Comparison

Pipe N Wire vs 2017 Master Electrician Ref.

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

Head to head
About

Pipe N Wire

This tool helps electricians quickly calculate the correct conduit size based on wire types, gauges, and desired fill percentages, adhering to NEC standards. It offers a streamlined interface for field use and planning, with options to save calculations and override recommendations.

Highlights
  • Conduit fill calculations
  • Supports all standard wire types
  • Smart conduit selector
  • Save and load calculations
  • Override recommendations
  • Remembers last setup
Features
Read full description

From the creator of iBend Pipe — trusted by pros for over a decade. PipeNWire is your fast, reliable, and NEC-compliant conduit fill calculator, rebuilt from the ground up for today’s electricians. Whether you’re in the field or planning ahead, PipeNWire makes it easy to determine the right conduit size based on your selected wires, pipe material, and desired fill percentage. Accurate. Intuitive. Built for the trade. FEATURES: • Conduit Fill Calculations Made Easy Choose your conduit material (EMT, IMC, etc.), select wire types and gauges, and pick your target fill percentage (e.g., 40%, 53%). PipeNWire instantly shows the smallest compliant conduit size based on NEC tables. • Supports All Standard Wire Types THHN, XHHW, RHH, and more—each with available gauges and accurate area values. We’ve preloaded everything you need. • Smart Conduit Selector Quickly scroll through available conduit sizes. PipeNWire centers on the first size that meets your fill criteria and lets you explore other options easily. • Save & Load Calculations Save your work with a custom name and reopen calculations later. • Override the Recommendation Need to upsize for future pull capacity or job specs? You’re in control—select any size and still see detailed fill data. • Remembers Your Last Setup PipeNWire remembers your most recent selections so you can pick up right where you left off. Why PipeNWire? • Built specifically for electricians by the developer of the widely-used iBend Pipe app • Lightning-fast interface with no fluff—just what you need • Code-aware logic based on National Electrical Code tables • Made for real-world use: at the job site, in the truck, or during planning Whether you’re sizing EMT for a quick pull or planning a complex wire run, PipeNWire takes the guesswork out of conduit sizing and helps you work with confidence. Download PipeNWire today and streamline your workflow with the conduit fill calculator made for pros.

About

2017 Master Electrician Ref.

This digital handbook provides electricians and related professionals with essential electrical formulas, diagrams, and reference tables. It offers calculations, a dictionary of terms, and detailed information on wiring, motors, transformers, and more, all accessible on a mobile device.

Highlights
  • Electrical formulas and calculations
  • Wiring diagrams for various systems
  • Motor and transformer specifications
  • Conductor and ampacity tables
  • Dictionary of electrician terms
  • NEMA standards and diagrams
  • Math and conversion tools
Features
Read full description

