Comparison

WaveCrux vs STL Viewer

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

Head to head
About

WaveCrux

Features
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WaveCrux is a modern, high-performance waveform viewer for digital design and verification engineers. Open VCD, FST, GHW, LXT and LXT2 simulation traces directly on your iPhone or iPad — review a regression during a meeting, triage a CI failure from anywhere, or walk through a trace without opening your laptop. GET STARTED IMMEDIATELY Tap "Open Sample Waveform" on the welcome screen to explore a bundled trace with five decoded protocol buses — no files of your own needed. WAVEFORM VIEWING • Native Rust parsing engine — large multi-million-event traces open fast • VCD, FST, GHW, LXT and LXT2 file formats • Smooth pinch-to-zoom and pan, tuned for touch • Full design hierarchy browser with search and filtering • Cursors, markers, and time measurements • Value formats: hex, decimal (signed and unsigned), binary, octal, ASCII, and enum translation • Fixed-point and floating-point buses drawn as analog curves PROTOCOL DECODERS • Serial: UART, SPI, I2C • Buses: AXI4-Lite, APB, AHB-Lite, Wishbone • RISC-V instruction decode • Decoded transactions overlay directly on the waveform ANNOTATE AND SHARE • Add a callout, arrow or shaded band to a signal at a moment in time; it stays anchored as you pan and zoom • Notes record the value the signal had when you wrote them, and flag themselves when a re-run changes it • Share Annotated Waveform sends your notes and the trace they refer to as one small file, openable on desktop or in a browser GTKWAVE FRIENDLY • Import GTKWave .gtkw session files — signal lists, groups, colors, and formats come across • Reads GTKWave translate filter files BUILT FOR MOBILE • Open waveform files straight from Mail, Slack, AirDrop, or the Files app • Layout adapts from iPhone to iPad multi-pane • Sessions preserve your signal selections, formats, cursors, and zoom PRIVACY • No account, no sign-in, no ads • Your waveform files never leave your device • Anonymous usage counts help decide what to build next. You are asked on first launch, the switch is in Settings → Privacy, and the complete list of what is counted is at edacrux.app/telemetry — never file names, signal names, or anything that identifies you Available in English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. WaveCrux is also available for macOS, Windows, and Linux — visit wavecrux.app to learn more.

About

STL Viewer

Features
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STL Viewer is a free, offline 3D model viewer for iPhone and iPad. It opens STL, 3MF, OBJ, PLY, OFF, 3DS, GLB and glTF files, measures them, estimates the print, shows them in AR at real size and converts them to STL. Your models never leave your device and no account is needed. AT A GLANCE • 8 file formats: STL, 3MF, OBJ, PLY, OFF, 3DS, GLB, glTF • Works fully offline, with no upload and no sign-up • Free: no subscription and no in-app purchase • No pop-up, timed or full-screen ads; at most one small banner • 17 languages, on iPhone and iPad VIEW IN AR AT REAL SIZE Place your model on a real desk or floor with AR Quick Look and see its true size before you print it. The camera is used only while AR is open. MEASURE AND ESTIMATE THE PRINT • Measure the distance between any two points, in millimetres • See dimensions, volume, surface area and triangle count • Print estimate: weight, filament length, print time and cost, by printer class, material (PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, Nylon), layer height, infill and walls • Cut through the model with a section view CONVERT AND EXPORT TO STL Turn an OBJ, 3MF, PLY, OFF, 3DS, GLB or glTF model into a binary STL in millimetres, ready for any slicer. Every triangle of the source is kept, even when the on-screen preview is simplified. INSPECT EVERY DETAIL • Orbit, pan, zoom and fit to screen • Shaded or wireframe, perspective or orthographic • Front, back, left, right, top and bottom views from the view cube • Change the colour and the surface look: plastic, glossy, wood, stone or carbon SHARE • A rotating 360° GIF • A 9:16 video for stories • An STL copy, only when you choose WORKING WITH 3MF 3MF is the format most modern slicers save. STL Viewer reads the geometry inside a 3MF so you can check a part before printing, with real-world units from the file. Modifier meshes and negative volumes are left out, so you see the part itself. A 3MF that holds only print data, such as G-code, says so instead of opening empty. LOCAL AND PRIVATE Models are processed on your device. STL Viewer does not send model files, filenames, paths, geometry or dimensions to any cloud service, advertising provider or analytics platform. WHAT IT DOES NOT DO STL Viewer is for viewing, measuring, sharing and STL export. It does not edit, repair, slice or print models. Textures, materials and animations are not loaded. Native CAD formats (STEP, IGES, SOLIDWORKS, Fusion) need to be exported to STL, OBJ or 3MF first. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS How do I open an STL file on iPhone or iPad? Tap Open file in STL Viewer, or choose STL Viewer from Open With or Share in the Files app. Is STL Viewer free? Yes. There is no subscription and no in-app purchase. At most one small banner appears after a model is ready. Does it work offline? Yes. Opening, measuring, AR and export all run on the device without an internet connection. Can I open a 3MF from Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer or Cura? Yes. The part's geometry opens with its real units; print settings and plates are not read. Can I see an STL in AR at real size? Yes. Tap the AR button to place the model in your room at its real size. How do I measure an STL on iPhone? Open the model, tap the ruler, then Measure distance, and tap two points on the model. Can it estimate filament and print time? Yes. Print estimate shows weight, filament length, time and cost from the part's volume and your printer class, material and settings. It is an estimate, not a slicer result. How do I convert OBJ, 3MF or GLB to STL on iPhone? Open the model, tap Export, then Share as STL. How do I open a GLB or glTF file on iPhone? Open it like any other model. glTF files must keep their buffers embedded; use GLB if yours has a separate .bin file. Are my files uploaded anywhere? No. Models stay on your device.

Screenshots

WaveCrux2 screens
STL Viewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: WaveCrux at none against STL Viewer's shown. STL Viewer's advantage is chart position (#178 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 10 days). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WaveCrux ships an update every 10 days, STL Viewer every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 4 level
WaveCrux versus STL Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWaveCruxSTL Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
Best chart rank—#178 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFerrite Engineering LLCAlper Vural

In-app purchases

None

WaveCrux

No in-app purchases

None

STL Viewer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WaveCrux free?
WaveCrux is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is STL Viewer free?
STL Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do WaveCrux or STL Viewer have ads?
STL Viewer shows ads; WaveCrux does not.
Which is updated more often, WaveCrux or STL Viewer?
WaveCrux ships an update every 10 days, and STL Viewer every 5 days. Most recently, WaveCrux was updated on October 24, 2026 and STL Viewer on October 24, 2026.

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