Comparison

SIM vs Safe Excavator

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

Head to head
About

SIM

Reinforce safety techniques taught in training with remote review and guided conversations. This app provides scripted content and animations to help users apply specific safety methods in any environment or for any task.

Highlights
  • Reinforce safety techniques
  • Remote review capability
  • Scripted content for conversations
  • Animations for technical review
  • Integrates with safety tools
Features
Read full description

We believe learning should be specific and continuous. Action after education is an integral component of behavior change. SIM integrates with other tools in your safety tool box to effectively drive culture change for sustained results. This app, produced by Safety In Motion, Inc. is designed to reinforce proprietary techniques taught in Safety In Motion® training. Each technique taught in training can now be reviewed remotely in any environment and for any task. Scripted content guides conversations related to each technique and animations deliver the technical review for how to apply a specific technique.

About

Safe Excavator

Access excavation legal requirements by state and topic. Track and report damages or near misses involving underground facilities. Streamline safety and productivity for excavation projects.

Highlights
  • State-specific excavation laws
  • Damage and near-miss tracking
  • Reporting to DIRT
  • 811 notification center links
  • Safe digging tips and checklist
Features
Read full description

What It Does: Safe Excavator is an easy, fast, and free way to access the legal requirements pertaining to excavation in every state, arranged by relevant topic. It also allows you collect and track data regarding excavation damage and near misses to underground facilities, and if you choose to, report it to the Damage Information Reporting Tool. By making information accessible to users in a rapid, flexible, and secure manner, Safe Excavator maximizes user efficiency – whether that involves planning an excavation project, or in assessing safety and productivity at a glance. Forget the paperwork and get on with the actual work! For Example: No matter what state you are (or will be) in, Safe Excavator can help you determine: • The length of advance notice required to be given to the 811 notification center in order to have underground utilities marked prior to the start of excavation; • Whether and how need for pre-marking or white-lining should take place before contacting the 811 notification center; • The information you will need to provide the 811 notification center in order to get a ticket issued, as well as information about the ticket itself – including size and life limitations; • How to determine the “tolerance zone” surrounding any underground facilities in the area of a proposed excavation, as well as activity limitations within the zone; and • When it’s necessary to re-contact the 811 notification center. Safe Excavator can now also be used to: • Track damages and near-misses involving underground facilities; • Collect and analyze both leading and lagging root cause indicators; and • With user permission, submit information to the Damage Information Reporting Tool, also known as DIRT. Highlights of App: • Safe digging laws organized by state and topic. • In-app links to 811 notification centers – both telephone and web – by state. • Damage tracking and analysis. • Contact information for 811 notification centers and enforcement agencies by state. • Identification and contact information for underground facility owners by state. • Safe digging tips and checklist.

Screenshots

SIM4 screens
Safe Excavator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Safe Excavator at 4.5 against SIM's 4.0. Safe Excavator also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). SIM's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Safe Excavator holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 6 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SIM ships an update every 2 months, Safe Excavator every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SIM versus Safe Excavator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSIMSafe Excavator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (3 ratings)4.5 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings36 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.4 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSafety in Motion IncNational Excavator Initiative

Customer experience

SIM

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Safe Excavator

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

None

SIM

No in-app purchases

None

Safe Excavator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SIM free?
SIM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Safe Excavator free?
Safe Excavator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SIM or Safe Excavator?
Safe Excavator is rated higher. SIM averages 4.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Safe Excavator averages 4.5 from 6 ratings.
Do SIM or Safe Excavator have ads?
Neither SIM nor Safe Excavator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SIM or Safe Excavator?
SIM ships an update every 2 months, and Safe Excavator every 3 weeks. Most recently, SIM was updated on October 21, 2026 and Safe Excavator on October 4, 2026.

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