Comparison

SISO Calculator vs ControlsLab

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

Head to head
About

SISO Calculator

This app helps engineers and students understand System Dynamics and Controls. It offers an intuitive interface to quickly analyze controller and plant interactions in both time and frequency domains.

Highlights
  • System Dynamics analysis
  • Controls engineering
  • Intuitive interface
  • Time domain analysis
  • Frequency domain analysis
  • Controller interaction visualization
Features
Read full description

SISO Calculator was built to help practicing engineers and students get an intuitive sense of System Dynamics and Controls. The interface is focused so you can quickly interact with controllers and plants to see immediately how time and frequency interact and how controllers behave.

About

ControlsLab

This app offers a professional-grade simulator for system dynamics and control systems. It allows users to visualize and interact with mass-spring-damper systems and control loops without coding. Explore parameters, inputs, and analysis modes with real-time visual feedback.

Highlights
  • Real-time system simulation
  • Parameter adjustment with sliders
  • Live time-domain response plot
  • S-plane pole visualization
  • Open-loop and closed-loop modes
  • PID controller tuning
  • Bode plot analysis
Features
Read full description

ControlsLab is a professional-grade system dynamics and controls simulator designed for engineering students, educators, and practicing engineers. Simulate a mass-spring-damper system in real time. Adjust parameters with intuitive sliders and instantly see how the system responds - no coding required, no MATLAB license needed. FREE FEATURES SYSTEM SIMULATION - Mass, damping, and spring parameter control - Step, ramp, parabolic, and sinusoidal inputs - Adjustable initial conditions x(0) and dx(0) - Input signal overlay on time response plot VISUALIZATION - Live time-domain response plot - S-plane pole visualization - System stability classification - Overdamped, underdamped, critically damped detection ANALYSIS MODES - Open-loop mode: plant driven directly by input - Closed-loop mode: negative feedback with configurable setpoint PRO FEATURES - $4.99 One-time purchase, no subscription PID CONTROLLER - Full negative feedback implementation - P, PI, PD, and PID controller types - Live Kp, Ki, Kd gain tuning with instant response - Adjustable reference setpoint FREQUENCY DOMAIN - Bode plot: magnitude (dB) and phase (degrees) - Logarithmic frequency axis - Natural frequency, damping ratio, and bandwidth readouts WHO IS THIS FOR? - Undergraduate engineering students studying dynamic systems and feedback control - Graduate students reviewing control theory - Professors and educators demonstrating system behavior in lectures - Practicing engineers doing quick back-of-envelope system analysis - Anyone curious about how control systems work ControlsLab turns abstract differential equations into visual, interactive experiences. Move a slider and watch poles migrate across the S-plane. Toggle a controller and see overshoot disappear in real time. No prior programming experience required.

Screenshots

SISO Calculator4 screens
ControlsLab3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SISO Calculator at none against ControlsLab's 1. SISO Calculator also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.5). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. ControlsLab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SISO Calculator asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SISO Calculator against 5.0 for ControlsLab. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SISO Calculator versus ControlsLab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSISO CalculatorControlsLab
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDeft DynamicsPedro Resto

Customer experience

SISO Calculator

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ControlsLab

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

SISO Calculator

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ControlsLab

One-time1
  • ControlsLab Pro$4.99

Questions

Is SISO Calculator free?
SISO Calculator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ControlsLab free?
ControlsLab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SISO Calculator or ControlsLab?
SISO Calculator and ControlsLab are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do SISO Calculator or ControlsLab have ads?
Neither SISO Calculator nor ControlsLab shows ads.

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