Best Electrician Apps for US Electricians (2026)

Walk onto any jobsite and count the phones that come out when somebody asks what size wire a run needs. Half the crew opens an app, and the other half opens a search engine. Both groups can be wrong. The app might be built on a code edition your state never adopted, or it might be a quiz game that stopped getting updates years ago.

The app stores are crowded with electrician apps now. Search the US App Store for “electrician” and most of what comes back are look-alike exam quizzes, generic hour trackers and calculators that have never seen an NEC table. The handful that are worth phone space each do one job well. None of them does all of it.

This guide sorts the electrician apps a US electrician actually uses by the job they do: exam prep, calculators, field reference, conduit bending and apprentice hour logs. For each app you get what it does, what it costs and where it falls short. Every price, rating and platform here was checked on the US App Store and Google Play on October 21, 2026.

What an electrician app should actually do

Strip away the marketing and an electrician app does one of five jobs. It drills you for the licensing exam. It runs the sizing math. It holds the reference tables you used to carry in a shirt-pocket book. It works out conduit bends. Or it keeps the record of your apprenticeship hours. Judge each app against the job it claims, not against a feature list.

• Exam prep means practice questions tied to NEC articles, timed mock exams and some way of showing you what you keep getting wrong.
• Calculators means wire size, voltage drop, conduit fill, box fill, motor circuits and load calculations, with the code section shown next to the answer.
• Field reference means tables, formulas, NEMA configurations and diagrams that open fast with dirty gloves and no signal.
• Conduit bending means offsets, saddles and kicks with shrink and gain worked out for your bender.
• Apprentice records means an hour log that your licensing board or JATC will accept, split by work category and employer.

Which NEC edition is it built on?

This is the question that matters most and the one app listings answer least. The NEC is revised every three years, and states adopt editions on their own schedule, sometimes with amendments. An app built on the 2023 NEC can give you a wrong answer in a state that has moved to 2026, and the reverse. Our NEC edition comparison shows what changed between 2017 and 2026, and the top 2026 NEC changes lists the rules most likely to trip up an older app.

Free, freemium or paid up front

Electrician apps sell in three ways. Some are free outright, usually because a manufacturer such as Southwire uses them as marketing. Most are freemium: free to download, with a subscription for full access. A few, like Ugly’s and QuickBend, charge once up front with nothing to buy inside. A one-time price is easier to budget, but a subscription is what pays for content updates when the code changes.

Best electrician apps at a glance

The highlighted row is the one app on the list with no paid tier at all. Everything else either charges up front or locks part of the app behind a subscription.

Best electrician apps for the licensing exam

Journeyman and master exams test whether you can find the answer in the NEC under time pressure, not whether you have memorised it. A good exam app makes you practise that, explains every answer with the article it came from, and shows you which parts of the code are costing you points. For free practice before you install anything, try our 50-question NEC practice test.

NEC Electrical Exam by VoltLab — best for a state-specific study plan

VoltageLab’s exam app (listed on Google Play as VoltageLab: NEC Exam Prep) starts by asking your trade level, your state and your exam date. It then builds a day-by-day plan and weights your practice towards the code sections your exam tests. Every question carries an explanation and the NEC article behind it. Timed mock exams run with a real clock, question count and pass mark, and a readiness score shows which areas are dragging you down.

The drills are where it differs from a plain question bank: Calc Drills for box fill, conduit fill, voltage drop, ampacity and load calculations; Table Match, which trains you to find the right NEC table fast; Code Compliant?, where you spot the violation in a real install; and Code Reading for navigating the book. There are also 1v1 code battles and group quizzes for apprentice classes and crews.

NEC Electrical Exam by Dakota — best for a large question bank

Dakota is the most established exam app in this group, with 504 ratings at 4.7 on the US App Store. It lists over 3,000 questions across the six exam sections, each with a walkthrough and NEC reference, plus a practice mode by topic and personal study stats. It also has an AI tutor for step-by-step help on calculation questions, and it lists the specific exams it covers state by state.

For a full study schedule around these apps, see our NEC exam prep guide for 2026.

Best calculator and field reference apps

These are the apps that earn their place on a working electrician’s phone after the exam is over. The rule for all of them is the same: the app is a fast second opinion, and the code section it cites is what you show the inspector.

Ugly’s Electrical References — best field reference

Ugly’s has been the electrician’s pocket book for over 35 years, and the app is the digital version. The 2026 edition reflects the 2026 NEC and covers table change information, formulas, NEMA wiring configurations, ampacity and conduit fill information, transformer and control wiring diagrams, and a conduit bending guide with videos. Built-in calculators include Ohm’s law, voltage drop and ampacity.

