Comparison

Knots 3D vs Home Builder Pocket Reference

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

Head to head
About

Knots 3D

Master over 220 essential knots with detailed 3D animations and offline access. This app is perfect for learning rope work for activities like fishing, climbing, and boating, offering interactive tutorials and customizable organization features.

Highlights
  • 225+ knots in 12+ categories
  • Offline access, no internet required
  • Interactive 3D knot animations
  • Rotate and scrub through knot tying
  • Customizable knot categories
  • Add personal notes and keywords
  • ABOK number cross-reference
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Learn to tie over 240 knots for fishing, climbing, boating, sailing, camping, scouting and other ropework. Knots 3D is the original 3D knot-tying app, first released in 2011 and rated 4.9 by tens of thousands of users worldwide. Choose a knot app with care, as your safety may depend on it. Watch each knot tie itself in 3D, slow it down, and turn it around until it makes sense. Browse by category or type, search by name, common synonym or Ashley Book of Knots (ABoK) number, or describe what you need the knot to do. Save your favorite knots for quick review. Features: - 241 knots in over a dozen categories, with new knots added regularly - No ads, no subscriptions and no in-app purchases. Ever! - Completely OFFLINE and self-contained. No additional downloads or internet access required! - Watch knots tie themselves and pause or adjust the speed of the animation at any time - Rotate knots in 360-degree, 3D views to study them from any angle with a swipe of a finger - "Scrub" over the knot with a finger to advance or rewind the animation - Mirror (left-hand) mode, zoom, and rotate the view to match how you hold the rope - Describe a task in your own words, like "tie a boat to a dock", to find the right knots for the job - High-res graphics with photorealistic rope textures - Dark mode and light mode - List, Card and Icon view options - Create your own custom categories to group knots, such as "Mastered", "Practice" or "Top Ten" - Add personal notes, links and your own search keywords to any knot - Share a knot link by text message, email, social media and more - ABoK numbers for cross-reference to The Ashley Book of Knots Includes the knots people look for most: Bowline, Clove Hitch, Figure Eight, Trucker's Hitch, Square Knot, Sheet Bend, Prusik, Taut Line Hitch, Cleat Hitch, Palomar Knot, Uni Knot, Double Fisherman's Knot, Alpine Butterfly, Monkey's Fist, Munter Hitch and many more. Every knot comes with a description of what it is for and a list of common uses. Most also include the other names the knot goes by, strength and reliability notes, structure, related knots, ABoK numbers and history. Available in 25 languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese Categories: - Essential Knots - Arborist - Boating - Camping - Caving - Climbing - Decorative - Diving - Fire & Rescue - Fishing - Military - Neckties - Pioneering - Rope Care - Scouting - Theatre & Film Types: - Bends - Binding - Coils - Friction Hitches - Hitches - Lashings - Loops - Mats - Multi-Loop - Quick Release - Stoppers - Whippings The complete list of knots: https://knots3d.com/en/complete-list Missing a knot? Suggest one from inside the app. Knots 3D is a learning reference. Learn from a skilled instructor if you plan to use ropes or knots in a situation where failure could cause property damage, injury, or death.

About

Home Builder Pocket Reference

Access essential home construction information with over 1,500 illustrations and 100 guides for energy-efficient building. Includes 30 calculators for understanding and applying construction principles, covering topics from concrete to finishing.

Highlights
  • 1,500+ illustrations
  • 100 energy-efficient building guides
  • 30 construction calculators
  • Woodworking tools and materials
  • Concrete and masonry guides
  • Estimating and scheduling tools
  • Bonus project management sections
Features
Read full description

Home Builder Pocket Reference puts home construction information you need to know at your finger tips. The app includes over 1,500 illustrations, 100 guides to building energy efficient buildings and 30 calculators to help you understand and apply the information. The topics covered include construction administration and safety; drawings and specifications; woodworking tools, materials and methods of woodworking; leveling and grading; concrete; placing concrete; masonry; and planning, estimating and scheduling; floor and wall construction; roof framing; exterior and interior finishing; plastering, stuccoing, and ceramic tile; and paints and preservatives. In addition, there are now four free bonus sections: * Project Dates & Times * Project Estimator * Sensor Angle * Unit Conversions

Screenshots

Knots 3D4 screens
Home Builder Pocket Reference4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Knots 3D at fortnightly against Home Builder Pocket Reference's every 5 months. Knots 3D also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 103) and review sentiment (98% vs 78%). Home Builder Pocket Reference's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $5.99) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 16.0). On ads, in-app purchases, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Knots 3D costs $5.99 and Home Builder Pocket Reference $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Knots 3D holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Knots 3D has 13K ratings behind it against 103, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 98% of Knots 3D's written reviews are positive against 78% of Home Builder Pocket Reference's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Knots 3D ships an update fortnightly, Home Builder Pocket Reference every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Knots 3D versus Home Builder Pocket Reference: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKnots 3DHome Builder Pocket Reference
Price$5.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.9 (13K ratings) — better4.7 (103 ratings)
Positive reviews97.9% of reviews — better78.3% of reviews
Number of ratings13K — better103
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#3 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.09.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size509 MB220 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNynixCalculated Industries

Customer experience

Knots 3D

All ratings12,766 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.9%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews625 reviews
Positive97.9%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.3%

Home Builder Pocket Reference

All ratings103 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative21.7%

Bugs and requests

Knots 3D

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Favorites list disappearing after updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more splices and advanced knots
  • Implement step-by-step instructions and ability to pause/rewind animations
  • Add a continuous loop option for the knot animations
  • Introduce a game mode or practice feature

Home Builder Pocket Reference

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Knots 3D

No in-app purchases

None

Home Builder Pocket Reference

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Knots 3D free?
Knots 3D costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Home Builder Pocket Reference free?
Home Builder Pocket Reference costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Knots 3D or Home Builder Pocket Reference?
Knots 3D is rated higher. Knots 3D averages 4.9 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Home Builder Pocket Reference averages 4.7 from 103 ratings.
Do Knots 3D or Home Builder Pocket Reference have ads?
Neither Knots 3D nor Home Builder Pocket Reference shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Knots 3D or Home Builder Pocket Reference?
Knots 3D ships an update fortnightly, and Home Builder Pocket Reference every 5 months. Most recently, Knots 3D was updated on October 1, 2026 and Home Builder Pocket Reference on September 30, 2026.

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