Comparison

PLC Simulator & Automation Lab vs Perfboard Lab

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

Head to head
About

PLC Simulator & Automation Lab

Build and simulate industrial automation circuits on your mobile device. Program PLCs using ladder logic and learn through interactive lessons and real-world challenges. No hardware required.

Highlights
  • Industrial automation circuit simulation
  • Ladder logic programming
  • 35+ industrial components
  • Realistic power chain simulation
  • Fault injection for diagnosis
  • 16 interactive training lessons
  • Project sharing via export/import
Features
Read full description

Build real industrial automation circuits — on your iPhone or iPad. PLCForge is a complete automation lab: drag components, wire them up, run the simulation and watch motors spin, contactors latch and lamps light up. Tap the PLC and program it in ladder logic, just like the real thing. REALISTIC SIMULATION • 35+ industrial components: buttons, contactors, relays, timers, counters, three-phase motors, VFD, servo drives, conveyor, pneumatic cylinder, tank, stack light, industrial oven and more • Realistic power chain: motors need all three phases, contactor coils need A1+A2, DC polarity matters, and a short circuit trips the fuse, breaker or thermal relay • Fault injection: create shorts and open circuits on purpose and learn to diagnose like a professional LADDER PROGRAMMING • Full ladder editor inside the PLC: NO/NC contacts, coils, SET/RESET, TON/TOF timers, CTU/CTD counters, comparison, MOV and more • Real I/O: wire buttons and sensors to the inputs, drive contactors and motors from the outputs LEARN FROM SCRATCH • Training Center with 16 interactive lessons — from your first control circuit to servo motion control • Guided 24-step course: from the seal-in circuit all the way to ladder logic • 16 challenges of rising difficulty + 14 real-world problems • Built-in reference guide for every component, with every terminal explained SHARE YOUR WORK • Export and import projects (.plcforge) and share them with classmates • Export your panel as PNG or PDF Perfect for electrical and automation students, technicians, electricians and hobbyists. No hardware needed — learn PLC hands-on, anywhere. Works fully offline. The core components and lessons are free; a single one-time purchase unlocks everything.

About

Perfboard Lab

Features
Read full description

Understand electronics by trying it out: Perfboard Lab turns your iPhone, iPad or Mac with Apple silicon into an electronics lab. Build a circuit and switch on the power. Right away you see what happens: LEDs light up, buzzers beep, motors turn and hum. And if your maths was off: it smokes, it sparks and the part burns out – without any real damage. SEE WHAT HAPPENS, INSTANTLY • Every change is computed instantly with real physics • Overloaded parts smoke in four levels until they burn out • The analysis explains in plain words what is wrong: an LED the wrong way round, a missing series resistor, a short circuit, an open circuit MEASURE LIKE IN A REAL LAB • Multimeter: voltage, current and power at every part • Oscilloscope: voltage and current over time OVER 20 REAL PARTS • DC voltage source, AC source, current source and breadboard power supply • Resistors, potentiometers, ceramic and electrolytic capacitors, inductors, switches • Diodes and Zener diodes, NPN and PNP transistors, N- and P-channel MOSFETs, relays, op-amps, voltage regulators and Timer NE555 • LEDs in six colours, an incandescent lamp, a buzzer with a real tone and a motor whose hum matches its turning • Real characteristics as in a parts catalogue, each with a short explanation JUST LIKE ON THE WORKBENCH • Draw wires with the pen – straight wires with bends and branches • Perfboard, with Perfboard Lab Pro also stripboard with cuttable strips and breadboard as used with Arduino • Copy parts with all their values; text labels annotate your circuit • Real 2.54 mm grid: what fits in the app fits on the real board • Bill of materials with every part and the length of every wire • With Perfboard Lab Pro you see your circuit in the 3D view: real parts on the board that you turn, tilt and measure PERFECT FOR SCHOOL AND CLASS • A guided tutorial builds your first circuit with you • AI-assisted tasks and explanations in Perfboard Lab Pro: tasks that suit your level, explanations step by step on the board. • Lots of ready-made examples: from an LED with a series resistor to logic circuits, transistors and op-amps • The interactive formula collection adapts to your circuit: with the power on, every worked example calculates with the measured values of your parts and shows where each number comes from. • Teachers pass their default settings on to the whole class as a file FOR EVERYONE • For iPhone, iPad and Macs with Apple silicon • In many languages and usable with VoiceOver and Voice Control • No ads, no tracking FREE The perfboard with almost all parts and their examples, text labels, the instruments and the simulation are free. A circuit can have up to 7 parts. Your circuit is kept automatically. PERFBOARD LAB PRO With “Perfboard Lab Pro” you save as many circuits as you like and keep working on the same circuit on iPhone, iPad and Mac. You export them as PDF with a bill of materials and share them with others. Plus circuits with more than 7 parts, op-amp, voltage regulator, Timer NE555, motor, Zener diode and current source with their examples, the stripboard and the breadboard with their examples, AI-assisted tasks and explanations, and the 3D view. • Try it free for 3 days, then a weekly subscription. The App Store shows the price in your currency before you buy. • The subscription renews automatically every week unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. You can cancel at any time in your Apple Account settings under “Subscriptions”. • Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ • Privacy policy: https://pascalschroeer.github.io/PerfboardLab_PrivacyPolicy/ Legal notice: https://pascalschroeer.github.io/PerfboardLab_PrivacyPolicy/#legal-notice

Screenshots

PLC Simulator & Automation Lab4 screens
Perfboard Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: PLC Simulator & Automation Lab at 15.0 against Perfboard Lab's 18.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PLC Simulator & Automation Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Perfboard Lab sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PLC Simulator & Automation Lab ships an update every 2 weeks, Perfboard Lab every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
PLC Simulator & Automation Lab versus Perfboard Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPLC Simulator & Automation LabPerfboard Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUGUR AKSOYPascal Schroeer

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PLC Simulator & Automation Lab

One-time1
  • PLCForge Premium$9.99
1 purchases

Perfboard Lab

Subscriptions1
  • Perfboard Lab Pro3 Days trial$0.997 Days

Questions

Is PLC Simulator & Automation Lab free?
PLC Simulator & Automation Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Perfboard Lab free?
Perfboard Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PLC Simulator & Automation Lab or Perfboard Lab have ads?
Neither PLC Simulator & Automation Lab nor Perfboard Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PLC Simulator & Automation Lab or Perfboard Lab?
PLC Simulator & Automation Lab ships an update every 2 weeks, and Perfboard Lab every 9 days. Most recently, PLC Simulator & Automation Lab was updated on October 29, 2026 and Perfboard Lab on October 29, 2026.

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