Mike Holt’s Electrical Toolbox — best free sizing calculator

Mike Holt’s app sizes conductors (including voltage drop limits), circuit protection, raceways and equipment grounding conductors for heating, air-conditioning, motors and transformers, and runs dwelling-unit service calculations. It comes from the same company whose code books and classes many electricians trained on.

ElectriCalc Pro — best all-in-one NEC calculator

ElectriCalc Pro is Calculated Industries’ handheld electrical calculator turned into an app. It sizes wire per Table 310.16 for copper or aluminum at 60, 75 or 90 °C, with ambient temperature and fill adjustments. It also handles voltage drop, conduit sizing for 12 conduit types, motor full-load amps, fuse and breaker sizing per 430.52, overload sizing per 430.32, and grounding conductors per 250.122 and 250.66.

Southwire Voltage Drop and Conduit Fill — best single-job calculators

Southwire publishes free apps that each do one thing. Voltage Drop finds the wire size that meets a drop limit, or the drop for a given run, and limits the answer to NEC ampacity. Conduit Fill answers “what size conduit do I use” with fill percentage and jam probability. They are quick, free, and have no in-app purchases. If you would rather not install anything, our browser-based voltage drop calculator and conduit fill calculator do the same jobs.

QuickBend — best conduit bending app

QuickBend calculates offsets, saddles and other bends using the centreline radius of your shoe and bender, plus the conduit type and size. It has 4,009 US ratings at 4.8, the most of any trade-specific app in this guide, and it was built by an electrician.

Best apps for apprentices and ongoing learning

Electrician Apprentice Hours — best for logging OJT hours

Every hour you work counts toward your license only if you can prove it. Electrician Apprentice Hours logs a day in about five seconds, tags each entry with the employer, one of the eight standard OJT work categories and an optional note, and tracks progress toward your hour goal (8,000 by default). It stores each employer’s supervisor name and license number and exports a PDF or CSV record, split by employer so each supervisor signs only for the work they supervised.

It also has seven NEC calculators: wire size and ampacity, voltage drop, maximum circuit distance, load calculations by Article 220, motor circuits by Article 430, conduit fill and box fill. Each result shows the inputs and code articles it used, and you can fill in a calculation by voice. Logging and calculators work offline.

Electrical & Electrician App — best for learning beyond the exam

VoltageLab’s Electrician App is for the years of learning around the exam rather than the exam itself. Type a topic such as grounding and bonding or motor protection and it builds a day-by-day plan of short lessons with a check at the end. Quizzes explain every answer with the code section, illustrated guides can be saved for offline reading, and a wiring simulator lets you build circuits and watch voltage, current and resistance change. You can turn your own notes, a PDF, a photo or a YouTube link into flashcards, and take timed practice tests.

It is also the only app in this list that changes standard: NEC, CEC, BS 7671, AS/NZS 3000 or IEC 60364. That matters little to most US electricians, but it helps if you work across the border or trained abroad.

What electrician apps cost, and how to choose one

Store ratings help, but only when you read the count next to the stars. A 5.0 from a single rating tells you nothing; a 4.4 from 1,500 ratings tells you a lot. Look at the last update date too. An app that has not been updated since before the 2023 NEC came out is a museum piece, however good its rating.

App	US App Store rating	Number of ratings	Last updated
Electrical Code-A-Day	4.8	9,316	May 2022
QuickBend	4.8	4,009	Sep 2026
Ugly’s Electrical References	4.4	1,509	Jun 2026
Southwire Voltage Drop Calc	4.6	1,495	Jul 2026
Southwire Conduit Fill Calc	4.5	770	Oct 2026
NEC Electrical Exam by Dakota	4.7	504	Sep 2026
ElectriCalc Pro	4.9	364	Aug 2026
Mike Holt’s Electrical Toolbox	4.6	196	Jul 2026
Electrical & Electrician App	5.0	7	Oct 2026
Electrician Apprentice Hours	5.0	1	Aug 2026
NEC Electrical Exam by VoltLab	5.0	1	Oct 2026

How to pick your electrician apps, step by step

1. Name the job. Exam in the next six months, daily sizing math, reference on the truck, bending, or hour records. Start with the one you do most.
2. Check the code edition. Find the NEC edition your state or city has adopted, then check the app’s listing or settings for the edition it uses.
3. Check the update date and rating count. Skip apps that have not been updated in two years, and discount ratings with fewer than a few dozen reviews.
4. Use the free tier for a week. Run three calculations you already know the answer to. If any result disagrees with your codebook, uninstall it.
5. Pay only for the job you do every week. A subscription you open once a month is the most expensive app you own.
6. Add a second app for the gap. Most electricians end up with one study or exam app and one calculator or reference app.

