Root Locus Plotter vs ControlsLab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Root Locus Plotter
Read full descriptionHide full description
Root Locus Plotter is an educational and engineering tool designed to help you visualize and analyze control systems through the Root Locus method. Whether you’re a student learning control theory or an engineer designing feedback systems, this app makes it easy to understand the dynamic behavior of transfer functions and how poles and zeros affect system stability. - Key Features Root Locus visualization: Instantly plot the root locus of any transfer function. Gain and stability analysis: Inspect how system poles move and identify stable or unstable regions. Step response: Visualize the step response with interactive charts and get the analytic expression for transient and steady-state behavior. Support for complex systems: Works with higher-order transfer functions. Compare before and after compensation: View the root locus and step response for both the original plant and the compensated system side by side. - Educational Use Ideal for students studying control systems, feedback theory, and dynamic response. The app provides a clear and intuitive way to connect mathematical analysis with visual intuition — a great aid for classroom learning, homework, and lab work. - Engineering Use Engineers and researchers can use Root Locus Plotter to quickly test transfer functions, prototype controller gains, and study how poles and zeros interact under varying parameters. - Get Started Simply enter your transfer function in a clean, intuitive interface, and explore how it behaves as system parameters change. Root Locus Plotter helps you make control theory visual, interactive, and understandable.
ControlsLab
This app offers a professional-grade simulator for system dynamics and control systems. It allows users to visualize and interact with mass-spring-damper systems and control loops without coding. Explore parameters, inputs, and analysis modes with real-time visual feedback.
- Real-time system simulation
- Parameter adjustment with sliders
- Live time-domain response plot
- S-plane pole visualization
- Open-loop and closed-loop modes
- PID controller tuning
- Bode plot analysis
Read full descriptionHide full description
ControlsLab is a professional-grade system dynamics and controls simulator designed for engineering students, educators, and practicing engineers. Simulate a mass-spring-damper system in real time. Adjust parameters with intuitive sliders and instantly see how the system responds - no coding required, no MATLAB license needed. FREE FEATURES SYSTEM SIMULATION - Mass, damping, and spring parameter control - Step, ramp, parabolic, and sinusoidal inputs - Adjustable initial conditions x(0) and dx(0) - Input signal overlay on time response plot VISUALIZATION - Live time-domain response plot - S-plane pole visualization - System stability classification - Overdamped, underdamped, critically damped detection ANALYSIS MODES - Open-loop mode: plant driven directly by input - Closed-loop mode: negative feedback with configurable setpoint PRO FEATURES - $4.99 One-time purchase, no subscription PID CONTROLLER - Full negative feedback implementation - P, PI, PD, and PID controller types - Live Kp, Ki, Kd gain tuning with instant response - Adjustable reference setpoint FREQUENCY DOMAIN - Bode plot: magnitude (dB) and phase (degrees) - Logarithmic frequency axis - Natural frequency, damping ratio, and bandwidth readouts WHO IS THIS FOR? - Undergraduate engineering students studying dynamic systems and feedback control - Graduate students reviewing control theory - Professors and educators demonstrating system behavior in lectures - Practicing engineers doing quick back-of-envelope system analysis - Anyone curious about how control systems work ControlsLab turns abstract differential equations into visual, interactive experiences. Move a slider and watch poles migrate across the S-plane. Toggle a controller and see overshoot disappear in real time. No prior programming experience required.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Root Locus Plotter at none against ControlsLab's 1. Root Locus Plotter also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.5). On price, 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
Both are free to download. ControlsLab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Root Locus Plotter asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Root Locus Plotter | ControlsLab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sthefano Schiavon | Pedro Resto |
In-app purchases
Root Locus Plotter
No in-app purchases
ControlsLab
- ControlsLab Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Root Locus Plotter free?
Is ControlsLab free?
Do Root Locus Plotter or ControlsLab have ads?
Other comparisons















