Sensor Multitool vs Printed Circuit Board Designer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sensor Multitool
Access real-time data from your device's built-in sensors, including accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, altimeter, and compass. Choose from three sensitivity modes for raw, balanced, or smoothed data output. Ideal for makers, engineers, and hobbyists.
- Live sensor data dashboard
- Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Altimeter, Compass
- Three sensitivity modes (Raw, Balanced, Smooth)
- On-device data processing
- Real-time motion, rotation, and magnetic field readings
- Altitude and pressure measurements
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Raw Sensor Multitool gives you instant, real-time access to the raw data streaming from your iPhone's built-in sensors — all in one clean dashboard. Designed for DIY makers, engineers, hobbyists, and anyone who wants to know exactly what their phone is measuring. SENSORS INCLUDED • Accelerometer — Live X, Y, Z forces in g. See gravity, tilt, and motion as raw values. Perfect for understanding how your phone moves in space. • Gyroscope — Real-time rotation rates on all three axes in rad/s. Ideal for robotics, motion tracking, and calibration projects. • Magnetometer — Raw magnetic field strength in microteslas (µT) on X, Y, Z. Detect nearby magnets, map field distortions, or calibrate compass-based projects. • Altimeter — Relative altitude change in meters and absolute barometric pressure in hPa. Zero the baseline at any time with the Reset button. • Compass — Magnetic and true heading in degrees, with a live compass rose and accuracy indicator. Instantly see if your magnetometer needs calibration. THREE SENSITIVITY MODES Tap Raw, Balanced, or Smooth at the top of the dashboard to control how data is filtered: • Raw — No filtering. Full precision. Every sensor update displayed as-is. Best for debugging and precision DIY work. • Balanced — Light smoothing with reduced decimal places. Clean and readable. The default mode. • Smooth — Heavy moving-average filter. Dramatically reduces noise. Best for steady observation and general use. DESIGNED FOR DIY PROJECTS Whether you're building a sensor logger, calibrating a magnetometer array, testing a motion-sensitive prototype, or just curious about your phone's hardware — Raw Sensor Multitool puts the data front and center, with no clutter. All sensor data is processed entirely on-device. Nothing is stored, logged, or transmitted.
Printed Circuit Board Designer
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Turn your iPhone or iPad into a complete printed-circuit-board workbench. Printed Circuit Board Designer lets you go from an idea to a fabrication-ready board without a desktop — place components, route copper across multiple layers, verify your work, and export the exact files a manufacturer needs. Whether you are wiring up your first Arduino shield or refining a production layout between meetings, the app scales to how you work. FOUR WORKSPACES • Parts Library — A searchable catalog of real components, each with a proper schematic symbol, multiple footprint choices, pin-by-pin detail, and notes on where it fits. Browse passives, MOSFETs and transistors, LEDs (including addressable WS2812B), microcontrollers like ATmega328P, RP2040, ESP32-S3 and STM32F103, plus sensors such as the BME280 and MPU-6050, op-amps, shift registers, USB-C, regulators, and tactile switches. • Board Templates — Start from a proven circuit and tweak it to taste. Pick from power supplies, an Arduino-class ATmega328P board, an RP2040 design, an H-bridge motor driver, an I2C sensor front-end, an ESP32 wireless sensor node, a WS2812B LED-strip driver, and a CP2102 USB-to-UART bridge. Set a few parameters and a starter layout appears. • AI Board Designer — Describe what you want in plain language and let an AI model draft the whole thing: chosen parts, net connections, a bill of materials, placement, and design notes. Send the result straight into the editor to refine. Works with Claude (Anthropic), GPT-4o (OpenAI), or Gemini (Google) using your own key. • CAD Editor — A full two-layer editor with placement on F.Cu and B.Cu, trace routing, and via insertion. A Lee wave-propagation autorouter with A* heuristics handles diagonal routes and drops vias automatically when a net needs to switch layers. The built-in Design Rule Check flags trace-width and clearance problems, shorts, bad via sizes, overlapping parts, and anything that runs past the board edge — before you spend money on fabrication. EXPORT THAT MANUFACTURERS ACCEPT • Gerber RS-274X — copper, silkscreen, solder mask, and drill • KiCad .kicad_pcb native format • SVG and PDF for documentation and review • JSON netlist for downstream tools • A single ZIP with the full Gerber set, ready to upload TUNED TO YOUR PROCESS Design rules are per-board and fully editable. Begin from a preset — Standard, Fine Pitch, or a JLCPCB profile — or enter your own trace width and clearance. Beginners lean on templates and the AI Board Designer; experienced engineers get the autorouter, DRC engine, and a clean Gerber pipeline. BRING YOUR OWN AI KEY The AI Board Designer uses an API key you supply for Claude, GPT-4o, or Gemini, stored only on your device. It returns structured board data — reference designators, nets, dimensions, BOM, and notes — that opens directly in the editor. Every other workspace runs fully offline with no key required. PROJECTS THAT STAY PUT Save as many projects as you like, each capturing the complete board — parts, traces, vias, nets, and rules — in a portable file. Autosave runs in the background so your work is always there when you come back. No subscription to design. No account to browse parts. Just open it and start laying out a board.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sensor Multitool at Free against Printed Circuit Board Designer's $9.99. Printed Circuit Board Designer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement 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
Sensor Multitool is free to download; Printed Circuit Board Designer costs $9.99 up front. Sensor Multitool sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Printed Circuit Board Designer asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Sensor Multitool | Printed Circuit Board Designer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Meyers | Yuhsiu Lai |
In-app purchases
Sensor Multitool
- Small Donation$0.99
- Medium Donation$2.99
- Large Donation$4.99
Printed Circuit Board Designer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sensor Multitool free?
Is Printed Circuit Board Designer free?
Do Sensor Multitool or Printed Circuit Board Designer have ads?
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