Alpha 1 vs Sphero Play
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Alpha 1
Control and interact with robots using Bluetooth. Download actions from the internet, design your own, and use your phone as a remote control for games like football and fighting. The app also allows for robot information retrieval and firmware upgrades.
- Bluetooth robot control
- Downloadable actions
- User-designed actions
- Phone as remote control
- Robot information and firmware upgrade
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Alpha 1 is to implement a software to interact with robots, this software using the bluetooth BLE protocol to transmit control command, implementation and robot interaction, let robot singing and dancing, tai chi, etc. Specific functions as follows: 1, via bluetooth control robot to perform the specified action 2, downloaded all kinds of actions from the Internet and let the robot to perform them 3, the mobile phone as a remote control panel to control the robot to play football, play fighting,etc 4, read the robot information and upgrade it's firmware 5, user can design actions for robot.
Sphero Play
Control and play with various Sphero robots using a single application. Explore multiple drive modes, engage in robot-controlled games, and learn basic programming through a block-based interface.
- Multiple drive modes (joystick, tilt, voice)
- Robot-controlled games
- Block Drive programming
- Sports-themed drive modes
- Voice control
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Drive and play games from ONE app with your Sphero Mini, Sphero 2.0, SPRK, SPRK+, BOLT, and BOLT+. Connect and control your robots with several exciting drive modes, use your robot as a controller to play games, or try out Block Drive for an intro to programming with colorful blocks. Features include: DRIVE MODES Drive your robots several ways with the Sphero Play app. Use the joystick and slingshot controls, tilt your device, or use your voice. Our sports-themed drive modes keep things fun with the ability to swing your device to "golf"*, or flick to "kick" your robot. BLOCK DRIVE PROGRAMMING Learn programming basics by controlling your robot with colorful movement and light blocks. GAMES Use your robot as a controller to shoot your way through space, race your vehicle through a tunnel avoiding obstacles and scoring points, or rotate your ball to destroy a polygon of bricks. Need robots? We know a guy. Visit sphero.com and order today. *This mode is not available on iPads.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sphero Play at 69% against Alpha 1's 7%. Sphero Play also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (37K vs 26). Alpha 1's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). 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.
Sphero Play holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sphero Play has 37K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 7% of Alpha 1's written reviews are positive against 69% of Sphero Play's.
Alpha 1 ships an update monthly, Sphero Play every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Alpha 1 | Sphero Play |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (26 ratings) | 4.8 (37K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 6.7% of reviews | 69.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 26 | 37K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 193 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | UBTECH ROBOTICS CORP | Sphero, Inc. |
Customer experience
Alpha 1
Sphero Play
Bugs and requests
Alpha 1
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Sphero Play
Reported bugs
2 issues- Joystick controls not working as expected
- Alignment issues causing unexpected movement
Requested features
4 requests- More games and activities
- Support for additional Sphero products (e.g. Ollie, BB-8)
- Improved aiming and control precision
- Camera integration to see the Sphero's view
In-app purchases
Alpha 1
No in-app purchases
Sphero Play
No in-app purchases
