Comparison

PadVitals vs Phone Controller

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

Head to head
About

PadVitals

Features
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See what your connected game controller is doing, right now. PadVitals shows the buttons, sticks, triggers, rumble and sensors of a controller connected to your iPhone / iPad in real time, and measures stick drift and circularity as numbers. Note: this app does not diagnose or certify the controller hardware itself. It measures and visualizes the input data that iOS received on this device. ■ Try it before you connect anything - No compatible controller at hand? Demo mode walks through every screen — button lights, stick trails, each diagnosis and the report — so you can see what the app does right away - The values shown in demo mode are fictional (they are not measurements from a real device) ■ Real-time view - Pressed buttons light up on a schematic, and stick movement leaves a glowing trail - Raw stick / trigger values, motion (gyroscope and accelerometer) and battery level, all in one list - Values standing still is normal. GameController delivers input only when something changes ■ A guided diagnosis - Drift ... how far the center wanders once you take your fingers off - Circularity ... spin the stick around once, and the reach at each angle is compared - Input event delivery rate / jitter ... the effective rate of the input that reached the app, and how steady the intervals are (measured on iOS) - Trigger slack ... where the response starts - Rumble and core button response checks The input event delivery rate is not the polling rate of the controller itself. It is the input that reached the app, shaped by the Bluetooth connection interval and by scheduling on the iOS side. ■ Follow the wear over time - Results are kept on the device per controller, so the numbers show how things are trending ■ A report you can share - The result fits on a single image, ready to post ■ Supported controllers - DualSense / DualSense Edge / DualShock 4 - Xbox Wireless / Elite Series 2 - MFi controllers - Apple has not stated support for Nintendo Switch Pro / Joy-Con, so those may or may not work ■ Pricing - Free to use, with ads kept modest - Ad removal is a one-time purchase (non-consumable), not a monthly subscription. Purchases can be restored from Settings ■ Privacy and terms - Diagnosis results and history are stored on this device only. Diagnostic data is never sent to an external server - Privacy policy: https://padvitals-lab.web.app/en/privacy - Terms of use (Apple standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Requires iOS 17 or later.

About

Phone Controller

Transform your iPhone into a wireless gamepad for your Windows PC. Customize button layouts, add motion and touch feedback, and connect multiple devices over your local Wi-Fi network. Requires a companion app and driver installation on your PC.

Highlights
  • Wireless gamepad for Windows PC
  • Customizable button layouts
  • Motion and touch feedback
  • Connect multiple devices
  • Local network connection
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a wireless gamepad for a Windows PC on the same Wi-Fi network. Phone Controller requires the Phone Controller Windows companion and the ViGEmBus virtual controller driver on your PC. Install them before playing. This app does not connect directly to a game console and does not include games. CUSTOMIZE YOUR CONTROLS Use a full two-stick controller or left- or right-hand single-stick layouts. Move and resize buttons, with separate saved layouts for portrait, landscape and upright or sideways holding. Use independent touches for sticks and buttons. ADD MOTION AND TOUCH FEEDBACK Enable optional gyroscope and accelerometer controls for compatible PC software through the companion's DSU motion bridge. Adjust sensitivity and calibrate while still. Optional iPhone haptics provide feedback for button presses and stick movement. Motion support depends on the game or emulator and its configuration. CONNECT ON YOUR LOCAL NETWORK Scan the QR code in the Windows companion using the in-app scanner, or paste the pairing URL. Keep the companion open while playing. Up to four phones can connect as independent controllers. One phone supplies one motion source. No app account, ads or analytics. Use a trusted private network: local controller traffic is unencrypted. See the privacy policy for the data sent to your computer. Compatibility: iPhone with iOS 17 or later; Windows PC with the companion and ViGEmBus installed; both devices on the same local network. Games must support compatible controller input. Motion requires a compatible DSU client. Standalone left/right layouts require manual game or emulator bindings. Haptic feedback depends on device hardware. Phone Controller is an independent app and is not affiliated with Nintendo or Microsoft. Joy-Con and Xbox names describe control compatibility. The app does not provide IR, NFC, Nintendo HD rumble or absolute positional tracking.

Screenshots

PadVitals4 screens
Phone Controller4 screens

Verdict

The call

PadVitals and Phone Controller are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
PadVitals versus Phone Controller: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPadVitalsPhone Controller
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroki NakayamaJake Jin

In-app purchases

None

PadVitals

No in-app purchases

None

Phone Controller

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PadVitals free?
PadVitals is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Phone Controller free?
Phone Controller is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PadVitals or Phone Controller have ads?
Neither PadVitals nor Phone Controller shows ads.

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