Comparison

Ugly's Electrical References vs Brady Express Labels

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

Brady Express Labels

Design, view, and print labels directly from your smartphone. Offers extensive design options, including multiple guides, barcode types, fonts, languages, and symbols. Streamline labeling with data import, sequence creation, barcode scanning, and text recognition features.

Highlights
  • Label design and printing from phone
  • 11 label design guides
  • 34 barcode symbologies
  • 85 fonts and 34 languages
  • Over 1,500 symbols
  • Import data from spreadsheets
  • Voice-to-text and photo-to-text
Read full description

Simple. Easy. Intuitive. Design, view, and print labels right from your phone. Overflowing with label design options, including 11 unique label design guides, 35 barcode symbologies, 85 fonts, 34 languages, and over 1,600 symbols. Improve labeling efficiency by importing data from spreadsheets, creating sequences, scanning data from barcodes, and with voice-to-text and photo-to-text features. Express Labels works with the Brady M211, BMP51, M511, BMP61, M610, M611, M710, i3311, i4311, i5300, i5311, i7500, and S3700 label printers.

Screenshots

Ugly's Electrical References4 screens
Brady Express Labels3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Brady Express Labels at Free against Ugly's Electrical References's $12.99. Brady Express Labels also leads on review sentiment (63% vs 47%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17). Ugly's Electrical References's advantage is chart position (#8 vs unranked) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 425). On rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Brady Express Labels is free to download; Ugly's Electrical References costs $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Ugly's Electrical References against 4.3 for Brady Express Labels. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 425 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 47% of Ugly's Electrical References's written reviews are positive against 63% of Brady Express Labels's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ugly's Electrical References ships an update every 3 months, Brady Express Labels every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Ugly's Electrical References versus Brady Express Labels: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUgly's Electrical ReferencesBrady Express Labels
Price$12.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (1.5K ratings) — better4.3 (425 ratings)
Positive reviews47.1% of reviews62.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5K — better425
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#8 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS1715.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB313 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperInformed PublishingBrady Corporation

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%

Brady Express Labels

All ratings421 ratings
Positive83.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews159 reviews
Positive62.9%
Neutral5.7%
Negative31.4%

User reviews

Ugly's Electrical References

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick reference
  • 👍 Helpful for apprentices and journeymen
  • 👍 Convenient to have on phone
  • 👍 Useful calculators
  • 👍 Great resource

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Videos/audio not working
  • 🐛 Bookmarking issues
  • 🐛 Glitchy navigation
  • 🐛 Difficult to find information
  • 🐛 Annoying review pop-up

Brady Express Labels

From 425 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Awesome printer
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🔋 Long-lasting battery
  • 💡 Versatile label creation
  • 🚀 Intuitive app interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes on startup
  • 🐛 Bluetooth connection issues
  • 🐛 Orientation issues when printing
  • 🐛 Cartridge issues (false empty)
  • 🐛 Difficult text editing

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

Brady Express Labels

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes immediately on launch
  • Saved labels not working after update
  • Orientation reverts unexpectedly when printing
  • Cartridges marked as empty when not
  • Text formatting issues (all uppercase)

Requested features

6 requests
  • Allow selective text editing
  • Add default file location for cloud storage
  • Provide backup/restore feature for saved labels
  • Add copies field in wire wrap screen
  • Improve text centering for multiple lines
Show 1 more
  • Expand font options

In-app purchases

None

Ugly's Electrical References

No in-app purchases

None

Brady Express Labels

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ugly's Electrical References free?
Ugly's Electrical References costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brady Express Labels free?
Brady Express Labels is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ugly's Electrical References or Brady Express Labels?
Ugly's Electrical References is rated higher. Ugly's Electrical References averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Brady Express Labels averages 4.3 from 425 ratings.
Do Ugly's Electrical References or Brady Express Labels have ads?
Neither Ugly's Electrical References nor Brady Express Labels shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ugly's Electrical References or Brady Express Labels?
Ugly's Electrical References ships an update every 3 months, and Brady Express Labels every 2 months. Most recently, Ugly's Electrical References was updated on November 2, 2026 and Brady Express Labels on November 2, 2026.

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