Comparison

BuildCalc vs Construction Master Pro Calc

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

Head to head
About

BuildCalc

This app enhances traditional construction calculators with advanced functions for layout, material estimation, and complex calculations. It offers interactive features, customizable material sizes, and streamlined results presentation to reduce complexity and improve accuracy for professionals.

Highlights
  • Advanced baluster and stair layout
  • Fence post and material estimation
  • Interactive calculation adjustments
  • Customizable material sizes
  • Miter saw vs. protractor rafter calculations
  • Streamlined results display and saving
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

What if you could take the best construction calculator and fix it. That’s right ... you love it, it has served you well, and you stand by it ... but could it do more? Could it be easier to use? After testing by pros from around the world, BuildCalc is ready to give you more - more function and more answers with less complexity, less hassle, and less confusion. MORE FUNCTIONALITY: • Advanced Baluster Function: Complete layout of railing and staircase balusters with less guess work - and with all the flexibility you need for every custom job. • Advanced Stair function: Stair layouts for professional results - including dimensioned drawings of your Stringer, Stringer Installation, and Finished Staircase. And you can email a PDF of these drawings right from BuildCalc so you can print them or share them. • Fence Function: Give BuildCalc a fence row length and it will tell you how many posts, rails, pickets, and or panels you need. • Interactive Functions: The Stair, Baluster, Compound Miter, and Rafter functions are now fully interactive. Want to change input values? Change the Run? Switch between Regular and Irregular Hip Roof analysis? You can do this and your results will be updated automatically - without you needing to remember what key to press. MORE ANSWERS: • You are no longer tied down to: only one brick, block or tile size for the masonry function; a fixed number of drywall sheet sizes; only one footer cross sectional area; or one size of shingles and sheathing. If you don’t see the size you want, you can add as many as you need. And for area input, you can store your custom sizes in Length x Width format, so you won’t have to do mental gymnastics to figure out what was the dimensions for that last size you stored. • Want to cut your hip roof rafter using a miter saw ... or a circular saw using a hand-held protractor? With a tap of a button, BuildCalc will automatically switch between Miter Saw and Protractor results. BuildCalc can do this for Compound Miters, too. • Sheathing Angles, Purlin Angles, Gable Area, Backing Angles, Plan Angles, Rough vs. Finished Stair Layout Dimensions, Stringer Throat, Stringer installation dimensions ... and a lot more not found on other construction calculators. LESS COMPLEXITY AND LESS HASSLE: • Tired of having to press and press and press buttons to get the results of a calculation? BuildCalc puts an end to this. For all advanced functions, you get ALL of your results in list form with just one or two key taps. • And, rather than having to write down those results, all advanced functions allow you to save your results - as many times as you want with a label you choose - so you can recall the complete results at your convenience. Now you can do a calculation today and two days, two weeks or two years later, it is there for you. • Less “quirks”. Have you been annoyed by arcane key stroke sequences on other construction calculators? We are too. BuildCalc 2.1 streamlined the keystrokes to do a better job of giving you less “errors” and more results. Don’t remember what you have to enter before a Hip Rafter or Stair calculation? Well, now you don’t have to. BuildCalc will provide you with a check list of inputs and on-the-spot help to get it right. • Drywall and Masonry “Room Mode”: If you have stored a Length, Width and Height for a room, BuildCalc will give you the Drywall or Masonry required for the walls and the ceiling / floor - with only a tap of the Drywall or Masonry button. No more pondering over complex key sequences ... it just works. NOW WITH ADVANCED STAIRS, BALUSTER, AND HIP/VALLEY FUNCTIONS Get more results than you ever could before - including dimensioned Stringer, Stringer Installation and Finished Staircase Drawings. Drawings can then be emailed to others or printed at your convenience. Email us and we'll send you an example!

About

Construction Master Pro Calc

This app is a powerful construction calculator designed for professionals working with dimensions. It offers a wide range of solutions for dimensional math, right angle calculations, area and volume, and special functions, helping to improve speed and accuracy in layouts, bids, and estimates.

Highlights
  • Dimensional math and conversions
  • Right angle and rafter calculations
  • Area and volume solutions
  • Full trigonometric functions
  • Built-in user's guide and help
  • Save and share calculations
  • Project notes and attachments
Features
Read full description

