Comparison

iBend Pipe vs Ugly's Electrical References

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

Head to head
About

iBend Pipe

This app simplifies conduit bending calculations for electricians and tradespeople. It offers instant, accurate results for various bend types using English or Metric measurements, with customizable bender profiles and an integrated protractor.

Highlights
  • Calculates various conduit bends
  • Supports English and Metric measurements
  • Instant, one-screen calculations
  • Accurate centerline bending radius calculations
  • Includes protractor function
  • Customizable bender profiles
Features
Read full description

iBend Pipe — Bend It Right the First Time iBend Pipe is a professional conduit bending calculator designed to help electricians make accurate bends faster and reduce wasted material. Whether you're bending a simple offset or laying out a complex compound bend around an obstruction, iBend Pipe gives you the information you need to bend it right—the first time. CONDUIT BENDING CALCULATORS Calculate the following bends using English or Metric measurements: • Offsets — bend toward or away from an obstruction • Rolling Offsets — bend toward or away from an obstruction • Parallel Offset Adjustments • 3-Bend Saddles • 4-Bend Saddles • Segmented Bends • 90° Bends • Back-to-Back 90° Bends • Kicked 90° Bends • Compound 90° Bends around round obstructions • Compound 90° Bends around square obstructions • Compound 90° Bends around rectangular obstructions FAST, ONE-SCREEN CALCULATIONS Enter your measurements and see results update instantly. There’s no need to work through multiple screens just to get a measurement. iBend Pipe is designed to keep the calculation and results visible so you can work quickly and efficiently. Large, easy-to-read measurements make the app practical to use on the job. ACCURATE, PRACTICAL RESULTS iBend Pipe goes beyond basic bending multipliers. Centerline bending radius calculations are available for greater accuracy, and bends automatically account for shrink so you don't have to do the math yourself. Pre-position your bends, plan your layout, and get the information you need before you start bending. What's faster—bending it twice or bending it right the first time? PROTRACTOR INCLUDED Use the built-in protractor to measure your bend angle as you bend. The measured angle can be sent directly back to your calculation, helping you work faster without switching between tools. BENDER PROFILES iBend Pipe includes nearly 100 bender and conduit combinations. You can also customize or modify profiles to match the benders and conduit you use in the field. FRACTIONS, NOT JUST DECIMALS Enter measurements as fractions instead of converting everything to decimals. Get your results in practical measurements you can use on the job. BUILT FOR ELECTRICIANS iBend Pipe is for the electrician who takes pride in their work. If you're the person other electricians come to when they have a difficult bend, this app is for you. If you want less wasted conduit in the bone pile, this app is for you. If you can write your name in conduit, this app is definitely for you. From a first-year apprentice to a seasoned journeyman, iBend Pipe is designed to save time, reduce wasted material, and make difficult conduit bends easier to plan. Bend it right. The first time. Thanks for all the great reviews! If you have questions or suggestions, contact me at: support@ibendpipe.com

About

Ugly's Electrical References

This app provides electricians and electrical professionals with up-to-date digital information based on the National Electrical Code. It includes formulas, wiring diagrams, conduit bending guides, and calculators for various electrical calculations. The app is designed for on-the-job reference and works offline.

Highlights
  • NEC 2026 updates
  • Mathematical formulas and calculators
  • Conduit bending guide with videos
  • Ampacity and conduit fill information
  • Wiring diagrams
  • Conversion tables
  • Works offline
Features
Read full description

The Ugly's Electrical References App has been updated to reflect changes to the 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC) and the 2026 Edition of our popular Ugly’s Electrical References book. The Ugly’s App offers the most pertinent, up-to-date digital information for electricians, including table change information, mathematical formulas; National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) wiring configurations; a conduit bending guide with videos, ampacity and conduit fill information, transformer and control circuit wiring diagrams, and conversion tables. The 2026 Edition: * Reflects changes to the 2026 NEC * Features expanded coverage of the following topics: * Full-load currents for 3-phase transformers  * Maximum number of conductors in electrical metallic tubing for trade sizes 5 and 6  * Equipment grounding conductors  * General lighting loads for non-dwelling occupancies  * Overview of important NEC code changes from 2020, 2023 and 2026  Electricians and electrical professionals have used ‘Ugly’s Electrical References’ book as their on-the-job reference for over 35 years. This app will serve you even better in the field today.  FEATURING Calculators and Interactive Features • Ohm’s Law Calculator • Voltage Drop Calculator • Ampacity Calculator • To Find: Amps, Watts, Horsepower, KVA • To Find: Inductance, Impedance, Reactance • Three-phase AC Motor Data: Starter, Breaker, Heater, Wire, and Conduit Size • Power Factor Correction • Full Load Current for Motors and Transformers • Locked-Rotor Current Calculator • Offset Bending Calculator • Conduit Fill Calculator • Conversions for Area, Length, Temperature, Time, Volume, and Weight • NEMA Wiring Configurations *Pinch & Zoom for improved readability *Conduit Bending Video Tutorials *Search function helps you quickly find what you need to know *NEC Updater outlines and explains changes to the National Electrical Code© *Electrical Safety including definitions, boundaries, procedures, PPE guidance, and life-saving *First aid procedures *Blueprint symbol identifier *Bookmark your commonly used screens *High-definition images and interactive tables that can be zoomed in for detail *Works offline *Great for electricians, students, engineers, contractors, maintenance workers, and military Interested in a buying more than one copy of the Ugly’s Electrical Reference app for your commercially owned devices? Please email info[at]uglys[dot]net for details on volume purchases. Privacy Policy - http://www.jblearning.com/privacy/ Terms of Service - http://www.jblearning.com/use/ Support – http://www.uglys.net/appsupport The Ugly’s Electrical Reference app is part of the popular Ugly’s Professional Reference® series, which is an imprint of Jones & Bartlett Learning. National Electrical Code and NFPA 70 are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Agency and are not associated with Ugly’s Electrical References in any way.

