Comparison

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox vs NEC Load Calculator

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

NEC Load Calculator

This app performs electrical load calculations based on the NEC 2023 code. It offers modules for residential, commercial, motor, and branch circuit calculations, along with panel scheduling and PDF export. Designed for licensed electricians and contractors.

Highlights
  • NEC 2023 load calculations
  • Residential, commercial, motor, branch circuit modules
  • Panel schedule editor
  • Step-by-step calculation results
  • Panel layout generation
  • PDF export
Features
Read full description

NEC Load Calculator answers panel sizing, feeder, motor, branch circuit, and cable tray questions directly from the 2023 NEC — with the article citation and math shown for every result. Built for licensed electricians and contractors, not students. CALCULATION MODULES Residential Dwelling unit service sizing per NEC 220.40–220.55 and 220.82. Standard and optional methods. General lighting, small appliance and laundry circuits, fixed appliances, dryer, cooking equipment, HVAC, and service sizing with 230.79(C) minimums. Commercial Feeder and service load calculations per NEC 220.12, 220.44, 220.60, 430.24. Lighting, receptacles, motors, HVAC units, sign circuits, and demand factors. Supports 220/127V and 440/254V systems alongside standard US voltages, with a built-in reminder to verify against NOM-001-SEDE where applicable. Branch Circuit Conductor and OCPD sizing per NEC 210.19, 310.12, 310.15(B)(1)(a). Continuous load handling, conduit fill derating, ambient temperature correction. Covers 120V through 480V circuits, including 127V, 220V, 254V, and 440V. Motor Conductor, overload, and OCPD sizing per NEC 430.22, 430.32, 430.52. Full motor table lookups by horsepower, voltage, and phase. Panel Schedule Circuit-by-circuit panel editor with phase balance, loading percentage, and imbalance calculations per NEC 220.40 and 220.87. Cable Tray Tray fill and ampacity derating per NEC 392.22(A) and 392.80(A). Ventilated trough and solid-bottom tray types, small-cable fill-area limits, and the 90% width rule for large-cable diameter sums. RESULTS SHOW THE CALCULATION Every result includes the NEC article reference, the demand factor table used, and the step-by-step math — not just a final number. Built to be checked against the code book. PANEL LAYOUT Generate a panel layout directly from a load calculation: circuit numbers, breaker sizes, two-pole spans, and spare spaces, arranged the way a real panelboard is wired. Hand off into the full Panel Schedule editor to adjust circuit labels, phase assignment, or breaker sizes. PDF EXPORT Export any result as a PDF report for permit submission, job documentation, or client records.

Screenshots

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox4 screens
NEC Load Calculator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox at none against NEC Load Calculator's 1. Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox also leads on ratings volume (197 vs 3) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.6). NEC Load Calculator's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 77%). On price, ads, monetization model 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

Both are free to download. NEC Load Calculator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NEC Load Calculator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox has 197 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox's written reviews are positive against 100% of NEC Load Calculator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox ships an update every 3 months, NEC Load Calculator every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox versus NEC Load Calculator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMike Holt's Electrical ToolboxNEC Load Calculator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (197 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings197 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMike Holt EnterprisesV PUGAZHENTHI

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%

NEC Load Calculator

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

NEC Load Calculator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

NEC Load Calculator

One-time1
  • NEC LOAD PRO$7.99

Questions

Is Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox free?
Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NEC Load Calculator free?
NEC Load Calculator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox or NEC Load Calculator?
NEC Load Calculator is rated higher. Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox averages 4.6 out of 5 from 197 ratings, while NEC Load Calculator averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox or NEC Load Calculator have ads?
Neither Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox nor NEC Load Calculator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox or NEC Load Calculator?
Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox ships an update every 3 months, and NEC Load Calculator every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox was updated on November 2, 2026 and NEC Load Calculator on November 4, 2026.

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