Comparison

Plumbing Formulator vs Caleffi Pipe Sizer

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

Head to head
About

Plumbing Formulator

This professional calculator app provides over 200 formulas, calculators, and reference materials for plumbers, HVAC technicians, and mechanical contractors. It covers a wide range of calculations for water flow, piping, drainage, water heaters, pumps, and more, all in one pocket-sized tool.

Highlights
  • Over 200 formulas and calculators
  • Water flow and supply calculations
  • Pipe and piping calculations
  • Drainage and venting calculations
  • Water heater and pump calculations
  • Reference charts and code books
  • Pipe cut list optimizer
Features
Read full description

PLUMBING FORMULATOR is the ultimate professional calculator for plumbers, HVAC techs, and mechanical contractors. Over 200 formulas, reference charts, code books, and pro tools in your pocket. CALCULATORS AND FORMULAS Water Flow and Supply: pipe velocity, flow rate, GPM, fixture unit demand, and supply sizing. Pipes and Piping: area, volume, and weight for copper, steel, cast iron, and plastic. Hazen-Williams friction loss, pressure ratings, and 45 degree offsets. Drainage and Venting: drain sizing, slope and fall, vent sizing, fixture units, and wet vents. Water Heaters: BTU requirements, recovery rates, tank sizing, first hour ratings, and hot water demand. Pumps and Pressure: water and brake horsepower, efficiency, head pressure, velocity head, and PSI to feet of head. Storm Drainage: roof drains, rainfall intensity, gutter and leader sizing, and retention. Gas Piping: size natural gas and propane lines, BTU loads, pressure drop, and appliance demand. Medical Gas: size oxygen, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, and medical air. Vacuum demand and manifolds per NFPA 99. Swimming Pools: volume, fill time, pump sizing, turnover, evaporation loss, and main drains. Septic and Sewage: septic tanks, leach fields, and sewage pump capacity. Thermal Expansion: expansion tank sizing, system pressure, and pipe length changes. REFERENCE MATERIALS Charts and Tables: dozens of reference charts including pipe sizing, fixture units, and materials in PDF. Massachusetts Plumbing Code: complete 248 CMR reference with all chapters. Plumbing Design Guide: a 24 chapter design and installation guide. Technical Drawings: professional diagrams and installation details. TOOLS AND FEATURES Pipe Cut List Optimizer: enter lengths and stock sizes for an optimized cutting plan that cuts waste. Unit Conversions: length, area, volume, flow, pressure, temperature, weight, and power. Geometry Calculators: area and volume for circles, rectangles, triangles, cylinders, spheres, cones, and more. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT More than a calculator. Tap Business to run your service company from the same app. Customers: contacts, service addresses, job history, and outstanding balances. More than a calculator. Tap Business to run your service company from the same app. Customers: contacts, service addresses, job history, and outstanding balances. Quotes and Estimates: build quotes on site and turn an approved quote into an invoice with one tap. Invoicing: branded invoices with your logo, parts and labor, taxes, and terms. Send by email, print, or PDF. Payments: cash, check, card, ACH, or credit. Apply one payment across invoices and manage credit automatically. Scheduling: book service calls, track jobs, and set up recurring contracts that auto-generate invoices. Business Reports: balances, receivable aging, revenue, and payment history. Export as CSV or PDF. Business features are a separate one-time upgrade, discounted for existing Bill-Craft and ServiceBoss customers. PLUMBING PRO FEATURES Upgrade to Plumbing Pro to save calculations with full detail, export results, keep unlimited history, and remove ads. One time purchase with lifetime access. A modern dark interface built for the job site, with breakdowns showing the steps and formulas behind every result. Perfect for plumbers, apprentices, HVAC techs, mechanical engineers, and building inspectors. Download Plumbing Formulator today and put professional plumbing calculations at your fingertips.

About

Caleffi Pipe Sizer

This application assists hydraulic and HVAC professionals in accurately sizing water or air pipes. It calculates pressure drops and offers a modern, intuitive interface for precise system design on the go.

Highlights
  • Accurate water/air pipe sizing
  • Pressure drop calculation
  • Customizable technical parameter calculations
  • Extensive material and configuration library
  • Modern and intuitive interface
  • Enhanced performance
Features
Read full description

Caleffi Pipe Sizer is the essential app for engineers, designers and installers operating within the hydraulic systems and heating and cooling sector. This app can be used to size water or air pipes accurately and calculate both localised and widely distributed pressure drops easily, wherever you are. The app, featuring a fully redesigned frontend, offers a new-look interface and improved performance. Download the app and start designing with speed and precision! Main Features of the Update: - Native Look & Feel: new, more modern and intuitive interface - Alignment with Standards: compatible with the latest mobile app standards - Enhanced Performance: optimised performance to guarantee a fluid and reactive user experience Functions: - Accurate sizing of water or air pipes - Customisable calculations based on technical parameters - Extensive library of materials and configurations Why Choose Us? - Precision: advanced calculation tools ensure accurate results - Innovation: the new version is enhanced with cutting-edge technologies which offer improved performance and greater ease of use - Complete support: compatible with the latest iOS devices

Screenshots

Plumbing Formulator4 screens
Caleffi Pipe Sizer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Caleffi Pipe Sizer at 50% against Plumbing Formulator's 9%. Caleffi Pipe Sizer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Plumbing Formulator's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (7 vs 1). On price, ads, monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Plumbing Formulator sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Caleffi Pipe Sizer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Caleffi Pipe Sizer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plumbing Formulator has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 9% of Plumbing Formulator's written reviews are positive against 50% of Caleffi Pipe Sizer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Plumbing Formulator ships an update every 2 months, Caleffi Pipe Sizer every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Plumbing Formulator versus Caleffi Pipe Sizer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlumbing FormulatorCaleffi Pipe Sizer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews9.1% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHistorycentral.comCaleffi S.p.A

Customer experience

Plumbing Formulator

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive9.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative90.9%

Caleffi Pipe Sizer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Plumbing Formulator

One-time4
  • Pro Version$1.99
  • Pro Purchase$3.99
  • Starter$5.99
Show 1 more
  • Growth$9.99
None

Caleffi Pipe Sizer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Plumbing Formulator free?
Plumbing Formulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Caleffi Pipe Sizer free?
Caleffi Pipe Sizer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Plumbing Formulator or Caleffi Pipe Sizer?
Caleffi Pipe Sizer is rated higher. Plumbing Formulator averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Caleffi Pipe Sizer averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Plumbing Formulator or Caleffi Pipe Sizer have ads?
Neither Plumbing Formulator nor Caleffi Pipe Sizer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Plumbing Formulator or Caleffi Pipe Sizer?
Plumbing Formulator ships an update every 2 months, and Caleffi Pipe Sizer every 7 months. Most recently, Plumbing Formulator was updated on October 6, 2026 and Caleffi Pipe Sizer on October 2, 2026.

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