Simple Circuit Builder vs WeldCalcs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simple Circuit Builder
This virtual lab offers a hands-on experience for learning about resistors and circuit resistance. Easily build and test series and parallel circuits, measure voltage and current, and understand the impact of component changes in real-time.
- Build circuits with up to eight components
- Five component types
- Virtual volt and amp meters
- Adjustable resistor and voltage values
- Real-time circuit analysis
- Demonstrates 'Opens' and 'Shorts'
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Description This is the BEST app to learn about Resistors and Circuit Resistance (Equivalent Resistance). This virtual lab provides an excellent environment for anyone who is interested in understanding series and parallel resistors, learning how to measure voltages across resistors, current through series and parallel circuits and solving simple circuits. Features - VERY SIMPLE and EASY TO USE, with up to eight component sections. - Component sections can easily be configured from five different types. - VIRTUAL "Hands On" experience using volt and amp meters. - Resistor values can easily be changed with a picker, keypad or using randomize button. - Circuit voltage can easily be changed from 1 to 1000 volts with a picker or a keypad. - The "Basics" screen make this app unique for the simplicity and speed of seeing the effects of "Opens" (resistor component with infinite resistance) and "Shorts" (resistor component with zero resistance). - FREE and NO ADVERTISEMENTS. - The circuit is always "LIVE" and immediately shows voltage, current and circuit resistance with any changes made to the circuit.
WeldCalcs
This engineering calculator app assists in the preliminary sizing of fillet welds for steel construction. It computes section properties for typical welding patterns, allowing users to input dimensions and applied forces/moments to determine the maximum resisting resultant force and initial weld size.
- Fillet weld design sizing
- Section property calculation
- Elastic Method calculations
- Input dimensions and forces
- Determines maximum resisting force
- Reference equations available
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Useful for the preliminary sizing of fillet welds, WeldCalcs is an engineering calculator app that computes the section properties for typical welding patterns used in steel construction. After selecting a Weld Group, the user enters the dimensions for the depth and width, along with any combination of applied forces and moments. The section properties for the Weld Group, including the area, section moduli and polar moment of inertia, are instantly calculated. The app also determines the maximum resisting resultant force and the initial fillet weld size. The calculations performed by the WeldCalcs app are based on the Elastic Method. This approach treats the weld as a line or a group of lines. This allows the weld group section properties to be determined without knowing the size of the weld. The section properties and the applied loads are used in structural engineering formulas to determine the maximum resisting resultant force along the weld. This resultant force is expressed in terms of force per unit length. Since the weld is evaluated based on a force per unit length, in lieu of stresses, combining the effects from different load types (shear, axial, moment, torsion) is easily accomplished. The applied moments and torsions are resolved into vertical, horizontal and axial components and then vectorially combined with the directly applied shears and axial forces. All of the applied loads are assumed to act through the center of gravity of the weld. Therefore, each segment of the weld resists an equal share of the direct shear and axial forces and a proportional share of the bending moments and torsions relative to the weld segment's distance to the neutral axis of the weld group. The fillet weld size is determined by dividing the maximum resisting resultant force by the available strength of the weld. For practicality, both weld dimensions 'd' and 'b' are limited to a minimum value of 0.25 inches and a maximum value of 100 inches. Dimensions 'tw' and 'tf' are limited to a minimum value of 0.125 inches and a maximum value of 10 inches. The applied forces are limited to a range of -99,999 to +99,999 kips. The applied moments are limited to a range of -99,999 to +99,999 kip-inches. The equations for the section properties and resultant forces used by the app are available for reference and manual verification by the user. The general equations for the resisting forces in each quadrant are based on the applied forces and moments all acting in the positive direction.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Simple Circuit Builder at Free against WeldCalcs's $1.99. Simple Circuit Builder also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 15 months) and ratings volume (28 vs 1). WeldCalcs's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.0). 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
Simple Circuit Builder is free to download; WeldCalcs costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
WeldCalcs holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Circuit Builder has 28 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Simple Circuit Builder ships an update every 3 weeks, WeldCalcs every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simple Circuit Builder | WeldCalcs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (28 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 15 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David White | Glendale Coding Labs, Inc |
Customer experience
Simple Circuit Builder
WeldCalcs
In-app purchases
Simple Circuit Builder
No in-app purchases
WeldCalcs
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Simple Circuit Builder free?
Is WeldCalcs free?
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