# iCircuit vs System Designer

The clearest difference is price: System Designer at Free against iCircuit's $12.99. System Designer also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). iCircuit's advantage is chart position (#172 vs unranked) and ratings volume (134 vs 17). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

System Designer is free to download; iCircuit costs $12.99 up front. iCircuit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. System Designer asks for nothing beyond the download.

System Designer holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iCircuit has 134 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of iCircuit's written reviews are positive against 78% of System Designer's.

iCircuit ships an update every 3 weeks, System Designer monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iCircuit | System Designer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $12.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.8 (134 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/icircuit/id383359044/reviews) | **[4.4 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/system-designer/id1132983280/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **134** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | 61.1% of reviews | **77.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#172** | — |
| Size | 126 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.2** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Krueger Systems, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299293363) | [Erwan Carriou](https://appshunter.io/developer/1102494853) |

## What reviewers say

### iCircuit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/icircuit/id383359044)

**Currently charting:** #172 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

Design and simulate analog and digital electronic circuits in real-time. This app offers a comprehensive component library, built-in test equipment, and the ability to create custom elements. It's ideal for learning, prototyping, and validating designs without physical components.

**Highlights:** Real-time circuit simulation, Extensive component library (300+), Built-in test equipment (multimeter, oscilloscope), Programmable Arduino and PIC microcontroller support, Custom element creation and sharing, Audio simulation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| iCircuit Pro (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| iCircuit Pro (Yearly) | $14.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for learning and testing
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 💡 Programmable Arduino integration
- 👍 Useful for hobbyists and students

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔧 Difficult to edit and delete components
- 🔧 Limited component library
- 🔧 Inaccurate simulation results in some cases

**Reported bugs**

- Oscilloscope and meter functions not working properly
- Saving and loading circuits can be unreliable
- Inconsistent behavior when rotating/flipping components
- Crashes when working with larger or more complex circuits

**Requested features**

- More components (e.g. transformers, triodes, MOSFETs)
- Ability to create custom components
- Frequency domain analysis (Bode plots, FFT)
- Improved wiring and component placement controls
- Better support for AC circuits and motors


### System Designer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/system-designer/id1132983280)

Design complex systems using a low-code platform that leverages UML standards. Generate code skeletons and manage components graphically. Run and test your system with dynamic type checking.

**Highlights:** UML-based system modeling, Code skeleton generation, Graphical component creation, MSON format for model definition, Dynamic type checking, Cross-device synchronization via GitHub

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iCircuit free?

iCircuit costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is System Designer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, iCircuit or System Designer?

System Designer is rated higher. iCircuit averages 3.8 out of 5 from 134 ratings, while System Designer averages 4.4 from 17 ratings.

### Do iCircuit or System Designer have ads?

Neither iCircuit nor System Designer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iCircuit or System Designer?

iCircuit ships an update every 3 weeks, and System Designer monthly. Most recently, iCircuit was updated on September 24, 2026 and System Designer 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.*