Comparison

Ugly's Electrical References vs Conduit Bending

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

Conduit Bending

This app simplifies electrical conduit bending calculations with expert-designed tools. It offers advanced fractional and unit conversion capabilities, supporting a wide range of bend types for precise results. Easily switch between imperial and metric units and choose from predefined benders.

Highlights
  • Advanced fractional calculations
  • Imperial and metric unit conversion
  • Support for numerous bend types
  • Predefined bender selection
  • Expert-designed accuracy
Features
Read full description

Conduit Bending is a conduit bending calculator for electricians: 17 bend calculators for offsets, rolling offsets, 3-point and 4-point saddles, 90° bends and corners, with your bender's numbers built in. Pick your bender, enter the measurements, and get the marks for the bend. No bending chart, no working it out on the back of a box. Switch between imperial (inches) and metric (cm) at any time. OFFSET BENDS • Offset: Basic • Offset: 1st Bend Critical • Offset: 2nd Bend Critical • Offset: Parallel Adjustment for parallel runs ROLLING OFFSET CALCULATOR • Rolled Offset: Basic • Rolled Offset: 1st Bend Critical • Rolled Offset: 2nd Bend Critical SADDLE BENDS • 3-Point Saddle: Basic and Critical distance • 4-Point Saddle: Basic and Critical distance 90° BENDS • 90°: Basic • Back to Back 90° • Kicked 90° CORNERS • Corner around a square obstacle • Corner around a rectangular obstacle • Corner around a round obstacle BENDERS AND UNITS • Choose from more than 30 predefined hand, Chicago, electric and hydraulic benders • EMT, IMC, rigid (RMC) and PVC conduit, from 1/2" to 5" • Work in inches or centimeters • A built-in calculator that handles fractions and converts between cm and inches, from the makers of Calculator+ Whether you bend conduit every day or are learning how to bend conduit, Conduit Bending puts every bend in one pipe bending calculator on your iPhone. Conduit Bending is free to use with ads. A subscription removes the ads. Also from xNeat: Construction Calculator and Pipe Fitting. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Ugly's Electrical References4 screens
Conduit Bending4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Conduit Bending at Free against Ugly's Electrical References's $12.99. Conduit Bending also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). Ugly's Electrical References's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (47% vs 35%). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Conduit Bending is free to download; Ugly's Electrical References costs $12.99 up front. Conduit Bending sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Ugly's Electrical References asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Conduit Bending holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 657 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 47% of Ugly's Electrical References's written reviews are positive against 35% of Conduit Bending's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ugly's Electrical References ships an update every 3 months, Conduit Bending fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Ugly's Electrical References versus Conduit Bending: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUgly's Electrical ReferencesConduit Bending
Price$12.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (1.5K ratings)4.8 (657 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.1% of reviews — better34.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K — better657
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#7 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS1716.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB51 MB
Age rating9++4
DeveloperInformed PublishingxNeat.com

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%

Conduit Bending

All ratings653 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive34.6%
Neutral11.5%
Negative53.8%

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

Conduit Bending

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ugly's Electrical References

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Conduit Bending

Subscriptions2
  • Conduit Bending3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Conduit Bending7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Ugly's Electrical References free?
Ugly's Electrical References costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Conduit Bending free?
Conduit Bending is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ugly's Electrical References or Conduit Bending?
Conduit Bending is rated higher. Ugly's Electrical References averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Conduit Bending averages 4.8 from 657 ratings.
Do Ugly's Electrical References or Conduit Bending have ads?
Neither Ugly's Electrical References nor Conduit Bending shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ugly's Electrical References or Conduit Bending?
Ugly's Electrical References ships an update every 3 months, and Conduit Bending fortnightly. Most recently, Ugly's Electrical References was updated on October 26, 2026 and Conduit Bending on October 26, 2026.

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