# Lineman's Reference vs Boat

The clearest difference is price: Boat at Free against Lineman's Reference's $19.99. Lineman's Reference's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 2.7) and review sentiment (62% vs 33%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Boat is free to download; Lineman's Reference costs $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Lineman's Reference holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lineman's Reference has 307 ratings behind it against 38, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Lineman's Reference's written reviews are positive against 33% of Boat's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lineman's Reference | Boat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (307 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/linemans-reference-xfmr-lab/id1583878194/reviews)** | [2.7 (38 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-ed-plus/id6745478265/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **307** | 38 |
| Positive reviews | **62.2% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#12** | — |
| Size | 65 MB | 278 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Digital Apprentice LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1565687382) | [Kalkomey](https://appshunter.io/developer/1053967557) |

## What reviewers say

### Lineman's Reference

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/linemans-reference-xfmr-lab/id1583878194)

**Currently charting:** #12 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

This interactive simulator allows users to study and learn transformer connections. Test your wiring with various meters, and experience consequences of improper connections. Includes reference diagrams, informational material, and a quiz mode to test knowledge.

**Highlights:** Transformer connection simulation, Volt, ohm, and rotation meters, Abnormal voltage and fuse explosion simulation, Transformer nameplate and coil inspection, Quick reference diagrams, Informational reading material, Quiz and advanced quiz modes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for learning
- 👍 Helpful for apprentices
- 👍 Useful practice tool
- 👍 Good concept
- 👍 Excellent labs and sandbox

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Too many bugs
- 🐛 App is clunky
- 🐛 Wiring issues
- 🐛 Incorrect diagrams
- 🐛 Incorrect quiz answers

**Reported bugs**

- Tutorial loop
- Lines not connecting
- Cannot wire up all banks
- WYE Delta is wrong
- Cannot bus secondary x2 to x2 bushing for delta secondaries

**Requested features**

- Ability to build own banks
- Add tap changer settings
- Add vector charts
- Add more labs with different scenarios
- Create your own bank option


### Boat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-ed-plus/id6745478265)

Learn boating safety through interactive simulations and a virtual instructor. Earn your official, lifetime boater safety certification recognized nationwide. Optimized for touch devices and available offline.

**Highlights:** Virtual instructor with real-time feedback, Scenario-driven training, On-the-water simulations, Self-paced learning, Lifetime certification, Offline access

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lineman's Reference free?

Lineman's Reference costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Boat free?

Boat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Lineman's Reference or Boat?

Lineman's Reference is rated higher. Lineman's Reference averages 4.6 out of 5 from 307 ratings, while Boat averages 2.7 from 38 ratings.

### Do Lineman's Reference or Boat have ads?

Neither Lineman's Reference nor Boat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lineman's Reference or Boat?

Lineman's Reference ships an update every 4 weeks, and Boat every 4 weeks. Most recently, Lineman's Reference was updated on September 27, 2026 and Boat on September 18, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*