Comparison

2017 Master Electrician Ref. vs Electrician's Sidekick

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

Head to head
About

2017 Master Electrician Ref.

This digital handbook provides electricians and related professionals with essential electrical formulas, diagrams, and reference tables. It offers calculations, a dictionary of terms, and detailed information on wiring, motors, transformers, and more, all accessible on a mobile device.

Highlights
  • Electrical formulas and calculations
  • Wiring diagrams for various systems
  • Motor and transformer specifications
  • Conductor and ampacity tables
  • Dictionary of electrician terms
  • NEMA standards and diagrams
  • Math and conversion tools
Features
Read full description

Master Electrician Reference (or MER for short) 2017 is your electronic pocket electrician reference guide. MER is for electrical designers, engineers, installers, contractors, facility managers, inspectors, exam candidates, apprentices, electricians, journeymen, architects, and technicians. MER is for people doing residential, industrial, and commercial work. Simply, if you are a Master Sparky or work with electricity in any way, this reference guide is for you! Have you ever lost pages or had damaged pages in your pocket electricians reference? The solution is here: Use MER to keep the most important information easily accessible on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. MER will even do calculations for you; something your old pocket reference book can't do. MER is divided into the following sections: * Simple Circuits - Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits, capacitance, inductance, impedance, and reactance. * Distributed Systems - Distribution wiring diagrams for 120, 208, 277, and 480 volts, color codes, breaker sizes, light switches and bells diagrams. * Electrical Formulas - Formulas for kVA, kW, and HP. * Color Codes - Color codes for capacitors and resistors. * Motors and Wiring - Standard motor and motor starter sizes, tables of full-load currents, locked-rotor information, overload units, OCPD, nameplate information, synchronous motor speeds, three-phase STAR and DELTA diagrams, three-wire start-stop diagram, motor frame dimensions, and motor enclosure types. * Transformers - KVA ratings for single- and three-phase current, transformer formulas. * Conductor Properties - Conductor tables, AWG and metric wire sizes, twist-on pressure connectors, and wire combinations. * Ampacities - Ampacities in raceway, cable, earth, and free air, and derating tables. * Conduit Fill table * Grounding Sizes - Equipment grounding conductor (EGC) and grounding electrode conductor (GEC). * Metal Boxes - Images and sizes of metal boxes, junction / device boxes, junction / pull boxes. * Voltage Drop calculations * Dictionary of electrician terms * Insulation Charts - Table of cable and wire types * Electrical Symbols * NEMA - Plugs and wiring diagrams, enclosure types, standard underground boxes, standard fuse and breaker sizes, standard pull box / junction sizes, standard gutter and wire-ways, standard switchboards, standard busway, standard busbar ampacity, standard panelboard sizes, and standard disconnect sizes. * Math and Conversions - Formulas for algebra, geometry, fractions, temperature conversion, trig tables, unit conversions, metric prefixes, and conversions between inches and millimeters. * Conduit Bending - Includes the guide "The Master Bender Way" on how to bend conduit. See the Master Bender app or MasterBender.com website for more information. * Conduit Weights * Copper Wire Cost * Hole Saw Sizes * Material Raceway Support * Lighting - Fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, incandescent, LED, and low-pressure sodium. * Standard Tool List * Torque - Lugs, bolts, and screws, tightening torque. * Dry, Damp, and Wet Locations * Hazardous Locations * Wiring Methods * Safety - Lock-out / tag-out (LOTO), and a safety manual and first aid. Most pages contain a general scientific calculator. It is expression based: Just enter an expression and evaluate it. It understands trig and power functions, can convert between radians and degrees, and has built-in basic constants like pi and e. MER includes key NEC tables from the National Electrical Code (NEC) 2017. We also have MER apps available for NEC 2011 and NEC 2014 code years. Visit our website at MasterSparky.com for more information.

About

Electrician's Sidekick

This free tool consolidates essential electrical calculations and reference guides into a single app. It offers precise tools for conduit bending, wire sizing, voltage drop, and conduit fill, designed to enhance fieldwork efficiency and accuracy for professionals. The app functions offline, ensuring constant access to critical information.

