Comparison

HDLSim vs MathBench

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

Head to head
About

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

About

MathBench

Features
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MathBench turns math into hands-on reasoning. Do the same thing to both sides of a balance until only x remains. Drag parameters until a parabola passes through the target. Bisect an angle with only a compass and straightedge. Every move is checked for equivalence in real time. FOUR SUBJECTS, 95 LEVELS Algebra Balance: linear equations, systems, quadratics and inequalities. Multiply by a negative and the sign must flip; divide by an expression in x and you may lose a root. Brainer levels are built around these traps. Graphs: linear, quadratic, inverse and absolute-value functions, shifts and stretches, and solving equations and inequalities by graph. Constructions: perpendicular bisectors, angle bisectors, perpendiculars, parallels, regular hexagons, circumcenter and incenter, tangents to a circle. Probability: toss coins, roll dice, draw balls, and explore geometric probability. Compare exact probabilities with sample frequencies. 40 levels are playable right away. The other 55 unlock with Pro. A daily challenge and a review list bring back levels you solved with help. PRINCIPLE CARDS After each solve, a Principle Card explains why it works using the numbers from your own solve, such as x = (3 ± √17)/4 or 3² + 4² = 25. SIX TOOLS • Exact fractions: simplify, common denominators, mixed numbers, repeating decimals, prime factorization • Equations: linear and quadratic with exact radicals, inequality intervals, 2Ɨ2 and 3Ɨ3 linear systems • Graphing: up to three curves with zeros, intersections and vertices • Triangle solver: find the remaining sides, angles and area, including the two-solution case • Statistics: mean, median, variance and more, with a frequency histogram and box plot • Combinatorics: permutations, combinations, factorials and binomial coefficients Tool results are unlimited; hints are never consumed and undo is unlimited. PRO — ONE-TIME PURCHASE All 95 levels, full Principle Card derivations, step-by-step tool working, and a Free Bench you can edit and save (balance, graph, construction and probability benches). Pro includes every worked answer and all Pro features. The first three fixed sample answers in each subject are free to view; all remaining answers unlock with Pro. One-time purchase. No subscription. PRIVACY All calculations run on your device and work offline. No account and no analytics SDK. Progress syncs through your own private iCloud. NOTE: MathBench is for understanding principles and practicing reasoning. Problems are original, not tied to any textbook, and no exam-score gains are promised. Support, Privacy Policy and Terms of Use are in Settings.

Screenshots

HDLSim4 screens
MathBench4 screens

Verdict

The call

HDLSim and MathBench are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. HDLSim sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month and MathBench sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HDLSim ships an update every 4 days, MathBench weekly. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
HDLSim versus MathBench: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHDLSimMathBench
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB7 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJulio Francisco Reyes GonzalezēŒ®ę…§ 陈

In-app purchases

2 purchases

HDLSim

Subscriptions2
  • HDLSim Pro Monthly$2.001 Month
  • HDLSim Pro Annual$20.001 Year
1 purchases

MathBench

One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$4.99

Questions

Is HDLSim free?
HDLSim is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MathBench free?
MathBench is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HDLSim or MathBench have ads?
Neither HDLSim nor MathBench shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HDLSim or MathBench?
HDLSim ships an update every 4 days, and MathBench weekly. Most recently, HDLSim was updated on November 13, 2026 and MathBench on November 13, 2026.

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