Comparison

BlueGrays vs Perfboard Lab

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

Head to head
About

BlueGrays

Learn electronics with interactive projects, a component catalog, and personal inventory management. Start with free projects and unlock full access to Arduino, ESP32, and IoT content with a premium subscription. Gamified learning with badges and levels keeps you motivated.

Highlights
  • Free starter projects
  • Unlimited Arduino/ESP32/IoT projects
  • Detailed circuit diagrams and code
  • Component catalog with specifications
  • Personal inventory management
  • Gamified learning with badges and levels
  • Multi-language support
Features
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160+ Arduino, ESP32 and Raspberry Pi Pico projects, each with ready-to-upload code, a circuit diagram, the parts list and a video walkthrough. Tell BlueGrays which parts you own and it shows the projects you can build right now. Plus 125+ component guides, 18 electronics calculators and pinout maps for the boards. PROJECTS • Arduino projects, ESP32 projects and Raspberry Pi Pico projects in one place • Step-by-step guide: parts, circuit, code and testing • Wokwi simulation videos in new projects: watch the circuit run before you build it • Rate projects, save favorites and track the ones you complete WHAT CAN I BUILD WITH MY PARTS • Workshop: save the components you own, with quantities • See the projects you can build with your parts and the ones missing the fewest • Project Finder: answer a few questions and get an Arduino, ESP32 or Pico project that fits you 18 ELECTRONICS TOOLS • Resistor color code and SMD code decoder • Ohm's law, LED resistor, series/parallel resistor and voltage divider calculators • 555 timer, op-amp gain, RC time constant and battery life • Capacitor code, inductor code, series/parallel capacitors and standard values • LED voltages, transistor table and logic gates • Save your calculations and share the results PINOUT • Pin maps for Arduino, ESP32 and Raspberry Pi Pico boards • Tap a pin to see what it does and what it is good for COMPONENT CATALOG • 125+ components: sensors, modules, motors, displays and more • Specs, use cases and the projects each component appears in • Add components to your Workshop straight from their page BADGES AND LEVELS • Earn badges as you learn and reach Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond tiers FOR EDUCATORS • Bulk Premium code packs of 5 and 10 for your class MORE • Blog: step-by-step electronics guides on bluegrays.com • 6 languages: English, Turkish, German, Spanish, French, Italian PREMIUM Starter projects and the basic tools are open to everyone. BlueGrays Premium unlocks all projects, the full component catalog, Workshop, every tool and the pinout maps. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION • BlueGrays Premium unlocks unlimited access to all projects, the full component catalog, and the My Workshop inventory feature. • Payment is charged to your Apple ID account upon confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • You can manage and cancel your subscription in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions after purchase. • Privacy Policy: https://bluegrays.com/privacy/ • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Perfboard Lab

Features
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Understand electronics by trying it out: Perfboard Lab turns your iPhone, iPad or Mac with Apple silicon into an electronics lab. Build a circuit and switch on the power. Right away you see what happens: LEDs light up, buzzers beep, motors turn and hum. And if your maths was off: it smokes, it sparks and the part burns out – without any real damage. SEE WHAT HAPPENS, INSTANTLY • Every change is computed instantly with real physics • Overloaded parts smoke in four levels until they burn out • The analysis explains in plain words what is wrong: an LED the wrong way round, a missing series resistor, a short circuit, an open circuit MEASURE LIKE IN A REAL LAB • Multimeter: voltage, current and power at every part • Oscilloscope: voltage and current over time OVER 20 REAL PARTS • DC voltage source, AC source, current source and breadboard power supply • Resistors, potentiometers, ceramic and electrolytic capacitors, inductors, switches • Diodes and Zener diodes, NPN and PNP transistors, N- and P-channel MOSFETs, relays, op-amps, voltage regulators and Timer NE555 • LEDs in six colours, an incandescent lamp, a buzzer with a real tone and a motor whose hum matches its turning • Real characteristics as in a parts catalogue, each with a short explanation JUST LIKE ON THE WORKBENCH • Draw wires with the pen – straight wires with bends and branches • Perfboard, with Perfboard Lab Pro also stripboard with cuttable strips and breadboard as used with Arduino • Copy parts with all their values; text labels annotate your circuit • Real 2.54 mm grid: what fits in the app fits on the real board • Bill of materials with every part and the length of every wire • With Perfboard Lab Pro you see your circuit in the 3D view: real parts on the board that you turn, tilt and measure PERFECT FOR SCHOOL AND CLASS • A guided tutorial builds your first circuit with you • AI-assisted tasks and explanations in Perfboard Lab Pro: tasks that suit your level, explanations step by step on the board. • Lots of ready-made examples: from an LED with a series resistor to logic circuits, transistors and op-amps • The interactive formula collection adapts to your circuit: with the power on, every worked example calculates with the measured values of your parts and shows where each number comes from. • Teachers pass their default settings on to the whole class as a file FOR EVERYONE • For iPhone, iPad and Macs with Apple silicon • In many languages and usable with VoiceOver and Voice Control • No ads, no tracking FREE The perfboard with almost all parts and their examples, text labels, the instruments and the simulation are free. A circuit can have up to 7 parts. Your circuit is kept automatically. PERFBOARD LAB PRO With “Perfboard Lab Pro” you save as many circuits as you like and keep working on the same circuit on iPhone, iPad and Mac. You export them as PDF with a bill of materials and share them with others. Plus circuits with more than 7 parts, op-amp, voltage regulator, Timer NE555, motor, Zener diode and current source with their examples, the stripboard and the breadboard with their examples, AI-assisted tasks and explanations, and the 3D view. • Try it free for 3 days, then a weekly subscription. The App Store shows the price in your currency before you buy. • The subscription renews automatically every week unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. You can cancel at any time in your Apple Account settings under “Subscriptions”. • Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ • Privacy policy: https://pascalschroeer.github.io/PerfboardLab_PrivacyPolicy/ Legal notice: https://pascalschroeer.github.io/PerfboardLab_PrivacyPolicy/#legal-notice

Screenshots

BlueGrays4 screens
Perfboard Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BlueGrays at every 4 days against Perfboard Lab's every 9 days. BlueGrays also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. BlueGrays sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Perfboard Lab sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BlueGrays ships an update every 4 days, Perfboard Lab every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BlueGrays versus Perfboard Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlueGraysPerfboard Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (14 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings14 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYunus Emre EkePascal Schroeer

In-app purchases

8 purchases

BlueGrays

Subscriptions4
  • Premium (Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Premium (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Premium (Yearly)$11.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium (Yearly)$19.991 Year
One-time4
  • 5x Aylık Eğitimci Paketi$24.99
  • 10x Aylık Eğitimci Paketi$39.99
  • 5x Yıllık Eğitimci Paketi$99.99
Show 1 more
  • 10x Yıllık Eğitimci Paketi$159.99
1 purchases

Perfboard Lab

Subscriptions1
  • Perfboard Lab Pro3 Days trial$0.997 Days

Questions

Is BlueGrays free?
BlueGrays is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Perfboard Lab free?
Perfboard Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BlueGrays or Perfboard Lab have ads?
Neither BlueGrays nor Perfboard Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BlueGrays or Perfboard Lab?
BlueGrays ships an update every 4 days, and Perfboard Lab every 9 days. Most recently, BlueGrays was updated on October 25, 2026 and Perfboard Lab on October 29, 2026.

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