# Alpha 1 vs LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor

The clearest difference is review sentiment: LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor at 59% against Alpha 1's 0%. LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.1) and ratings volume (227 vs 24). Alpha 1's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor has 227 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Alpha 1's written reviews are positive against 59% of LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor's.

Alpha 1 ships an update monthly, LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on July 4, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Alpha 1 | LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alpha-1/id975970177/reviews) | **[4.0 (227 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lego-mindstorms-inventor/id1515448947/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 24 | **227** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **59.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 77 MB | 587 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [UBTECH ROBOTICS CORP](https://appshunter.io/developer/975970176) | [LEGO](https://appshunter.io/developer/347363505) |

## What reviewers say

### Alpha 1

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alpha-1/id975970177)

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.

**Highlights:** Bluetooth robot control, Downloadable actions, User-designed actions, Phone as remote control, Robot information and firmware upgrade

**In-app purchases:** none


### LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lego-mindstorms-inventor/id1515448947)

Build and code intelligent robots with interactive instructions and a visual, drag-and-drop interface. Explore over 50 activities, utilize machine learning for object recognition, and share creations with a fan community.

**Highlights:** Interactive building instructions, Drag-and-drop coding interface (Scratch-based), 50+ coding activities, Machine learning for object/sound recognition, Community section for fan models, Remote control functionality, Python coding support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for coding and building robots
- 🚀 Excellent hub-to-hub communication
- 💡 Powerful Python coding capabilities
- 👍 Intuitive block-based programming
- 👍 Fantastic Christmas gift

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Connectivity issues with Bluetooth and hubs
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing
- 🔋 Battery life and charging problems
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with older LEGO Mindstorms
- 🐛 Buggy and unstable app

**Reported bugs**

- Motors not working as expected
- Sensors not being detected
- App not loading or getting stuck on startup
- Firmware update issues
- Inability to connect to the hub

**Requested features**

- Add support for Nintendo Switch controllers
- Implement 360-degree view for building instructions
- Introduce line and bar graphs
- Add a time sensing block with 12/24-hour options
- Improve remote control functionality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Alpha 1 free?

Alpha 1 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor free?

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Alpha 1 or LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor?

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor is rated higher. Alpha 1 averages 3.1 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor averages 4.0 from 227 ratings.

### Do Alpha 1 or LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor have ads?

Neither Alpha 1 nor LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Alpha 1 or LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor?

Alpha 1 ships an update monthly, and LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor every 2 months. Most recently, Alpha 1 was updated on July 4, 2026 and LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Inventor on September 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*