Comparison

iCircuit 3D vs Digital Electronics Guide

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

Head to head
About

iCircuit 3D

Design, build, and test electronic circuits in a realistic 3D environment. This app offers a virtual workbench with over 150 simulated parts and tools to experiment with circuits, diagnose issues, and visualize component behavior.

Highlights
  • 3D virtual workbench
  • Real-time circuit simulation
  • 150+ physically simulated parts
  • Realistic component behavior
  • Magic smoke failure simulation
  • Import custom 3D models
  • Symbolic component library
Features
Read full description

iCircuit 3D gives you an endless virtual workbench to design, build, and test electronics projects in 3D. It combines the robust real-time, always-on simulation engine of iCircuit with modern 3D rendering and physics on iOS and macOS. Do not let the availability of physical parts limit your creativity. Choose from an expansive library of 150+ physically and electronically simulated parts and over 1,000 reference boards to plan layouts, wire circuits, test ideas, and iterate fast. It also includes the full standard component library from the original iCircuit, so you can switch between realistic parts and symbolic circuit elements whenever you want. When powered, LEDs light up realistically, DC motors spin, and speakers make noise. Watch current flow along your simulated wires. See pinouts and color codes directly on components. Tap any part to view live values like voltage and current, then change parameters instantly. If you miswire something or overstress a component, magic smoke will billow from the point of failure so you can quickly diagnose and fix the problem. Add reference photos to the environment, import your own 3D models to mount projects onto, or use Blocks to build enclosures, panels, and simple structures. FEATURES • Tons of resistors, capacitors, and LEDs • Multiple breadboards and wiring elements • Diodes, BJTs, MOSFETs • DC power supplies • Waveform generators (AC, square, sawtooth) • Batteries (AA, AAA, 18650, coin cells, and more) • Switches (SPST, SPDT) • Buzzers and speakers • DC motors and servos • Programmable Arduino elements • The full symbolic iCircuit library (standard components included) • 1,000+ reference circuit boards for layout planning (not fully simulated) • Import board layouts from Eagle (imported layouts are for wiring/layout reference and do not simulate) • Import custom 3D models to attach your projects to, and simulate their behavior on the workbench • Import images for reference or documentation and place them as physical photographs HOW IT WORKS Add parts to the 3D workbench and they land on the table with gravity. Drag parts around, then draw wires between ports to connect them. When a circuit is completed, it starts simulating immediately. Wires stay connected as you move parts, so you can build tidy panels and enclosures, or leave parts scattered like a real bench. iCircuit 3D was designed for fun and exploration, with plenty more to discover as you build. I hope you enjoy this new take on circuit software.

About

Digital Electronics Guide

This app serves as a comprehensive reference for digital electronics, covering essential theory and practical guides. It's designed for students, engineers, and hobbyists to learn and prototype digital circuits with ease. Features include detailed information on logic gates, IC families, and various digital components.

Highlights
  • Logic gate tutorials
  • IC reference data (TTL 7400, CMOS 4000)
  • Digital circuit design and prototyping
  • Covers counters, flip-flops, and more
  • Available in 14 languages
  • Detailed tutorials and references
Features
Read full description

Digital Electronics Guide is a powerful reference tool for electronics students, engineers, and hobbyists. Whether you're just starting out or already experienced, this app helps you design, learn, and prototype with ease. It combines essential theory with practical guides and covers key digital electronics topics, including logic gates, counters, flip-flops, and IC reference data. The app also features detailed information on popular digital IC families such as TTL 7400 and CMOS 4000 series. Perfect for quick learning or as a companion for working on electronic circuits and digital systems. Available in 14 Languages: • English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese — study in your native language! The app includes detailed tutorials and references for: • Basic logic • Families of digital chips • Universal logic elements • Elements with Schmitt trigger • Buffer elements • Flip-flops • Registers • Counters • Adders • Multiplexers • Decoders and demultiplexers • 7-segment LED drivers • Encryptors • Digital comparators • Astable CMOS Oscillators • Monostable CMOS Oscillators • Bistable CMOS Oscillators • Gated CMOS Oscillators • TTL Oscillators • 7400 series ICs • 4000 series ICs Whether you're learning, teaching, or building real-world digital circuits, Digital Electronics Pro is your trusted companion every step of the way.

Screenshots

iCircuit 3D4 screens
Digital Electronics Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Digital Electronics Guide at 100% against iCircuit 3D's 41%. Digital Electronics Guide also leads on price (Free vs $12.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.1). iCircuit 3D's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (72 vs 2). On 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

Digital Electronics Guide is free to download; iCircuit 3D costs $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Digital Electronics Guide holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iCircuit 3D has 72 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of iCircuit 3D's written reviews are positive against 100% of Digital Electronics Guide's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iCircuit 3D ships an update every 8 months, Digital Electronics Guide every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
iCircuit 3D versus Digital Electronics Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriCircuit 3DDigital Electronics Guide
Price$12.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (72 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings72 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size142 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKrueger Systems, Inc.ALG Software Lab

Customer experience

iCircuit 3D

All ratings72 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive40.8%
Neutral14.3%
Negative44.9%

Digital Electronics Guide

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

In-app purchases

None

iCircuit 3D

No in-app purchases

None

Digital Electronics Guide

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iCircuit 3D free?
iCircuit 3D costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Digital Electronics Guide free?
Digital Electronics Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iCircuit 3D or Digital Electronics Guide?
Digital Electronics Guide is rated higher. iCircuit 3D averages 4.1 out of 5 from 72 ratings, while Digital Electronics Guide averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do iCircuit 3D or Digital Electronics Guide have ads?
Digital Electronics Guide shows ads; iCircuit 3D does not.
Which is updated more often, iCircuit 3D or Digital Electronics Guide?
iCircuit 3D ships an update every 8 months, and Digital Electronics Guide every 5 weeks. Most recently, iCircuit 3D was updated on October 14, 2026 and Digital Electronics Guide on October 1, 2026.

Other comparisons