Comparison

Ugly's Electrical References vs BoardWatch

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

Head to head
About

Ugly's Electrical References

This app provides electricians and electrical professionals with up-to-date digital information based on the National Electrical Code. It includes formulas, wiring diagrams, conduit bending guides, and calculators for various electrical calculations. The app is designed for on-the-job reference and works offline.

Highlights
  • NEC 2026 updates
  • Mathematical formulas and calculators
  • Conduit bending guide with videos
  • Ampacity and conduit fill information
  • Wiring diagrams
  • Conversion tables
  • Works offline
Features
Read full description

The Ugly's Electrical References App has been updated to reflect changes to the 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC) and the 2026 Edition of our popular Ugly’s Electrical References book. The Ugly’s App offers the most pertinent, up-to-date digital information for electricians, including table change information, mathematical formulas; National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) wiring configurations; a conduit bending guide with videos, ampacity and conduit fill information, transformer and control circuit wiring diagrams, and conversion tables. The 2026 Edition: * Reflects changes to the 2026 NEC * Features expanded coverage of the following topics: * Full-load currents for 3-phase transformers  * Maximum number of conductors in electrical metallic tubing for trade sizes 5 and 6  * Equipment grounding conductors  * General lighting loads for non-dwelling occupancies  * Overview of important NEC code changes from 2020, 2023 and 2026  Electricians and electrical professionals have used ‘Ugly’s Electrical References’ book as their on-the-job reference for over 35 years. This app will serve you even better in the field today.  FEATURING Calculators and Interactive Features • Ohm’s Law Calculator • Voltage Drop Calculator • Ampacity Calculator • To Find: Amps, Watts, Horsepower, KVA • To Find: Inductance, Impedance, Reactance • Three-phase AC Motor Data: Starter, Breaker, Heater, Wire, and Conduit Size • Power Factor Correction • Full Load Current for Motors and Transformers • Locked-Rotor Current Calculator • Offset Bending Calculator • Conduit Fill Calculator • Conversions for Area, Length, Temperature, Time, Volume, and Weight • NEMA Wiring Configurations *Pinch & Zoom for improved readability *Conduit Bending Video Tutorials *Search function helps you quickly find what you need to know *NEC Updater outlines and explains changes to the National Electrical Code© *Electrical Safety including definitions, boundaries, procedures, PPE guidance, and life-saving *First aid procedures *Blueprint symbol identifier *Bookmark your commonly used screens *High-definition images and interactive tables that can be zoomed in for detail *Works offline *Great for electricians, students, engineers, contractors, maintenance workers, and military Interested in a buying more than one copy of the Ugly’s Electrical Reference app for your commercially owned devices? Please email info[at]uglys[dot]net for details on volume purchases. Privacy Policy - http://www.jblearning.com/privacy/ Terms of Service - http://www.jblearning.com/use/ Support – http://www.uglys.net/appsupport The Ugly’s Electrical Reference app is part of the popular Ugly’s Professional Reference® series, which is an imprint of Jones & Bartlett Learning. National Electrical Code and NFPA 70 are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Agency and are not associated with Ugly’s Electrical References in any way.

About

BoardWatch

Quickly add small, temporary, or permanent notes directly from your wrist. Ideal for reminders like parking spots or flight numbers, this app simplifies note-taking without needing your phone.

Highlights
  • Add fast and small notes
  • Permanent and temporary notes
  • Temporary notes auto-delete
  • Use Apple Watch dictation
  • Send notes to complications
  • Delete notes with long tap
Features
Read full description

A blackboard for your watch. This app allows to add fast and small notes to the watch: the seat on a train wagon, place where the car is parked or the number of your flight. The purpose of the application is simplify to the minimum the task of enter the reminder. You don't need to take the phone, is all over the Apple Watch. The note is entered using Apple Watch dictation feature. You can add permanent notes or temporary notes. A temporary note is deleted automatically after 12 hours. You can view detailed content of a note when you select the note in the table, and you can send the note to the utilitarian (small or large) and modular large complications using the swipe right gesture. To delete a note, long tap over the detailed view of the note. There are other notes app in the store, but any of them are so direct and fast.

Screenshots

Ugly's Electrical References4 screens
BoardWatch1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BoardWatch at 100% against Ugly's Electrical References's 47%. BoardWatch also leads on price ($0.99 vs $12.99) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17). Ugly's Electrical References's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 10 months) and chart position (#10 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Ugly's Electrical References costs $12.99 and BoardWatch $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ugly's Electrical References ships an update every 3 months, BoardWatch every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Ugly's Electrical References versus BoardWatch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUgly's Electrical ReferencesBoardWatch
Price$12.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.4 (1.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews47.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#10 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS1712.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB11 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperInformed PublishingTheCoolBytes

Customer experience

Ugly's Electrical References

All ratings1,495 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral5.7%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews172 reviews
Positive47.1%
Neutral16.9%
Negative36.0%

BoardWatch

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Ugly's Electrical References

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Videos not playing
  • Bookmarks not working correctly
  • Navigation issues causing app crashes
  • Incorrect calculation results

Requested features

5 requests
  • Zoom functionality
  • Better search capabilities
  • Spanish language support
  • Offline access to full content
  • Improved bookmarking system

BoardWatch

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ugly's Electrical References

No in-app purchases

None

BoardWatch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ugly's Electrical References free?
Ugly's Electrical References costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is BoardWatch free?
BoardWatch costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ugly's Electrical References or BoardWatch have ads?
Neither Ugly's Electrical References nor BoardWatch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ugly's Electrical References or BoardWatch?
Ugly's Electrical References ships an update every 3 months, and BoardWatch every 10 months. Most recently, Ugly's Electrical References was updated on October 29, 2026 and BoardWatch on October 7, 2026.

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