FREE Try Before You Buy 14 Day Trial; your App Store account is not charged by Apple during the free trial. Rated 4.8 stars with over 1.12M downloads. The trusted construction calculator used by professionals across the US and the world. The go-to feet-inch-fraction calculator for framers, contractors, and builders. Includes Construction Master Pro and Construction Master Pro Trig in one app, with the CMPro Training Guide built in. Built with the same core engine that powers the industry-standard advanced construction-math calculators from Calculated Industries. Award-winning tools trusted by the industry for 40 years. BUILT FOR THE JOBSITE • Framers and carpenters: rafter cuts, stair layouts, lumber quantities, and framing calculations on the job • Builders and general contractors: estimates, material takeoffs, and building layouts • Concrete and masonry: footing volume, block counts, and unit conversions • Roofing contractors: bundles, squares, pitch, and slope in seconds WHY PROFESSIONALS CHOOSE CONSTRUCTION MASTER® PRO • Powerful built-in calculations make CMPro ideal for completing layouts, plans, bids, and estimates • Work in and convert between all common building dimensional formats US & Metric • Built-in right angle functions simplify square-ups, rafters, slopes, and more • Handles framing, roofing, concrete, lumber, and stair calculations in one app • Full trigonometric functions for advanced construction math BUILT-IN SOLUTIONS • Dimensional Math and Conversions • Feet-Inch-Fraction, Inch Fraction, Yards • Decimal Feet and Inches (10ths, 100ths) • Preset Fractions (1/2" through 1/64") • D:M:S, Decimal Degree Entry and Conversions • Full Metric Function (m, cm, mm) RIGHT ANGLE SOLUTIONS • Complete Right Angle/Rafter Calculations • Pitch Key (Slope and Grade) • Rise, Run, Diagonal/Common Rafter Keys • Regular and Irregular Hip/Valley & Jack Rafter Keys • Rafter Cutting Angles (Plumb, Cheek, and Level Cuts) • Stair Layouts (including – Riser Limit, Stairwell Opening, Headroom, Floor Thickness) • Rake-Wall (including Arched) AREA AND VOLUME SOLUTIONS • Square and Cubic • Roof – Bundles, Squares, 4x8 Sheets, Pitch, Plan Area • Drywall, Siding and Paneling 4x8, 4x9 and 4x12 • Column/Cone Area and Volume -- • Basic & Advanced Circular Calculations • Weight per Volume Conversions • Length, Width, and Height Keys • Blocks, Footings SPECIAL FUNCTIONS • Trigonometric Function Keys: Sine, Cosine, Tangent, Arcsine, Arccosine, Arctangent • Board Feet • Studs: Find number On-center • User-Definable Preferences • Cost per Unit (total costs based on unit price) • Equal-Sided Polygon • Compound Miters • Crown Angle • Advanced Paperless Tape APP-ENHANCED FEATURES • Ask CMPro – exact steps for any calculation. AI built on CMPro’s 40 years of proven math • CMPro Toolbelt -- quick access to every tool, customizable for your workflow • Fast Fractions Mode -- dedicated fraction keys for faster, more precise entry • Materials Mode -- streamlined estimating for drywall, roofing, lumber, and more • Project Notes -- create text or voice-to-text notes, set up folders by project or client, add attachments, and share with your crew • EZ Calcs – 100+ forms-based calculators with illustrations for framing, concrete, roofing quantities, and much more. • Searchable Help and how-to videos • Context-sensitive Help -- press and hold any function key for Help text, diagrams, and videos • Save and share calculations and outputs (e.g., cut lists) with others on your crew • Bosch GLM integration -- send measured values into live calculations or Notes SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Apple account Settings > Account (Apple ID) > Subscriptions. TRADEMARKS Construction Master® and Calculated Industries® are registered trademarks of Calculated Industries, Inc. Copyright 2026

Screenshots

BuildCalc4 screens
Construction Master Pro Calc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Construction Master Pro Calc at Free against BuildCalc's $24.99. Construction Master Pro Calc also leads on ratings volume (40K vs 71) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). BuildCalc's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20) and review sentiment (87% vs 60%). On rating, update cadence, ads and chart position 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

Construction Master Pro Calc is free to download; BuildCalc costs $24.99 up front. Construction Master Pro Calc sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $3.69 per month. BuildCalc asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for BuildCalc against 4.8 for Construction Master Pro Calc. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Construction Master Pro Calc has 40K ratings behind it against 71, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of BuildCalc's written reviews are positive against 60% of Construction Master Pro Calc's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
BuildCalc versus Construction Master Pro Calc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuildCalcConstruction Master Pro Calc
Price$24.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (71 ratings)4.8 (40K ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.4% of reviews — better60.1% of reviews
Number of ratings7140K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#69#51 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB111 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developer42nd ParallelCalculated Industries

Customer experience

BuildCalc

All ratings71 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral1.4%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive87.4%
Neutral1.1%
Negative11.6%

Construction Master Pro Calc

All ratings39,604 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.2%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews321 reviews
Positive60.1%
Neutral5.3%
Negative34.6%

Bugs and requests

BuildCalc

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Construction Master Pro Calc

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on certain devices
  • Calculation errors in some scenarios
  • Inconsistent behavior after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add metric unit support
  • Offer one-time purchase option
  • Improve backup and data transfer
  • Add more customization options
  • Enhance overall user experience

In-app purchases

None

BuildCalc

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

Construction Master Pro Calc

Subscriptions12
  • 1 Month Full Access7 Days trial2 variants$3.691 Month
  • 1 Month Full Access14 Days trial4 variants$4.991 Month
  • 1 Month Full Access7 Days trial$4.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • 1 Month Full Access1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • CMPro Full Access7 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • 6 Months Full Access7 Days trial$19.996 Months
  • 1 Year Full Access7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • 1 Year Full Access7 Days trial2 variants$29.991 Year
  • 1 Year Full Access14 Days trial4 variants$39.991 Year
  • 1 Year Full Access7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • 1 Year Full Access1 Month trial$39.991 Year
  • 1 Year Full Access3 Months trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is BuildCalc free?
BuildCalc costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Construction Master Pro Calc free?
Construction Master Pro Calc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BuildCalc or Construction Master Pro Calc?
Construction Master Pro Calc is rated higher. BuildCalc averages 4.7 out of 5 from 71 ratings, while Construction Master Pro Calc averages 4.8 from 40K ratings.
Do BuildCalc or Construction Master Pro Calc have ads?
Neither BuildCalc nor Construction Master Pro Calc shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BuildCalc or Construction Master Pro Calc?
BuildCalc ships an update every 3 weeks, and Construction Master Pro Calc every 3 weeks. Most recently, BuildCalc was updated on September 23, 2026 and Construction Master Pro Calc on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, BuildCalc or Construction Master Pro Calc?
BuildCalc currently peaks at #69 in the App Store charts, and Construction Master Pro Calc at #51. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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