Electrical plan apps compared: seven apps side by side
Seven apps for drawing electrical plans compared on platforms, symbols, floorplan import, wiring and circuit tests, PDF export and a free start, with what each does better than ePlan. Checked on 28 October 2026.
An electrical plan app puts electrical symbols on a floor plan, and some join them into circuits. Of the seven compared here, ePlan and Electrical Layout Designer draw electrical floor plans, WireSketch plans the wiring on a photo of each wall, and ArcSite, magicplan, RoomSketcher and DrawPlan are floor plan tools with some electrical shapes, or none.
This page is written by the maker of ePlan, so read it with that in mind. Every fact about the other six comes from the app's own App Store page or website, each read once on 28 October 2026, and the sources are listed at the end. Apps change often, so check the store page before you buy. Prices are left out because they differ by country and change; the stores show them.
How do the apps compare?
| App | Platforms | Electrical symbols | Floorplan in | Wiring and circuit tests | PDF export | Free start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ePlan | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, browser | 107 devices and a custom symbol, each drawn IEC style or US (ANSI/NECA) style | PDF, photo, camera scan, 3D room scan (LiDAR), walls drawn on a grid | Wires join symbols in circuits; Check, Simulate and Loads tests (Premium) | Yes, with a legend, at the plan's shape, A4 or US Letter | 1 project, 2 plans, 10 symbols per plan |
| Electrical Layout Designer | iPhone, iPad, Apple silicon Mac | 79+ symbols in 10 categories, for NEC work | PDF floor plans | No wires on the plan; NEC load calculation and panel schedules from a guided setup | Yes, a PDF package, and CSV | Paid download |
| WireSketch | iPhone, iPad, Apple silicon Mac | 50+ fixture types; IEC 60617 schematics; four national code regions | Photo of the wall, blank canvas, LiDAR room scan (Pro) | Breakers per circuit (Pro), overload warnings | Yes, and PNG and CSV | 2 projects of 5 fixtures |
| ArcSite | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows | Trade shapes, electrical among 50+ industries; no standard named | Trace a sketch, photo or PDF (iPad), satellite image, room scan (Pro devices) | Wiring plans and circuit counts; no checks | Yes, and PNG, DXF and DWG | 14-day trial |
| magicplan | iPhone, iPad, Android, web login | Electrical objects: lights, outlets, switches, panels, wiring, fans; no standard named | Camera capture, LiDAR scan on Pro devices | No circuits or tests mentioned | PDF reports | 2 free projects |
| RoomSketcher | Computer and tablet apps | 250+ symbols; the electrical set on paid plans only | Draw, capture or convert with AI, trace, or order a plan | Lines and labels; no checks | A 2D plan to download or print | Free account, without the electrical set |
| DrawPlan | iPhone, iPad, Android, browser | None listed; custom objects | Drawn to scale; an imported image or plan to trace | None mentioned | PNG or PDF, high resolution on a paid plan | Free download |
ePlan
ePlan is our app, made for electricians who draw the plan on site, for a rewire, an extension or a new house. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac, on Android, and in a browser at app.electricalfloorplans.com, and a subscription bought on one works on the others under the same account (the Android app signs in with Google only). The apps speak 47 languages on iPhone, iPad and Mac and 73 on Android; the browser editor is in English.
A plan starts from an architect's PDF (a page picker splits a PDF of several pages into plans), a photo, a camera scan of a paper drawing, a 3D scan of the rooms on an iPhone or iPad with LiDAR, or walls drawn on a grid. Symbols are dragged onto it from a palette of one hundred and seven devices and a custom symbol, each drawn IEC style or US (ANSI/NECA) style, a setting kept on each phone, tablet or computer. Wires join two symbols and belong to circuits, each in its own colour.
Test mode checks that every device reaches a board, simulates the switches, and estimates the load on each circuit as an indication only. The PDF carries a legend built from the plan, at the plan's own shape or on A4 or US Letter.
Where it falls short: no CAD files (DXF or DWG), no quotes or takeoffs, no measuring on an imported PDF, and no code calculation for a service or a permit. The 3D scan needs LiDAR, so the Mac, Android and the browser have none, and the browser imports only the first page of a PDF. Test mode and team invites are part of Premium. Get it on the App Store or Google Play.
Electrical Layout Designer
Electrical Layout Designer is a paid app for US electrical work under the NEC. It runs on iPhone and iPad, and on Macs with Apple silicon, in English.
You import a PDF floor plan and tap to place its symbols, 79 or more in ten categories. A guided setup asks about the building, and from those answers the app produces an NEC Article 220 load calculation and panel schedules, which export as a PDF package and as CSV. Its listing says it works offline, and its privacy label says it collects no data. Its page mentions no wires drawn on the plan and no circuit tests.
Better than ePlan at: a load calculation set out the NEC's way, a panel schedule, CSV files and a one-off purchase. As with any calculation, check its figures against the code edition your inspector works to. Electrical Layout Designer on the App Store.
WireSketch
WireSketch plans the electrics of a room on a photo of the real wall, or on a blank canvas, for electricians and for homeowners preparing a brief. It runs on iPhone and iPad, and on Macs with Apple silicon, in nine languages.
It places more than 50 fixture types, and its Pro tier adds a LiDAR room scan and circuit panels with every breaker's rating; overloads raise warnings. It covers four code regions: DIN 18015 with VDE 0100, BS 7671, the NEC as a planning reference, and AS/NZS 3000. Plans export as PDF, PNG or CSV, as an annotated photo or an IEC 60617 schematic, and Pro adds a renovation brief for the electrician. The free tier holds two projects of five fixtures each.
Better than ePlan at: planning on a photo of the wall, warnings tied to national codes, CSV export, and a brief a homeowner can hand over. Its page mentions no Android or browser version. WireSketch on the App Store.
