blocks NOW and start the exciting world of coding and AI with these interactive coding blocks.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PictoBlox Junior Blocks at 3.0 against microbitBLE's 2.0. PictoBlox Junior Blocks also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 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.
PictoBlox Junior Blocks holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.
microbitBLE ships an update every 2 months, PictoBlox Junior Blocks every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | microbitBLE | PictoBlox Junior Blocks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (1 ratings) | 3.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | 14 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 314 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Atsushi Yamada | STEMpedia |
Customer experience
microbitBLE
PictoBlox Junior Blocks
In-app purchases
microbitBLE
No in-app purchases
PictoBlox Junior Blocks
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is microbitBLE free?
Is PictoBlox Junior Blocks free?
Which has better reviews, microbitBLE or PictoBlox Junior Blocks?
Do microbitBLE or PictoBlox Junior Blocks have ads?
Which is updated more often, microbitBLE or PictoBlox Junior Blocks?
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