SlabLab vs FlowState VESC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SlabLab
Connect with fellow backcountry enthusiasts for safer adventures. Find compatible partners, enhance your skills with pro-led workshops, and join discussions to improve teamwork and decision-making in the snow.
- Find backcountry partners
- Pro-led skill-building workshops
- Teamwork and decision-making focus
- Q&A with experts and peers
- Discounts on gear and experiences
- Community discussions
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Join a community of backcountry skiers, splitboarders, and snowmobilers who care about both fun and safety. SlabLab helps members meet like-minded partners, offers pro-led virtual skill-building workshops, and creates an atmosphere for sharing that's conducive to discussion at any experience level. -- About SlabLab and our teamwork-focused approach -- SlabLab has conducted behavioral research on decision-making and teamwork with backcountry users for four seasons, and we bring that expertise to this community. It's very hard to meet compatible partners to take risks with, especially online. Whether what you prioritize in a partner is experience, communication style, gender, location, availability or other factors, we help you find the team that's right for you. Our workshops and content complement avalanche courses and help you develop the communication and teamwork skills that have the biggest impact on both fun and safety. Member Benefits • Pro-led workshops on teamwork and decision-making • Tools for meeting like-minded partners • Q&A with pros and peers • Discounts on courses, experiences, and gear
FlowState VESC
This app provides a real-time dashboard for VESC-powered rides, displaying speed, battery, and more. It allows you to tune your board's settings, record rides with GPS data, and receive ride alerts. Compatible with iPhone and Apple Watch.
- Real-time ride dashboard
- Board tuning and configuration
- Ride recording with GPS
- Apple Watch integration
- Customizable visual themes
- Ride alerts and notifications
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FlowState turns your iPhone and Apple Watch into a beautiful, real-time dashboard for your VESC-powered ride. Connect over Bluetooth to see everything your board is doing — then tune it, record it, and relive every ride. LIVE DASHBOARD • Big, glanceable gauges: speed, duty cycle, battery, current, and range • Pitch, roll, and footpad sensor indicators • Motor and controller temperatures, pack voltage, and live amps • A smart range estimate that learns from how you ride BATTERY & BMS • Per-cell voltages and pack balance at a glance • State of Health and coulomb-counted state of charge • Smart-BMS support for accurate, sag-free battery readings TUNE YOUR BOARD • Read and adjust your Refloat configuration right from your phone • Save unlimited tunes and switch between them in a tap — even from your wrist • Import tunes from XML files APPLE WATCH • Live gauges on your wrist while you ride • Switch tunes without reaching for your phone • Ride alerts buzz your wrist • Connect/Disconnect to board RECORD & RELIVE • Record your ride with the dashboard composited over your footage (picture-in-picture) • Automatic ride history with GPS maps, distance, top speed, duty, and energy used • Trip stats, odometer, and lifetime totals RIDE ALERTS • Real-time pushback, footpad, and over-duty alerts • Persistent warnings so you never miss a critical condition • Keeps tracking in your pocket on long rides MAKE IT YOURS • Multiple visual themes, including a neon Retro Arcade look • Demo mode to explore the app without a board connected How FlowState was built — and what it can and can't do Openly: FlowState was made by an independent solo developer with the help of Claude, an AI coding assistant. Since a few riders have asked, here's exactly what's going on. What actually controls your board isn't this app, and isn't AI. The VESC firmware runs the motor, and the Refloat package — open-source, human-written firmware on the board — does the real-time balancing many times a second. That's what controls your ride. FlowState runs on your phone, outside that loop: it displays the data Refloat broadcasts and, only when you choose, sets Refloat's settings within its own limits. Your board rides exactly the same whether your phone is connected, pocketed, dead, or absent — and nothing is "AI-controlled" while you ride. Claude helped write the code; it doesn't run while you ride. In short: FlowState monitors and configures; Refloat controls. FlowState has been thoroughly tested on real hardware and stays within safe boundaries: - It only reads and writes the Refloat package's settings — the same values you can adjust in VESC Tool, Float Control, or Floaty — always within the ranges Refloat allows, using Refloat's own format. - It does not modify VESC firmware or your motor configuration. No firmware flashing, no motor detection, no FOC, current-limit, or hardware changes. - It cannot push values outside Refloat's limits, and it does not bypass your board's built-in fault and safety systems. - Battery/BMS: the only battery-management change it can make is the charge limit — locked to the specific BMS model and firmware versions it's been tested against, and disabled on anything else. Note: FlowState doesn't double check your VESC/motor configuration like Float Control — after setting up or reconfiguring your board, double-check it in Float Control before riding. FlowState was inspired by Float Control and Floaty and owes a lot to them — sincere thanks to their creators for paving the way for tools like this. Questions or concerns: flowstate.vesc.support@gmail.com. FlowState is free. An optional Tip Jar and the Retro Arcade theme help cover Apple's fees and fund new features. FlowState is an independent app for VESC-based boards running the Refloat package. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the VESC project, Benjamin Vedder, Refloat, or any board manufacturer.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SlabLab at none against FlowState VESC's 4. SlabLab also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). FlowState VESC's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. FlowState VESC sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. SlabLab asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SlabLab against 5.0 for FlowState VESC. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
SlabLab ships an update every 3 weeks, FlowState VESC daily. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SlabLab | FlowState VESC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SlabLab LLC | RAMI MAGDY HANNA |
Customer experience
SlabLab
FlowState VESC
In-app purchases
SlabLab
No in-app purchases
FlowState VESC
- Small Tip$1.99
- Retro Arcade Theme$4.99
- Nice Tip$4.99
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- Generous Tip$9.99









