# Beam HPC vs SW Maps

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Beam HPC at 100% against SW Maps's 30%. Beam HPC also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.8) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). SW Maps's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 18 months) and ratings volume (25 vs 4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Beam HPC holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SW Maps has 25 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Beam HPC's written reviews are positive against 30% of SW Maps's.

Beam HPC ships an update every 18 months, SW Maps every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beam HPC | SW Maps |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beam-hpc/id1447917199/reviews)** | [3.8 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sw-maps/id6444248083/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **25** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 30.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 18 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kurt Gramoll](https://appshunter.io/developer/782218116) | [Aviyaan Tech](https://appshunter.io/developer/1653343736) |

## What reviewers say

### Beam HPC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beam-hpc/id1447917199)

This app calculates structural diagrams for beams, including moment, shear, and deflection. It supports various loads, supports, and material properties, allowing for interactive adjustments and comparisons. Designed for educational purposes, it helps users visualize and understand beam behavior.

**Highlights:** Moment, shear, and deflection diagrams, Multiple load types (forces, moments, distributed), Adjustable support conditions (pinned, fixed, roller), Segmented beams with varying properties, Interactive drag-and-drop interface, Educational focus on beam behavior

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### SW Maps

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sw-maps/id6444248083)

This app allows users to collect, present, and share geographic information. It supports recording points, lines, polygons, and associated data like photos and audio. High-accuracy GPS surveys are possible with external receivers, and data can be shared in various standard formats.

**Highlights:** Collect points, lines, and polygons, Attach custom attributes (text, photo, audio, video), High-accuracy GPS surveys with external receivers, Offline map support, Export data in multiple formats (Shapefile, GeoPackage, CSV), Create and share project templates

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beam HPC free?

Beam HPC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SW Maps free?

SW Maps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Beam HPC or SW Maps?

Beam HPC is rated higher. Beam HPC averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while SW Maps averages 3.8 from 25 ratings.

### Do Beam HPC or SW Maps have ads?

Neither Beam HPC nor SW Maps shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Beam HPC or SW Maps?

Beam HPC ships an update every 18 months, and SW Maps every 2 months. Most recently, Beam HPC was updated on October 2, 2026 and SW Maps on October 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*