Which app for which situation:

For quick checks in a browser without installing anything, VoltageLab’s wire size calculator and box fill calculator run on any phone.

What an app can do for you on the job, and what it can’t

Good uses of an electrician app

• Ten minutes of NEC practice questions on a break, every day, in the months before an exam
• Timed mock exams in the last few weeks, so the clock is not a surprise
• Quick voltage drop, wire size, conduit fill and box fill checks before you order material
• Working out offsets and saddles before you bend, not after
• Logging OJT hours the same day you work them, while you remember the category and supervisor

What an app does not replace

• The printed codebook in the exam room, which is usually the only reference you are allowed
• The edition of the NEC your authority having jurisdiction has adopted, and its local amendments
• Equipment listings and labels. NEC 110.3(B) requires listed equipment to be installed per the instructions in its listing or labeling
• An engineer’s design on large, unusual or high-fault-current jobs
• Your supervisor’s signature on your apprenticeship hours

Is a paid electrician app subscription worth it?

For the months before an exam, usually yes. A full question bank and timed mock exams cost less than retaking the test. After you are licensed, the case is weaker: the free calculators cover most daily math, and a one-time reference like Ugly’s does not need renewing every year.

Using electrician apps on the job

Frequently asked questions

What is the best electrician app in 2026?

There is no single best one, because the apps do different jobs. For the licensing exam, NEC Electrical Exam by VoltLab and Dakota lead. For field reference, Ugly’s Electrical References. For sizing math, Mike Holt’s Electrical Toolbox (free) or ElectriCalc Pro (paid). For conduit bending, QuickBend. For apprentice hours, Electrician Apprentice Hours.

What is the best free electrician app?

Electrician Apprentice Hours is the only app in this list with every feature free: hour logging, PDF and CSV export and seven NEC calculators, with no ads and no in-app purchases. Southwire’s Voltage Drop and Conduit Fill calculators and Mike Holt’s Electrical Toolbox are also free with no in-app purchases listed.

What app do electricians use for calculations?

Mike Holt’s Electrical Toolbox and ElectriCalc Pro cover the broadest set of NEC sizing calculations, from conductors and overcurrent protection to motors and grounding conductors. Southwire’s free apps handle voltage drop and conduit fill. Electrician Apprentice Hours includes seven NEC calculators alongside its hour log.

Is there an app for the journeyman electrician exam?

Yes. NEC Electrical Exam by VoltLab builds a study plan around your state and exam date, with timed mock exams and calculation drills. NEC Electrical Exam by Dakota offers more than 3,000 questions and an AI tutor. Both are free to start, with paid upgrades.

Can I use an electrician app during the licensing exam?

Almost never. Most state licensing exams are open-book with the printed NEC and ban phones in the testing room. Check your exam’s candidate bulletin for the allowed references and code edition.

Is Ugly’s Electrical References worth $12.99?

If you want one reference on your phone that you pay for once, yes. The 2026 edition reflects the 2026 NEC and covers formulas, NEMA configurations, ampacity, conduit fill, diagrams and a bending guide. If you mainly need sizing calculations, the free calculator apps cover more of that.

Which electrician apps work on Android?

Every app compared in this guide has an Android version on Google Play, including Ugly’s, Dakota, Mike Holt’s Electrical Toolbox, ElectriCalc Pro, Southwire’s calculators, QuickBend and all three VoltageLab apps. Android prices can differ from the US App Store prices quoted here.

Do electrician apps use the latest NEC?

Not always. Ugly’s 2026 edition reflects the 2026 NEC, but ElectriCalc Pro’s listing names editions through 2023, and some popular quiz apps have not been updated since 2022. Check the edition in the app’s listing or settings and match it to the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.

The bottom line

The right electrician apps are the ones matched to the job you do every week. Most electricians need two or three: an exam or study app while they are working toward a license, a calculator for sizing math, and a reference or bending app for the truck. Apprentices should add an hour log from the first day, because hours you cannot prove do not count.

Two things keep any app honest: check that it runs on the NEC edition your jurisdiction has adopted, and check its answers against the codebook until you trust it. If you are just starting on the exam, begin with our free NEC practice test and see where you stand before you pay for anything.