iCircuit vs Digital Electronics Guide
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/
Digital Electronics Guide
This app serves as a comprehensive reference for digital electronics, covering essential theory and practical guides. It's designed for students, engineers, and hobbyists to learn and prototype digital circuits with ease. Features include detailed information on logic gates, IC families, and various digital components.
- Logic gate tutorials
- IC reference data (TTL 7400, CMOS 4000)
- Digital circuit design and prototyping
- Covers counters, flip-flops, and more
- Available in 14 languages
- Detailed tutorials and references
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Digital Electronics Guide is a powerful reference tool for electronics students, engineers, and hobbyists. Whether you're just starting out or already experienced, this app helps you design, learn, and prototype with ease. It combines essential theory with practical guides and covers key digital electronics topics, including logic gates, counters, flip-flops, and IC reference data. The app also features detailed information on popular digital IC families such as TTL 7400 and CMOS 4000 series. Perfect for quick learning or as a companion for working on electronic circuits and digital systems. Available in 14 Languages: • English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese — study in your native language! The app includes detailed tutorials and references for: • Basic logic • Families of digital chips • Universal logic elements • Elements with Schmitt trigger • Buffer elements • Flip-flops • Registers • Counters • Adders • Multiplexers • Decoders and demultiplexers • 7-segment LED drivers • Encryptors • Digital comparators • Astable CMOS Oscillators • Monostable CMOS Oscillators • Bistable CMOS Oscillators • Gated CMOS Oscillators • TTL Oscillators • 7400 series ICs • 4000 series ICs Whether you're learning, teaching, or building real-world digital circuits, Digital Electronics Pro is your trusted companion every step of the way.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Digital Electronics Guide at Free against iCircuit's $12.99. Digital Electronics Guide also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (100% vs 61%). iCircuit's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (135 vs 2). On update cadence 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
Digital Electronics Guide is free to download; iCircuit costs $12.99 up front. iCircuit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Digital Electronics Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.
Digital Electronics Guide holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iCircuit has 135 ratings behind it against 2, 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 100% of Digital Electronics Guide's.
iCircuit ships an update every 4 weeks, Digital Electronics Guide every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iCircuit | Digital Electronics Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (135 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 61.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 135 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 179 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Krueger Systems, Inc. | ALG Software Lab |
Customer experience
iCircuit
Digital Electronics Guide
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
Digital Electronics Guide
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
Digital Electronics Guide
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is iCircuit free?
Is Digital Electronics Guide free?
Which has better reviews, iCircuit or Digital Electronics Guide?
Do iCircuit or Digital Electronics Guide have ads?
Which is updated more often, iCircuit or Digital Electronics Guide?
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