Comparison

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox vs Electrical Load Calc NEC

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

Head to head
About

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox

This app provides essential calculations for electricians, inspectors, contractors, and engineers. It helps determine conductor sizing, circuit protection, race sizing, and grounding conductor sizes for various electrical equipment and services.

Highlights
  • Conductor sizing
  • Voltage drop limitations
  • Circuit protection sizing
  • Race sizing
  • Equipment grounding conductor sizing
  • Dwelling-unit service calculations
Features
Read full description

Mike Holt, the industry leader in the electrical industry (MikeHolt.com) has created an amazing, practical and useful app for the electrician, inspector, instructor, contractor and engineer. The app contains conductor sizing (including voltage drop limitations), circuit protection sizing, race sizing, equipment grounding conductor sizing for electric heating equipment (commercial and Residential), air-conditioning equipment (commercial and Residential), motors (commercial and Residential), Transformers (commercial) , and dwelling-unit service calculations and sizing.

About

Electrical Load Calc NEC

Calculate residential electrical service sizes accurately using NEC standards. This tool provides step-by-step breakdowns, references official articles, and supports multiple NEC editions for electricians and engineers.

Highlights
  • NEC 220.82 Optional Method calculations
  • Support for NEC 2023 and NEC 2026
  • Step-by-step breakdown with article references
  • Appliance presets and custom entry
  • Service size recommendations
  • PASS/FAIL check against panel capacity
Features
Read full description

NEC residential electrical load calculator for electricians, contractors, and electrical engineers. Size electrical services with confidence using the NEC 220.82 Optional Method and updated NEC 2026 Article 120 demand factors. Works 100% offline on the job site. Enter dwelling square footage, pick appliances from presets, and get a permit-ready service-size recommendation in seconds - with a full step-by-step breakdown and NEC article references on every line. Switch between NEC 2023 and NEC 2026 instantly to see how the new rules change your load. LOAD CALCULATION FEATURES: - NEC 220.82 Optional Method for dwelling units - NEC 2026 Article 120 support (load calc sections renumbered 220.x to 120.x) - Toggle between NEC 2023 and NEC 2026 in one tap - Step-by-step breakdown with NEC article references per line - Heating and A/C per 220.82(C): A/C and heat pump compressor at 100%, supplemental heat at 65%, electric space heating at 65% (under 4 units) or 40% (4 or more units) - EVSE per edition: 2023 as general load per 220.57 and 220.82(B) with 7,200 VA minimum; 2026 at 100% per 120.82(D) - Service size from standard ratings: 100A, 125A, 150A, 200A, 225A, 300A, 400A, 600A - PASS/FAIL check against existing panel capacity - 29 common appliance presets with VA ratings - Custom appliance entry for any load - General lighting auto-calculated from square footage per 220.41 - Small appliance and laundry circuits added per 220.52 - HVAC non-coincident load handling (heating vs cooling) - EV charger support (Level 2: 32A, 40A, 48A) APPLIANCE PRESETS INCLUDED: - Electric range and oven (8,000-16,000 VA) - Clothes dryer (5,000-5,500 VA) - Water heater (4,500 VA) - Heat pump (2-5 ton) and central AC (2-5 ton) - Supplemental heat strips (5 kW, 10 kW) for heat pump systems - EV charger Level 2 (7,680-11,520 VA) - Dishwasher, disposal, microwave - Pool pump, hot tub, well pump - And more - or enter custom VA values PRO FEATURES (one-time purchase): - No ads - clean interface for professionals - Save calculation history by job or address - Export permit-ready PDF with full load breakdown - Dark theme support NEC 2026 UPDATES COVERED: - General lighting reduced to 2 VA/sq ft (was 3 VA/sq ft) - First tier demand reduced to 8,000 VA (was 10,000 VA) - EV chargers at 100% demand factor per 120.82(D) - Article 220 relocated to Article 120 (220.82 is now 120.82) HOW IT WORKS: 1. Enter dwelling square footage 2. Select NEC edition (2023 or 2026) 3. Add appliances from presets or custom entry 4. See total demand in amps with NEC article references 5. Get recommended service size instantly NEC ARTICLE REFERENCES: Every calculation line shows the exact NEC article reference (for example "NEC 220.82(B)" or "NEC 2026 120.82(D)"). Verify every step against the official NEC code book, build trust with inspectors, and prep for the electrical exam. PERFECT FOR: - Licensed electricians sizing residential services daily - Electrical apprentices studying for journeyman exams - Electrical contractors bidding residential and light commercial jobs - Electrical engineers and designers - Panel upgrade assessments - EV charger installation planning - New construction load calculations - Permit applications and plan review OFFLINE AND PRIVACY: - Works 100% offline - no internet needed on the job site - No account required - No data collection - your calculations stay on your device - Encrypted local storage for saved jobs Simplify residential load calculations on the job site.

Screenshots

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox4 screens
Electrical Load Calc NEC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox at Free against Electrical Load Calc NEC's $0.99. Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Electrical Load Calc NEC's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). On 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

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox is free to download; Electrical Load Calc NEC costs $0.99 up front. Electrical Load Calc NEC sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox has 197 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox ships an update every 3 months, Electrical Load Calc NEC every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox versus Electrical Load Calc NEC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMike Holt's Electrical ToolboxElectrical Load Calc NEC
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.6 (197 ratings) — better3.4 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews76.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings197 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB34 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMike Holt EnterprisesRizvan Adzhoian

Customer experience

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox

All ratings197 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral1.5%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive76.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative16.7%

Electrical Load Calc NEC

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cannot email results
  • Video player widescreen exit bug
  • Previous calculation data not erased
  • App content is outdated

Requested features

6 requests
  • Increase transformer capacity to 225kva
  • Add option to print load calc
  • Update to NEC 2020
  • Add completion system for video series
  • Refine user interface for better usability
Show 1 more
  • Add more features, willing to pay extra

Electrical Load Calc NEC

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Electrical Load Calc NEC

One-time1
  • Pro Unlock$2.99

Questions

Is Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox free?
Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Electrical Load Calc NEC free?
Electrical Load Calc NEC costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox or Electrical Load Calc NEC?
Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox is rated higher. Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox averages 4.6 out of 5 from 197 ratings, while Electrical Load Calc NEC averages 3.4 from 5 ratings.
Do Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox or Electrical Load Calc NEC have ads?
Neither Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox nor Electrical Load Calc NEC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox or Electrical Load Calc NEC?
Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox ships an update every 3 months, and Electrical Load Calc NEC every 3 days. Most recently, Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox was updated on October 26, 2026 and Electrical Load Calc NEC on October 31, 2026.

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