Comparison

Rafter Help vs Chippy Tools

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

Head to head
About

Rafter Help

This app simplifies roof construction by calculating rafter lengths and related measurements. It supports various input formats for pitch and length, offering both quick calculations for gable roofs and advanced control for more complex needs.

Highlights
  • Calculate rafter length and associated values
  • Determine roof pitch, rafter lengths, and ridge height
  • Supports gable roofs
  • Advanced calculation options
  • Multiple input formats for pitch (radians, degrees, DMS, rise/run)
  • Flexible length units (mm, cm, inches, feet)
  • Customizable decimal places
Features
Read full description

Rafter Help is the easiest way to calculate rafter length and associated values when building! Quickly find roof pitch, rafter lengths and ridge height for gable roofs, based on room and ridge width.  Or calculate length values with more control from the Advanced tab. Features Include: - Accurately solve rafter equations - Enter pitch steepness in radians, decimal degrees or degrees, minutes, seconds (DMS) or rise/run (e.g. 8/12) - Enter lengths in mm, cm, inches or feet - Select your preferred number of decimal places

About

Chippy Tools

This app simplifies complex calculations for construction professionals. It offers a variety of tools for tasks like spacing, measurements, and material estimation, helping to reduce errors and save time on job sites. Available on iPhone and iPad, it aims to be an essential tool for tradespeople.

Highlights
  • Baluster spacing calculator
  • Flat run attached baluster calculator
  • Square calculator
  • Concrete calculator
  • Stair calculator
  • Supports millimeters, feet, and inches
Features
Read full description

Chippy Tools is the must-have calculator for carpenters and handy folks looking to simplify math on the job. Whether you're on your iPhone or iPad, Chippy Tools is for you. Its user-friendly design lets you focus on carpentry while the app handles the math. Perfect for architects, builders, carpenters, construction workers, contractors, designers, engineers, tradespeople, and woodworkers of all kinds, Chippy Tools speeds up common calculations with precision. Save time and cut costs by reducing site errors. WHAT IS A CHIPPY? In Australia, carpenters are often called Chippy. WHY CHIPPY TOOLS? Our mission at Chippy Tools is to redefine top-notch apps for carpenters. We aim to develop a sustainable business model, adding new calculations to keep saving you time and money. FEATURES • Baluster spacing calculator - Quickly calculate spacing for flat runs. • Flat run attached baluster calculator - Simple, fast calculations for attached balusters. • Supports millimeters, feet, and inches. PREMIUM FEATURES (Requires Subscription) • Square calculator - Ensure structures are perfectly square. • Concrete calculator - Calculate concrete needed for slabs and posts. • Dumpy level calculator - Find relative level from benchmarks. • Equal spacing calculator - Calculate even spacing effortlessly. • Gravel calculator - Determine gravel volume needed. • Pitch calculator - Calculate pitch with rise and run. • Raked wall calculator - Measure raked walls using height or pitch. • Running calculations - Enter start number and interval. • Soil calculator - Find soil volume for landscaping. • Stair calculator - Calculate going, stringer, and rise for stairs. • Triangle calculator - Solve triangle measurements with ease. FEEDBACK Want a new calculator? Email us at feedback@chippy.tools. NO ADS EVER We promise no ads in Chippy Tools. Enjoy the best experience for your purchase. SUPPORT Got questions or feedback? Contact us for free tech support at support@chippy.tools. If Chippy Tools aids you, please leave an App Store review to help others find it. Subscription Terms of Service: https://chippy.tools/terms/ Proudly made in Brisbane, Australia.

Screenshots

Rafter Help4 screens
Chippy Tools4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chippy Tools at Free against Rafter Help's $1.99. Chippy Tools also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (55% vs 40%). Rafter Help's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.0). On rating, ads and device support 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

Chippy Tools is free to download; Rafter Help costs $1.99 up front. Chippy Tools sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Rafter Help asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Rafter Help against 4.5 for Chippy Tools. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 214 and 905 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 40% of Rafter Help's written reviews are positive against 55% of Chippy Tools's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rafter Help ships an update every 5 months, Chippy Tools every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Rafter Help versus Chippy Tools: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRafter HelpChippy Tools
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (214 ratings) — better4.5 (905 ratings)
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews55.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings214905 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArmchair EngineeringPeth Pty Ltd

Customer experience

Rafter Help

All ratings212 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral3.3%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative52.0%

Chippy Tools

All ratings905 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral3.0%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive55.2%
Neutral5.2%
Negative39.7%

User reviews

Rafter Help

From 214 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to understand
  • 👍 Accurate measurements
  • 👍 Gives rafter length with deduction
  • 👍 Useful for setting out measurements
  • 👍 First class, use it all the time

Room to improve

  • 👎 Cannot add 1/4 inch
  • 👎 Inaccurate and unconvincing
  • 👎 Really limited functionality
  • 👎 Doesn’t give cut angles, only lengths
  • 👎 Doesn’t give necessary measurements for rafters

Chippy Tools

From 905 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Quick and efficient
  • 💡 Useful construction tools
  • 🙌 Great for DIY projects

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Confusing interface
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Inaccurate calculations
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription

Bugs and requests

Rafter Help

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cannot add 1/4 inch
  • Missing decimal point on keypad
  • Major error in basic gable drawing
  • App won't open, says 'waiting'

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add 1/4 inch input
  • Provide cut angles
  • Include decimal point on keypad
  • Support hip rafters
  • Correct drawing error for basic gable
Show 3 more
  • Include HAP calculation
  • Include rafter width
  • Accept angles in degrees and pitch-in-12

Chippy Tools

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Square check feature not working
  • Measurements disappear after partial use

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more construction-related calculators
  • Improve stair and rafter tools
  • Include material quantity estimations
  • Add support for metric and imperial units

In-app purchases

None

Rafter Help

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

Chippy Tools

Subscriptions8
  • Chippy Tools Pro - Weekly1 Month trial$2.997 Days
  • Chippy Tools Pro - Weekly3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Chippy Tools Pro - Quarterly3 Months trial$4.993 Months
Show 5 more
  • Chippy Tools Pro - Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Chippy Tools Pro - Monthly1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Chippy Tools Pro - Annual3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Chippy Tools Pro - Annual1 Year trial$19.991 Year
  • Chippy Tools Pro - Annual$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • One Time Purchase2 variants$85.00

Questions

Is Rafter Help free?
Rafter Help costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chippy Tools free?
Chippy Tools is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Rafter Help or Chippy Tools?
Rafter Help is rated higher. Rafter Help averages 4.5 out of 5 from 214 ratings, while Chippy Tools averages 4.5 from 905 ratings.
Do Rafter Help or Chippy Tools have ads?
Neither Rafter Help nor Chippy Tools shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rafter Help or Chippy Tools?
Rafter Help ships an update every 5 months, and Chippy Tools every 8 days. Most recently, Rafter Help was updated on October 22, 2026 and Chippy Tools on October 20, 2026.

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