Highlights
  • Conduit bending calculator
  • Wire sizing and voltage drop calculator
  • Conduit fill calculator
  • Construction calculator (feet/inches)
  • Electrical wiring color charts
  • Digital clinometer (level)
Read full description

Tired of juggling multiple calculators and reference guides on the job? The Electrician's Sidekick app from IDEAL Electrical is a free tool that combines the functions of many electrical calculators into one convenient app. Instantly calculate rolling offsets and bends with the precise conduit bending calculator and integrated level. Determine accurate wire sizing, voltage drop, and conduit fill to meet compliance standards. Designed by pros for pros, this app maximizes your fieldwork efficiency and accuracy from layout to final connection. The calculators continue to function even without internet connectivity, ensuring you always have access to the information you need. Key features include: Connector Selector – input the wire combination and connector style to receive recommendations for the right connector for the job. Wire Sizing & Voltage Drop Calculator – input wire size, voltage, amperage, and length to determine volts and drop percentage. Conduit Bending Calculator – select the type of conduit and desired bend (offset, saddle bend, or rolling offset), then input the angle, offset distance, and clearance. The dynamic display quickly shows the bend required, shrink, and other important information. Conduit Fill Calculator – input the conduit type and the number/size of conductors to calculate the minimum conduit size required for a certain percentage of fill. Construction Calculator – this specialized calculator permits electricians to add and multiply feet and inches and get the answer back in feet and inches. Electrical Wiring Color Charts – provides the wiring code for the various phases in a panel for both 120/280V and 277/480V systems. Clinometer – transform your phone into a digital level with zero/reset options. When placed on a flat surface, it automatically becomes a bubble level. Simplify every job with this all-in-one electrician's companion. Join the thousands of other electricians using the free Electrician’s Sidekick app from IDEAL Electrical. IDEAL Connections– everything you need to know about the IDEAL Connections program. Product information, website and more!

Screenshots

2017 Master Electrician Ref.4 screens
Electrician's Sidekick4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: 2017 Master Electrician Ref. at 67% against Electrician's Sidekick's 0%. 2017 Master Electrician Ref. also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (1.3K vs 16). Electrician's Sidekick's advantage is price (Free vs $9.99). On update cadence, 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

Electrician's Sidekick is free to download; 2017 Master Electrician Ref. costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

2017 Master Electrician Ref. holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 2017 Master Electrician Ref. has 1.3K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of 2017 Master Electrician Ref.'s written reviews are positive against 0% of Electrician's Sidekick's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

2017 Master Electrician Ref. ships an update every 5 months, Electrician's Sidekick every 4 months. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
2017 Master Electrician Ref. versus Electrician's Sidekick: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter2017 Master Electrician Ref.Electrician's Sidekick
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (1.3K ratings) — better3.5 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1.3K — better16
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#183 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB31 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPawEng, LLCIDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC

Customer experience

2017 Master Electrician Ref.

All ratings1,255 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Electrician's Sidekick

All ratings16 ratings
Positive56.3%
Neutral6.3%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

2017 Master Electrician Ref.

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Conduit fill information missing for certain types
  • Login screen freezes
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Update to latest NEC code
  • Add calculation tools for conduit fill and voltage drop
  • Improve user interface and navigation

Electrician's Sidekick

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

2017 Master Electrician Ref.

No in-app purchases

None

Electrician's Sidekick

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 2017 Master Electrician Ref. free?
2017 Master Electrician Ref. costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Electrician's Sidekick free?
Electrician's Sidekick is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, 2017 Master Electrician Ref. or Electrician's Sidekick?
2017 Master Electrician Ref. is rated higher. 2017 Master Electrician Ref. averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Electrician's Sidekick averages 3.5 from 16 ratings.
Do 2017 Master Electrician Ref. or Electrician's Sidekick have ads?
Neither 2017 Master Electrician Ref. nor Electrician's Sidekick shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 2017 Master Electrician Ref. or Electrician's Sidekick?
2017 Master Electrician Ref. ships an update every 5 months, and Electrician's Sidekick every 4 months. Most recently, 2017 Master Electrician Ref. was updated on September 22, 2026 and Electrician's Sidekick on September 22, 2026.

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