iCircuit vs RF
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iCircuit
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.
- 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
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iCircuit is the premier iPhone and iPad app for designing, simulating, and learning analog and digital electronics. Its advanced simulation engine provides real-time, always-on analysis so your circuits stay powered and live, just like working with real components. Use it like a CAD tool: add components, wire them up, and set their properties. But iCircuit is unlike typical CAD apps because it is always simulating. You do not stop to take a measurement or spend time configuring reports. Instead, you just play with the circuit as you normally would, with the power on. Build circuits with over 300 components, from simple resistors and LEDs to programmable Arduinos (Uno, Nano, Mega, ESP8266, ESP32), Raspberry Pi Pico boards running real MicroPython and CircuitPython, PIC microcontrollers, and 60 4000/7400-series digital ICs (more available with Pro). Connect elements, adjust values, and instantly see the results. BUILT-IN TEST EQUIPMENT • Multimeter: Probe any point to read voltage, current, and power • Oscilloscope: Track multiple signals with touch-controlled time scale, stacked/unstacked views, FFT analysis, and Bode plots • Gauges: Visualize voltages, currents, and frequencies directly in your circuit • Signal generators and configurable sources EXTENSIVE COMPONENT LIBRARY • Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico 2 running genuine MicroPython and CircuitPython firmware • Programmable Arduinos (Uno, Nano, Mega, ESP8266, ESP32) • Programmable PIC microcontrollers (assembly and HEX files, more available with Pro) • Power: Voltage regulators (78xx, LM317), sources, dependent sources, power jacks, and simulated antennas • Analog: Resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, BJTs, MOSFETs, thermistors, triodes, and tetrodes • Digital: Logic gates (AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR), JK and D flip-flops, and 60 4000/7400-series ICs (180+ available with Pro) • ADCs and DACs • Sensors and displays: LEDs, 7-segment, NeoPixels, matrix displays, thermistors • Electromechanical: Motors, servos, SPST/SPDT and DPST/DPDT switches, push buttons, relays, and speakers SPICE, VERILOG, AND VHDL Import vendor SPICE models and subcircuits and use them as components. Write Verilog or VHDL in the HDL element and wire it to the rest of your circuit. CREATE CUSTOM ELEMENTS Build sub-circuits and custom elements to componentize your designs and create reusable modules. Share your custom elements with others via the iCircuit Gallery. AUDIO SIMULATION Hear your circuits. Speakers, buzzers, and microphones produce real audio output. Perfect for students learning electronics, hobbyists prototyping projects, and engineers validating designs, all without burning out a single component. ABOUT ICIRCUIT PRO (OPTIONAL) iCircuit is a complete app with a one-time purchase. iCircuit Pro is optional and adds extra components (including more PICs and a larger 4000/7400 IC library) and helps fund ongoing development. Pro is not required for core simulation or everyday circuit design. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
RF
This app provides over 90 specialized tools for high-frequency electronics, catering to RF professionals, radio amateurs, and students. It offers calculations for PCB traces, filters, impedance, and more, with ongoing updates and new features planned.
- PCB Trace Width and Impedance
- LC/L/T/Pi Match Calculation
- Coax Cable Calculations
- Amplifier and Attenuator Cascade
- SWR/Reflection/Return Loss Conversion
- Filter Design (Butterworth, Chebyshev)
- RF Units Conversion
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Specialized on high frequency electronics for RF professionals, radio amateurs and students. RF-Toolbox is based on the popular Electronic Toolbox by Marcus Roskosch. This app contains some of the common tools of Electronic Toolbox but contains a wide range of additional tools, specialized for high frequency electronics, RF professionals, radio amateurs and students. Currently RF-Toolbox consists of more than 90 tools and like Electronic Toolbox, there are more to come over the time. Feature list: ■ PCB Trace Width (Internal and external Traces) ■ PCB Trace Resistance ■ PCB Trace Impedance (various trace types e.g. Microstrip, embedded Microstrip, Symmetric and Asymetric Stripline, Wire Microchip, Wire Stripline, Edge Coupled Microstrip and Stripline) PCB Crosstalk (Microstrip and Stripline) ■ LC L/T/Pi Match calculation ■ Coax Cable calculation (Standard and individual Types) ■ Amplifier and Attenuator cascade calculation ■ SWR / Reflection / Return loss conversion ■ Power Divider (Branchline, Ratrace and Wilkinson) ■ Capacitor Plate calculation ■ RLC Parallel, Series and Circuit calculation ■ Noise Figure conversion ■ Skin Depth calculation (various materials from Aluminum to Silver) ■ Butterworth Filter (also with plot of filter chart) ■ Chebyshev Filter (also with plot of filter chart) ■ R-C, L-C, R-L High/Low/Band-Pass Filter ■ RF Units conversion (quick conversion of frequently used units) ■ Air coil inductance calculation ■ Resistors, Capacitors, Inductors in Parallel / Series And there is much more... ■ Aktive Filter calculation tool ■ Antenna calculation tool ■ Delta Star calculation ■ Cable length / ampacity tool ■ PTC / NTC Temperature Resistance conversion ■ AC Ohms law tool ■ Zener diode circuit calculation ■ Constant current source tool ■ ASCII Table ■ Desktop calculator ■ Resistor/Capacitor/Inductor combinations tool ■ 4-20mA conversion tool ■ Passive cooling calculator ■ Audio Oscilloscope Please check out more screen shots on my website (WEBSITE Link on the left side). If you have questions, please feel free to contact me by using the Support button here, inside the App or on my website. Thank you! Marcus Roskosch
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: RF at 4.9 against iCircuit's 3.8. RF also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (91% vs 61%). iCircuit's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (135 vs 22). On ads, monetization model and device support 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
iCircuit costs $12.99 and RF $7.99 up front. iCircuit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. RF asks for nothing beyond the download.
RF holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iCircuit has 135 ratings behind it against 22, 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 91% of RF's.
iCircuit ships an update every 4 weeks, RF every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iCircuit | RF |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.99 | $7.99 — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (135 ratings) | 4.9 (22 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 61.1% of reviews | 91.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 135 — better | 22 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 11.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 179 MB | 92 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Krueger Systems, Inc. | Marcus Roskosch |
Customer experience
iCircuit
RF
Bugs and requests
iCircuit
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
RF
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
iCircuit
- iCircuit Pro (Monthly)$1.991 Month
- iCircuit Pro (Yearly)$14.991 Year
RF
No in-app purchases