ArcSite
ArcSite is a drawing and estimating app for contractors in more than 50 trades, Electrical and Lighting among them. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac, on Android and on Windows.
For electrical work it draws wiring plans with trade shapes and counts circuits and fixtures as you draw; its pages name no symbol standard. It can trace a hand sketch, a photo or a PDF on an iPad, start from a satellite image, and scan a room on Apple's Pro devices. Drawings export as PDF, PNG, DXF or DWG, and its paid plans add takeoffs, estimates and proposals a client can sign. A 14-day trial opens the professional features.
Better than ePlan at: CAD files, takeoffs, estimates and proposals, a Windows app, and drawing for every trade, not only electrical. Its pages mention no check, simulation or load estimate for circuits. ArcSite's electrical plans page.
magicplan
magicplan captures floor plans with the camera of a phone or tablet, with a LiDAR scan on Apple's Pro devices. It is aimed at restoration, claims and remodelling teams, and runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, with a web login.
Its object library has an Electrical category, with lights, wiring, outlets, switches, electrical panels and ceiling fans, beside plumbing, HVAC and fire and safety; no drawing standard is named. Projects become PDF reports, price lists and estimates, with an export for Xactimate, and a team takes unlimited users. Two free projects are there to try it.
Better than ePlan at: capturing a whole property quickly, reports and estimates, and work across a company's crews. Its pages mention no circuits and no circuit tests. magicplan's website.
RoomSketcher
RoomSketcher is a floor plan and home design tool with a page for electrical plans. You draw the plan, capture or convert one with its AI options, trace an old drawing, or order one drawn for you, on a computer or a tablet.
It offers more than 250 symbols, which its page says follow common industry conventions, without naming a standard. The electrical set comes with its Pro and Team subscriptions, not with the free version. Lines and labels mark the circuits, and the page mentions no check of them. Plans download or print in 2D and share by link, with 3D views.
Better than ePlan at: 3D views, a library for the whole home, and drawings made to order. RoomSketcher's electrical page.
DrawPlan
DrawPlan is a general floor plan app, drawn by finger or with its AI help, to scale with automatic dimensions. It runs on iPhone and iPad, on Android and in a browser.
Its listing names doors, windows, furniture, fixtures, labels and dimensions, and objects you make yourself, but no electrical symbols, wiring or circuits. An imported image or plan can be traced over. High-resolution PNG and PDF exports, without grids or watermarks, come with a paid plan.
Better than ePlan at: general floor plans drawn to scale from nothing, with AI help. For an electrical plan you would draw the symbols yourself as custom objects. DrawPlan's website.
Which app should you choose?
- ePlan, to draw an electrical plan on site, wire it into circuits, test it, and send a PDF with a legend in the convention your client reads.
- Electrical Layout Designer, if an NEC load calculation and a panel schedule matter more to you than the drawing, on Apple devices.
- WireSketch, to plan room by room on photos of the walls, with warnings tied to national codes.
- ArcSite, for CAD files, takeoffs and signed proposals, or for a Windows computer.
- magicplan, for crews who capture whole properties for restoration, claims or remodelling, with reports and estimates.
- RoomSketcher, for 3D views of the home or a plan drawn for you.
- DrawPlan, for a general floor plan to scale, with the electrical marks added by hand.
Whichever you pick, the plan should show what the residential plan article lists, and pass the three checks before anyone wires from it.
Common mistakes when choosing
- A floor plan app with home-made electrical symbols. Fine for a sketch, but a reader needs standard marks and a legend that matches them.
- The wrong convention for the reader. A US inspector reads S3 and a duplex receptacle, an Irish client a two-way switch and a double socket. The IEC vs US article has the differences.
- A load figure taken for a design. An estimate, or an app's code calculation, still has to meet the edition your inspector uses.
- Choosing before exporting. Export a test plan first: the PDF is what the client sees.
- One platform for a mixed crew. If some of the crew work on Android or Windows, check that the app runs there.
Questions
Is there a free app for drawing electrical plans?
Several start free with limits. ePlan is free for one project of two plans, with ten symbols per plan and the 3D room scan included. WireSketch allows two projects of five fixtures, magicplan two projects, RoomSketcher a free account without its electrical set, and DrawPlan a free download. ArcSite has a 14-day trial, and Electrical Layout Designer is a paid download.
Which electrical plan apps work on Android?
ePlan, ArcSite, magicplan and DrawPlan, according to their pages. WireSketch and Electrical Layout Designer list Apple devices only, and RoomSketcher's electrical page names computer and tablet apps.
Can an app do the NEC load calculation for a permit?
Electrical Layout Designer advertises an NEC Article 220 calculation. ePlan's Loads tab gives an indicative load per circuit and is not that calculation; the article for US electricians explains the difference. Whatever the app, the inspector checks the figures against the code edition your jurisdiction adopted.
Which apps export DWG or DXF?
ArcSite, of these seven. ePlan exports a PDF, with its symbols and wires as sharp lines, and an image of the same page.
Why are calculator apps such as Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox left out?
They come up in the same searches but do not draw a plan. Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox, for example, is a free set of calculators for conductors, raceways, circuit protection, motors, transformers and dwelling service loads. It works beside a plan app rather than in place of one.
Sources
Each page was read once, on 28 October 2026. Features change, so a store page may say more or less by the time you read this.
- Electrical Layout Designer: App Store
- WireSketch: App Store
- ArcSite: home page, electrical plans page, App Store
- magicplan: home page, pricing page, object library, App Store
- RoomSketcher: electrical drawing page
- DrawPlan: home page, App Store
- Mike Holt's Electrical Toolbox: App Store
- ePlan: the apps in the stores, version 3.0