Screenshots

iBend Pipe4 screens
Ugly's Electrical References4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: iBend Pipe at $4.99 against Ugly's Electrical References's $12.99. iBend Pipe also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 47%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). Ugly's Electrical References's advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 101) and rating (4.4 vs 4.2). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position 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

iBend Pipe costs $4.99 and Ugly's Electrical References $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ugly's Electrical References holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ugly's Electrical References has 1.5K ratings behind it against 101, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of iBend Pipe's written reviews are positive against 47% of Ugly's Electrical References's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iBend Pipe ships an update fortnightly, Ugly's Electrical References every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
iBend Pipe versus Ugly's Electrical References: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriBend PipeUgly's Electrical References
Price$4.99 — better$12.99
Rating4.2 (101 ratings)4.4 (1.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.7% of reviews — better47.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1011.5K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#8#6 — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB63 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperFrancisco AlcalaInformed Publishing

Customer experience

iBend Pipe

All ratings101 ratings
Positive80.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative16.8%
Written reviews109 reviews
Positive81.7%
Neutral3.7%
Negative14.7%

Ugly's Electrical References

All ratings1,495 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral5.7%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews172 reviews
Positive47.1%
Neutral16.9%
Negative36.0%

User reviews

iBend Pipe

From 101 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Saves significant time on job sites
  • 📐 Accurate calculations for complex bends
  • 👍 User-friendly interface and intuitive design
  • 💡 Comprehensive bend types (offsets, saddles, kicks, rolls)
  • 🎓 Excellent tool for apprentices and learning

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Limited support for rigid conduit (EMT-focused)
  • 🐛 Greyed out options without clear explanation
  • 🐛 Apple Watch compatibility issues and crashes
  • 🐛 Missing app icon after purchase
  • 🐛 Inconsistent bender/conduit size detection

Ugly's Electrical References

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick reference
  • 👍 Helpful for apprentices and journeymen
  • 👍 Convenient to have on phone
  • 👍 Useful calculators
  • 👍 Great resource

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Videos/audio not working
  • 🐛 Bookmarking issues
  • 🐛 Glitchy navigation
  • 🐛 Difficult to find information
  • 🐛 Annoying review pop-up

Bugs and requests

iBend Pipe

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Apple Watch app crashes
  • Missing app icon in app library after purchase
  • Segment bend calculations producing incorrect developed length
  • 4-point saddle measurements (ABCD) potentially inaccurate
  • Step-by-step instructions removed in recent update
Show 3 more
  • App becomes unresponsive with certain calculations
  • Bender type selection not retained between sessions
  • Incompatibility with Android version features on iOS

Requested features

17 requests
  • Apple Watch compatibility and offset calculator
  • Support for rigid conduit calculations
  • Metric system measurements
  • Multi-bend layout (offset + 90 + kick in one stick)
  • Parallel offset calculations for different pipe sizes
Show 12 more
  • Pipe spacing calculations for panel entry
  • Gain calculations for deducts
  • Conduit shrink information
  • 3-point saddle with step-by-step instructions
  • Support for larger pipe sizes (2", 4" etc)
  • Hickey bender calculations
  • Parker and Swagelok crank bender support
  • Hydraulic bender support
  • Front of shoe adjustment for table benders
  • Ability to select bender and conduit size each time
  • Simpler/faster calculation mode option
  • Detailed visual descriptions and pictures for bending techniques

Ugly's Electrical References

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Videos not playing
  • Bookmarks not working correctly
  • Navigation issues causing app crashes
  • Incorrect calculation results

Requested features

5 requests
  • Zoom functionality
  • Better search capabilities
  • Spanish language support
  • Offline access to full content
  • Improved bookmarking system

In-app purchases

None

iBend Pipe

No in-app purchases

None

Ugly's Electrical References

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iBend Pipe free?
iBend Pipe costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ugly's Electrical References free?
Ugly's Electrical References costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iBend Pipe or Ugly's Electrical References?
Ugly's Electrical References is rated higher. iBend Pipe averages 4.2 out of 5 from 101 ratings, while Ugly's Electrical References averages 4.4 from 1.5K ratings.
Do iBend Pipe or Ugly's Electrical References have ads?
Neither iBend Pipe nor Ugly's Electrical References shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iBend Pipe or Ugly's Electrical References?
iBend Pipe ships an update fortnightly, and Ugly's Electrical References every 3 months. Most recently, iBend Pipe was updated on September 23, 2026 and Ugly's Electrical References on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, iBend Pipe or Ugly's Electrical References?
iBend Pipe currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and Ugly's Electrical References at #6. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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