Comparison

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment vs Electrician's Sidekick

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

Head to head
About

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment

Create custom industrial monitoring and control interfaces on iOS devices. Design dynamic dashboards with various elements and connect them to PLC systems. Develop and test projects for free, with activation fees for deployment.

Highlights
  • Customizable page layouts
  • Real-time monitoring and control
  • Support for major PLC brands
  • On-screen project editing
  • Export/import project and asset files
  • Cloud storage and deployment options
  • Native PLC communication protocols
Features
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HMI Draw is a *native* iOS application for creating Human Machine Interfaces for real time monitoring and control of industrial PLC based systems and processes. Data is presented in highly customizable page layouts much like a presentations app. Who's this for. The app is aimed at automation engineers or industrial machine manufacturers on many sectors including but not limited to building automation, industrial processing, power plants, water plants, industrial equipment, transportation and so on, who want to provide instant, reliable access to real time data right from iOS devices. What you'll get for the price of the app. HMI Draw allows you to create efficient, advanced, highly responsive "Human Machine Interfaces" right on your iPad screen with unprecedented ease of use and fun. The HMI Draw app is fully native and supports all major Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) brands. For the price of the app (FREE) you can *fully* develop and test projects of any complexity. No restrictions on number of pages, tags or PLCs are applied at this stage. You only pay for project activations when you are ready to deploy to end users. HMI Draw essential Features. - Very fast, launches and connects immediately regardless of project size. - All data types including Strings, Arrays and Dictionaries fully supported. - HMI Projects are edited on-screen as you run and monitor your process. - You can export and edit your project files as text on your PC or Mac. - Export/import asset files such as images, pdfs or audio files from HMI Draw to your PC or Mac. - Optional project storage in the cloud and easy deployment to end users devices. - Native PLC communication protocols. Connections are performed with no intermediate servers or boxes. - Major PLC brands supported, including: Allen Bradley, Mitsubishi, Omron, Opto 22, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Wago. - TCP/IP based security. Getting Started: creating a HMI Pad project. Projects are created like a mix of PowerPoint and Excel. The concept is quite simple. You lay out elements such as Sliders, Switches, Buttons, Images, Text Fields, Knobs, Trends, Gauges, Bar Indicators, Web browser, Array pickers, even Gesture Recognizers and much more onto pages. You connect on-screen objects with iPad sensors and PLC tags through simple links or powerful expressions. That's it !!. The result is a stunning, dynamic, real-time presentation of your PLC controlled process as you'd never imagined. Examples Ready for You. Explore the examples and take the liberty to make changes on them. Create your own test projects from scratch or based on the examples. HMI Draw will comprehensively tell you what inconsistencies or problems there may be in your project as you build them. New examples are being added on a regular basis or by user request. What's Next. There’s a lot more that we haven’t mentioned here, such as the page navigation interface, the embedded file server, the model browser, the model seeker, the automatic expression completer, the inspector viewer, alarm notifications, iPad sensors, bar code scanner, user access levels, password on launch, PLC validation codes, individual tag diagnostics, background processing, automatic network switching, and much much more. You surely will identify some of these features by just exploring the app, but the single source where everything is covered is the HMI Draw Reference Manual. Feel free to download it from our site and look at the full possibilities, you’ll love the product. Technical Support. We provide a free on-line support service based on public forums on our web site: http://www.sweetwilliamsl.com/support/forums Or through direct email: support@sweetwilliamsl.com. We also hold a public youTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/hmipad. Feel free to direct your questions, suggestions or feedback to any of the above. We'll be happy to hear from you.

About

Electrician's Sidekick

This free tool consolidates essential electrical calculations and reference guides into a single app. It offers precise tools for conduit bending, wire sizing, voltage drop, and conduit fill, designed to enhance fieldwork efficiency and accuracy for professionals. The app functions offline, ensuring constant access to critical information.

Highlights
  • Conduit bending calculator
  • Wire sizing and voltage drop calculator
  • Conduit fill calculator
  • Construction calculator (feet/inches)
  • Electrical wiring color charts
  • Digital clinometer (level)
Features
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Tired of juggling multiple calculators and reference guides on the job? The Electrician's Sidekick app from IDEAL Electrical is a free tool that combines the functions of many electrical calculators into one convenient app. Instantly calculate rolling offsets and bends with the precise conduit bending calculator and integrated level. Determine accurate wire sizing, voltage drop, and conduit fill to meet compliance standards. Designed by pros for pros, this app maximizes your fieldwork efficiency and accuracy from layout to final connection. The calculators continue to function even without internet connectivity, ensuring you always have access to the information you need. Key features include: Connector Selector – input the wire combination and connector style to receive recommendations for the right connector for the job. Smart Meter Connectivity - Connect compatible IDEAL smart test instruments to automatically capture measurements, monitor readings in real time, and document results directly from your mobile device. Wire Sizing & Voltage Drop Calculator – input wire size, voltage, amperage, and length to determine volts and drop percentage. Conduit Bending Calculator – select the type of conduit and desired bend (offset, saddle bend, or rolling offset), then input the angle, offset distance, and clearance. The dynamic display quickly shows the bend required, shrink, and other important information. Conduit Fill Calculator – input the conduit type and the number/size of conductors to calculate the minimum conduit size required for a certain percentage of fill. Construction Calculator – this specialized calculator permits electricians to add and multiply feet and inches and get the answer back in feet and inches. Electrical Wiring Color Charts – provides the wiring code for the various phases in a panel for both 120/280V and 277/480V systems. Clinometer – transform your phone into a digital level with zero/reset options. When placed on a flat surface, it automatically becomes a bubble level. Simplify every job with this all-in-one electrician's companion. Join the thousands of other electricians using the free Electrician’s Sidekick app from IDEAL Electrical. DATA COMM - T568A/T568B Wiring Reference and conduit fill calculator for data cables. Box Fill Calculator - Calculate NEC® box fill requirements in seconds. Account for conductors, devices, grounding conductors, cable clamps, fixture studs, and plaster rings while instantly verifying box capacity and available volume.

Screenshots

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment3 screens
Electrician's Sidekick4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Electrician's Sidekick at 3.6 against HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment's 2.8. Electrician's Sidekick also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment's advantage is review sentiment (53% vs 33%) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

Both are free to download. HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Electrician's Sidekick asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Electrician's Sidekick holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 18 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 53% of HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment's written reviews are positive against 33% of Electrician's Sidekick's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment ships an update every 6 weeks, Electrician's Sidekick every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment versus Electrician's Sidekick: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environmentElectrician's Sidekick
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (8 ratings)3.6 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.3% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings818 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSweetWilliam, S.L.IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC

Customer experience

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment

All ratings7 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative40.0%

Electrician's Sidekick

All ratings18 ratings
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment

One-time3
  • Activation for One Use$149.99
  • Activation for Five Uses$449.99
  • Activation for Ten Uses$799.99
None

Electrician's Sidekick

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment free?
HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Electrician's Sidekick free?
Electrician's Sidekick is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment or Electrician's Sidekick?
Electrician's Sidekick is rated higher. HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment averages 2.8 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Electrician's Sidekick averages 3.6 from 18 ratings.
Do HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment or Electrician's Sidekick have ads?
Neither HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment nor Electrician's Sidekick shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment or Electrician's Sidekick?
HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment ships an update every 6 weeks, and Electrician's Sidekick every 4 months. Most recently, HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment was updated on October 23, 2026 and Electrician's Sidekick on October 24, 2026.

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