Master Electrician Reference (or MER for short) 2017 is your electronic pocket electrician reference guide. MER is for electrical designers, engineers, installers, contractors, facility managers, inspectors, exam candidates, apprentices, electricians, journeymen, architects, and technicians. MER is for people doing residential, industrial, and commercial work. Simply, if you are a Master Sparky or work with electricity in any way, this reference guide is for you! Have you ever lost pages or had damaged pages in your pocket electricians reference? The solution is here: Use MER to keep the most important information easily accessible on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. MER will even do calculations for you; something your old pocket reference book can't do. MER is divided into the following sections: * Simple Circuits - Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits, capacitance, inductance, impedance, and reactance. * Distributed Systems - Distribution wiring diagrams for 120, 208, 277, and 480 volts, color codes, breaker sizes, light switches and bells diagrams. * Electrical Formulas - Formulas for kVA, kW, and HP. * Color Codes - Color codes for capacitors and resistors. * Motors and Wiring - Standard motor and motor starter sizes, tables of full-load currents, locked-rotor information, overload units, OCPD, nameplate information, synchronous motor speeds, three-phase STAR and DELTA diagrams, three-wire start-stop diagram, motor frame dimensions, and motor enclosure types. * Transformers - KVA ratings for single- and three-phase current, transformer formulas. * Conductor Properties - Conductor tables, AWG and metric wire sizes, twist-on pressure connectors, and wire combinations. * Ampacities - Ampacities in raceway, cable, earth, and free air, and derating tables. * Conduit Fill table * Grounding Sizes - Equipment grounding conductor (EGC) and grounding electrode conductor (GEC). * Metal Boxes - Images and sizes of metal boxes, junction / device boxes, junction / pull boxes. * Voltage Drop calculations * Dictionary of electrician terms * Insulation Charts - Table of cable and wire types * Electrical Symbols * NEMA - Plugs and wiring diagrams, enclosure types, standard underground boxes, standard fuse and breaker sizes, standard pull box / junction sizes, standard gutter and wire-ways, standard switchboards, standard busway, standard busbar ampacity, standard panelboard sizes, and standard disconnect sizes. * Math and Conversions - Formulas for algebra, geometry, fractions, temperature conversion, trig tables, unit conversions, metric prefixes, and conversions between inches and millimeters. * Conduit Bending - Includes the guide "The Master Bender Way" on how to bend conduit. See the Master Bender app or MasterBender.com website for more information. * Conduit Weights * Copper Wire Cost * Hole Saw Sizes * Material Raceway Support * Lighting - Fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, incandescent, LED, and low-pressure sodium. * Standard Tool List * Torque - Lugs, bolts, and screws, tightening torque. * Dry, Damp, and Wet Locations * Hazardous Locations * Wiring Methods * Safety - Lock-out / tag-out (LOTO), and a safety manual and first aid. Most pages contain a general scientific calculator. It is expression based: Just enter an expression and evaluate it. It understands trig and power functions, can convert between radians and degrees, and has built-in basic constants like pi and e. MER includes key NEC tables from the National Electrical Code (NEC) 2017. We also have MER apps available for NEC 2011 and NEC 2014 code years. Visit our website at MasterSparky.com for more information.

Screenshots

Pipe N Wire4 screens
2017 Master Electrician Ref.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: 2017 Master Electrician Ref. at 4.7 against Pipe N Wire's 3.3. 2017 Master Electrician Ref. also leads on ratings volume (1.3K vs 10) and review sentiment (67% vs 45%). Pipe N Wire's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $9.99). 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

Pipe N Wire costs $1.99 and 2017 Master Electrician Ref. $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

2017 Master Electrician Ref. holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 2017 Master Electrician Ref. has 1.3K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Pipe N Wire's written reviews are positive against 67% of 2017 Master Electrician Ref.'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pipe N Wire ships an update every 15 months, 2017 Master Electrician Ref. every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Pipe N Wire versus 2017 Master Electrician Ref.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPipe N Wire2017 Master Electrician Ref.
Price$1.99 — better$9.99
Rating3.3 (10 ratings)4.7 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings101.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 15 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#165#101 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB46 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperFrancisco AlcalaPawEng, LLC

Customer experience

Pipe N Wire

All ratings10 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative45.5%

2017 Master Electrician Ref.

All ratings1,255 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Pipe N Wire

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

2017 Master Electrician Ref.

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Conduit fill information missing for certain types
  • Login screen freezes
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Update to latest NEC code
  • Add calculation tools for conduit fill and voltage drop
  • Improve user interface and navigation

In-app purchases

None

Pipe N Wire

No in-app purchases

None

2017 Master Electrician Ref.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pipe N Wire free?
Pipe N Wire costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is 2017 Master Electrician Ref. free?
2017 Master Electrician Ref. costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pipe N Wire or 2017 Master Electrician Ref.?
2017 Master Electrician Ref. is rated higher. Pipe N Wire averages 3.3 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while 2017 Master Electrician Ref. averages 4.7 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Pipe N Wire or 2017 Master Electrician Ref. have ads?
Neither Pipe N Wire nor 2017 Master Electrician Ref. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pipe N Wire or 2017 Master Electrician Ref.?
Pipe N Wire ships an update every 15 months, and 2017 Master Electrician Ref. every 5 months. Most recently, Pipe N Wire was updated on September 21, 2026 and 2017 Master Electrician Ref. on September 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, Pipe N Wire or 2017 Master Electrician Ref.?
Pipe N Wire currently peaks at #165 in the App Store charts, and 2017 Master Electrician Ref. at #101. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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