Electrician's Sidekick vs SparkShift
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Electrician's Sidekick
This free tool consolidates essential electrical calculations and reference guides into a single app. It offers precise tools for conduit bending, wire sizing, voltage drop, and conduit fill, designed to enhance fieldwork efficiency and accuracy for professionals. The app functions offline, ensuring constant access to critical information.
- Conduit bending calculator
- Wire sizing and voltage drop calculator
- Conduit fill calculator
- Construction calculator (feet/inches)
- Electrical wiring color charts
- Digital clinometer (level)
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Tired of juggling multiple calculators and reference guides on the job? The Electrician's Sidekick app from IDEAL Electrical is a free tool that combines the functions of many electrical calculators into one convenient app. Instantly calculate rolling offsets and bends with the precise conduit bending calculator and integrated level. Determine accurate wire sizing, voltage drop, and conduit fill to meet compliance standards. Designed by pros for pros, this app maximizes your fieldwork efficiency and accuracy from layout to final connection. The calculators continue to function even without internet connectivity, ensuring you always have access to the information you need. Key features include: Connector Selector – input the wire combination and connector style to receive recommendations for the right connector for the job. Smart Meter Connectivity - Connect compatible IDEAL smart test instruments to automatically capture measurements, monitor readings in real time, and document results directly from your mobile device. Wire Sizing & Voltage Drop Calculator – input wire size, voltage, amperage, and length to determine volts and drop percentage. Conduit Bending Calculator – select the type of conduit and desired bend (offset, saddle bend, or rolling offset), then input the angle, offset distance, and clearance. The dynamic display quickly shows the bend required, shrink, and other important information. Conduit Fill Calculator – input the conduit type and the number/size of conductors to calculate the minimum conduit size required for a certain percentage of fill. Construction Calculator – this specialized calculator permits electricians to add and multiply feet and inches and get the answer back in feet and inches. Electrical Wiring Color Charts – provides the wiring code for the various phases in a panel for both 120/280V and 277/480V systems. Clinometer – transform your phone into a digital level with zero/reset options. When placed on a flat surface, it automatically becomes a bubble level. Simplify every job with this all-in-one electrician's companion. Join the thousands of other electricians using the free Electrician’s Sidekick app from IDEAL Electrical. DATA COMM - T568A/T568B Wiring Reference and conduit fill calculator for data cables. Box Fill Calculator - Calculate NEC® box fill requirements in seconds. Account for conductors, devices, grounding conductors, cable clamps, fixture studs, and plaster rings while instantly verifying box capacity and available volume.
SparkShift
This app helps electricians streamline OJT logging, jobsite organization, and exam preparation. It provides field calculators and reference tools, consolidating essential resources for apprentices and journeymen in one place.
- Log OJT and work hours
- Field calculators for electrical work
- Journeyman and master exam practice
- Organize jobsite details and notes
- Track apprenticeship progress
- Export hour records
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SparkShift helps electricians stop rebuilding hours from memory: log OJT records, organize jobsites, open field calculators, and study for exams from one jobsite-ready app. Built for electrical apprentices, journeymen, foremen, and contractors, SparkShift keeps the paperwork and reference tools you already reach for close to the work. OJT AND WORK HOURS - Log apprenticeship and work hours from your phone - Add timestamps, notes, work categories, and optional location context - Track progress across union and merit-shop workflows - Review and export hour records before sharing with a training program, employer, union local, contractor, state board, or provincial authority FIELD CALCULATORS AND REFERENCES - Use NEC/CEC-aware calculators for common electrical work - Check voltage drop, conduit fill, box fill, wire sizing, load calculations, and other field references - Keep practical code-study tools nearby when service is weak or you are moving between jobsites EXAM PREP - Practice journeyman and master exam questions - Review explanations, study notes, and confidence feedback - Keep prep connected to the same trade record you use in the field JOBSITES, CREWS, AND RECORDS - Organize jobsite details, schedules, absences, and field notes - Support submitted-hour review and crew visibility for foremen and contractor workflows - Keep certifications, work history, community, and career tools in one electrician-first system SparkShift was built from real jobsite paperwork pain: lost logs, rebuilt hours, scattered notes, and reference tools spread across too many apps. IMPORTANT LIMITS SparkShift is a recordkeeping and workflow tool. It is not a licensing board, apprenticeship sponsor, employer of record, payroll provider, legal advisor, code authority, inspector, or safety authority. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, training program, employer, union local, province, state, and storefront. Always verify current rules before relying on an export, calculation, report, or submission. LEGAL Privacy Policy: https://sparkshift.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://sparkshift.app/terms Community Guidelines: https://sparkshift.app/community-guidelines Support: https://sparkshift.app/contact
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Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SparkShift at 5.0 against Electrician's Sidekick's 3.6. SparkShift also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months). Electrician's Sidekick's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (18 vs 3). On price, 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
Both are free to download. SparkShift sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Electrician's Sidekick asks for nothing beyond the download.
SparkShift holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Electrician's Sidekick has 18 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Electrician's Sidekick ships an update every 4 months, SparkShift every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Electrician's Sidekick | SparkShift |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (18 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 18 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 199 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC | SPARKSHIFT LLC |
Customer experience
Electrician's Sidekick
SparkShift
In-app purchases
Electrician's Sidekick
No in-app purchases
SparkShift
- Journeyman Month$0.991 Month
- Apprentice Month Subscription$6.991 Month
- Journeyman Year Subscription$29.001 Year
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- Apprentice Yearly Sub$69.991 Year
Questions
Is Electrician's Sidekick free?
Is SparkShift free?
Which has better reviews, Electrician's Sidekick or SparkShift?
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Which is updated more often, Electrician's Sidekick or SparkShift?
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