Comparison

Beam Engineering lite vs Panel Planner

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

Head to head
About

Beam Engineering lite

This app provides 34 civil engineering calculators for beam analysis and conversion, referencing industry codes. It offers auto-fill options for material and section pickers and supports dual units. A pro version unlocks unlimited calculations, history, and PDF exports.

Highlights
  • 34 civil engineering calculators
  • AISC, ACI, ASCE code references
  • Auto-fill section and material pickers
  • Metric and Imperial units
  • Calculation history
  • PDF export
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

Beam Calculator offers a comprehensive suite of 34 calculators to analyze and convert key Beam and Civil Engineering parameters. Built for professionals and students, every formula is backed by AISC 360-22, ACI 318-19, and ASCE 7-22 code references displayed directly in the calculator. Auto-fill Section and Material Pickers let you select from 39 AISC W-shapes and standard Steel, Rebar, and Concrete grades to instantly populate input fields. No manual lookup needed. Included Calculators (Metric and Imperial Units): Critical Bending Moments: . Rectangular Cross Section . Open Cross Section . Nonuniform Bending Gradient . Moment Gradient Factor with PASS/FAIL adequacy check per AISC 360-22 Stress and Deflection: . Maximum Stress (Axial and Bending Loads) . Maximum Stress (Large Bending Deflection) . Axial Compression and Bending Deflection . Critical Buckling Load . Stress (Unsymmetrical Bending) . Total Unit Stress and Deflection (Eccentric Loading) Steel and Compression Calculations: . Trial Design Area of Steel . Compression Area and Depth . Nominal Moment Capacity . Adjusted Steel Area . Reinforcement Ratios (Balanced, Minimum, Maximum) Beam Dimensions and Shear Strength: . Required Beam Dimensions . Concrete and Steel Shear Strength . Maximum Allowable Shear (Steel and Total) . Horizontal, Angled, and Vertical Stirrup Spacing . Stirrup Shear Strength and Embedment Length . Maximum Tension Steel Spacing Key Features: . Dual unit system. USCS (Imperial) and SI (Metric) with accurate conversions . Calculation History. save, review, and add notes to past calculations . PDF Export. share professional calculation reports . Built-in Reference Tables. W-shape sections, steel grades, rebar grades, and concrete grades . Dark mode support with three appearance options . Category filter chips for fast formula navigation Pro Unlock (One-Time Purchase): . Unlimited calculations across all 34 formulas . Full calculation history (free users see last 5 records) . PDF export and sharing . Swipe to delete history records Available in English, Francais, Espanol, Italiano, Deutsch, Chinese, Nederlands, and Portugues.

About

Panel Planner

Read full description

Plan, visualize, and manage your home's electrical system — right from your iPhone. Circuit Breaker Panel is an interactive residential electrical panel simulator that lets you map out every circuit in your home, track real-time current loads, and plan new circuits before you ever call an electrician. BUILD YOUR PANEL Install single-pole (120V) and double-pole (240V) breakers in any configuration. Choose from 15A, 20A, 30A, 40A, 50A, and 60A ratings. Support for 24, 30, and 40-slot panels with 100A, 150A, 200A, and 400A main breakers. ADD YOUR DEVICES Populate each circuit with the real appliances and devices in your home. Choose from 20 common presets — refrigerator, HVAC, EV charger, dryer, and more — or enter any custom wattage. Toggle devices on and off to simulate real-world usage scenarios. LIVE LOAD CALCULATIONS Current draw is calculated automatically for every circuit (Amps = Watts ÷ Voltage). Watch each breaker's load bar update in real time as you switch devices on and off. COLOR-CODED SAFETY STATUS Know at a glance which circuits are safe and which are at risk: Green glow — circuit is within safe range (under 70% load) Yellow glow — load is climbing, approaching capacity (70–90%) Red pulsing glow — circuit is overloaded, breaker would trip (over 90%) SAVE UP TO 10 PANELS Save and restore up to 10 complete panel configurations. Perfect for planning a renovation, comparing layouts, or managing panels across multiple properties. DESIGNED FOR CLARITY A realistic panel enclosure with a center bus bar, physical breaker switches, and load bars on every circuit give you an intuitive feel for your home's electrical system — no electrical engineering degree required. FULLY OFFLINE & PRIVATE No account. No internet connection. No data collection of any kind. Your panel configurations are stored only on your device.

Screenshots

Beam Engineering lite4 screens
Panel Planner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Beam Engineering lite at Free against Panel Planner's $0.99. Panel Planner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement 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

Beam Engineering lite is free to download; Panel Planner costs $0.99 up front. Beam Engineering lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Panel Planner asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Beam Engineering lite versus Panel Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeam Engineering litePanel Planner
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.4 (32 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings32 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 months—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperV PUGAZHENTHIJeremy Goldschmidt5660401601

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Beam Engineering lite

One-time1
  • Beam Engineering Pro$2.99
None

Panel Planner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Beam Engineering lite free?
Beam Engineering lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Panel Planner free?
Panel Planner costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Beam Engineering lite or Panel Planner have ads?
Beam Engineering lite shows ads; Panel Planner does not.

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