Comparison

Ugly's Electrical References vs FieldStack

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

FieldStack

Features
Read full description

FieldStack turns large construction plan sets into a focused workspace built for the person holding the phone. Open the complete PDF, pull the sheets you need into one zoomable board, and add checks and notes without changing the original drawings. INFINITE REFERENCE CANVAS • Bring plan pages, images, PDFs, text notes, and editable sketches into one smooth visual workspace. • Arrange and group job context freely, then tap a plan page to reopen the original blueprint. • Pan and zoom around the canvas without changing source documents. BUILD A WORKING BOARD • Select one sheet or a group of related sheets from the full reader. • Arrange the board in one, two, or three columns. • Move between sheets while keeping the larger plan context in view. FIND AND RECORD FIELD CONTEXT • Search rooms, doors, labels, and other plan text. • Add Check or Note items at plan locations. • Track field-facing progress as Open, In Progress, Blocked, or Done. • Review the same saved entries from Board or Today. KEEP THE SOURCE CLEAN FieldStack stores boards, checks, notes, and Reference Boards as a separate private layer. Imported source PDFs are not overwritten or flattened by ordinary field work. The reviewed primary FieldStack interface supports English, French, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese. Existing customers choose whether to keep English or follow their iPhone language; new installs use the reviewed iPhone language automatically. FieldStack is designed as a personal field tool. It does not require an account, realtime team workspace, or subscription. Optional consumable tips support continued development and unlock nothing. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://unshackledpursuit.com/fieldstack#privacy

Screenshots

Ugly's Electrical References4 screens
FieldStack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FieldStack at Free against Ugly's Electrical References's $12.99. FieldStack also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 months). Ugly's Electrical References's advantage is chart position (#7 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (17 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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

FieldStack 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ugly's Electrical References ships an update every 3 months, FieldStack every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Ugly's Electrical References versus FieldStack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUgly's Electrical ReferencesFieldStack
Price$12.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (1.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews47.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.5K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#7 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB10 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperInformed PublishingDylan Russell

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

FieldStack

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ugly's Electrical References

No in-app purchases

None

FieldStack

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ugly's Electrical References free?
Ugly's Electrical References costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FieldStack free?
FieldStack is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ugly's Electrical References or FieldStack have ads?
Neither Ugly's Electrical References nor FieldStack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ugly's Electrical References or FieldStack?
Ugly's Electrical References ships an update every 3 months, and FieldStack every 8 days. Most recently, Ugly's Electrical References was updated on September 30, 2026 and FieldStack on September 16, 2026.

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