FpgaLearn vs HDLSim
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
FpgaLearn
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A complete FPGA starter course in your pocket. FpgaLearn takes you from logic gates to state machines, bus protocols, timing constraints and board bring-up. Write code and see the waveform instantly; grading checks circuit behavior, not code style, and points to the first mismatch when something is wrong. START FREE ⢠Stage 1, Digital Logic Basics: all 10 lessons free ⢠Beginner exercises, the logic gate lab, the Verilog playground and a 303-entry concept wiki are always free ⢠Unlock the full course with one purchase when you are ready THE FULL COURSE ⢠42 lessons in 4 stages: digital logic, Verilog, hands-on projects, then FPGA architecture, timing constraints, toolchains and HLS ⢠28 auto-graded Verilog exercises across combinational and sequential logic, FSMs, arithmetic and UART/SPI/I2C, at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels ⢠54 lesson quizzes with spaced review and a wrong-answer log WHY IT WORKS ⢠Real four-state simulation (0/1/X/Z): a forgotten reset shows up as red X on the waveform ⢠Behavioral grading: any correct implementation passes; failures jump to the first mismatch on the waveform ⢠Tap-to-repair: practice the key logic without typing whole modules on a small screen ⢠Learning map: prerequisites across 303 concepts and 42 lessons at a glance ⢠Bookmarks and personal notes OFFLINE AND CLEAN Lessons, simulation and grading all run on device. No ads, no subscription, no account. PURCHASE Unlock Full Course is a one-time purchase, not a subscription, and supports Family Sharing. Restore it anytime from the Me tab. Buyers of version 1.0.5 or earlier keep all content automatically.
HDLSim
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HDLSim is a digital electronics lab on your iPhone. Write Verilog, compile it for the EPM240 CPLD and watch it run on a virtual development board, with a 2D schematic and a 3D breadboard. WHAT YOU CAN DO ⢠Verilog editor with compilation and error messages. ⢠EPM240 CPLD simulator: load your design and test its inputs and outputs on the board. ⢠2D schematic: place components, wire them and simulate the circuit. ⢠Boolean equation compiler: truth table, Karnaugh map, minimum form and a gate circuit built with chips. ⢠Step-by-step guided lessons. ⢠3D bench and breadboard: the same circuit built in 3D, with wires, resistors, LEDs and more. ⢠Guided labs: Ohm's law, dividers, diodes and rectifiers, transistors, op-amps, logic gates, adder, latch, 555 timer and 7-segment display. ⢠Your projects are stored on your iPhone. PLANS ⢠Free: Verilog editor, CPLD simulator, 2D schematic and 3D bench, designs and labs with up to 7 breadboard components on the 170, 400 or 830-point board the circuit needs, and boolean equations of up to 4 inputs and 1 output (the circuit it builds does not count toward the 7-component limit while unedited). Includes ads. ⢠Pro: everything in Free with no ads, designs with more than 7 components, every lab in the catalog and equations of up to 6 inputs and 6 outputs. Pro is an auto-renewing subscription, monthly or yearly, at the price shown in the app. Payment is charged to your Apple ID when you confirm the purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in Settings > your name > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://hdlsim.web.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: HDLSim at every 4 days against FpgaLearn's every 3 weeks. HDLSim also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. FpgaLearn sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and HDLSim sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
FpgaLearn ships an update every 3 weeks, HDLSim every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.
| Parameter | FpgaLearn | HDLSim |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 4 days ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod ā better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | å 굩 ę | Julio Francisco Reyes Gonzalez |
In-app purchases
FpgaLearn
- Unlock Full Course$29.99
HDLSim
- HDLSim Pro Monthly$2.001 Month
- HDLSim Pro Annual$20.001 Year
Questions
Is FpgaLearn free?
Is HDLSim free?
Do FpgaLearn or HDLSim have ads?
Which is updated more often, FpgaLearn or HDLSim?
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