Comparison

BuildCalc vs Construction Calculator Pro #1

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 Calculator Pro #1

This app provides advanced construction math tools for builders and contractors. It offers precise calculations for framing, material estimation, and complex angles, helping to reduce errors and save time on the job.

Highlights
  • Dimensional conversions (feet-inch, decimal, metric)
  • Rafter, stair, and angle calculations
  • Area, volume, and material estimations
  • Roofing, drywall, and siding estimates
  • Quick input with preset fraction buttons
Features
Read full description

Construction Calculator Pro #1 The Smartest Tool for Builders, Contractors, and Tradespeople Whether you’re framing a roof, estimating materials, or laying out stairs, Construction Calculator Pro #1 gives you the precision, speed, and reliability you need on the job. Designed for professionals, this app offers a full suite of advanced construction math features — from dimensional conversions to complex angle and rafter calculations — all in one powerful, easy-to-use tool. Key Features: Advanced Construction Math • Easily switch between feet-inch-fractions, decimal feet, metric units, and more • Preset fraction buttons for quick and accurate input • Convert seamlessly between all major formats Rafter, Stair & Angle Solutions • Calculate rise, run, and diagonal instantly • Handle common, hip, valley, and jack rafters with ease • Get precise cuts and angles for stairs, rake walls, and compound miters Area, Volume & Material Estimations • Compute square footage, cubic volume, and plan areas • Estimate roofing (bundles, sheets, pitch), drywall, siding, and more • Quickly calculate block and footing quantities Why Professionals Choose It: • Eliminates guesswork and reduces costly errors • Saves time on-site and during planning • Offers the versatility of two top-tier construction calculators in one app Built for those who build. Download Construction Calculator Pro #1 and put industry-grade power in your pocket. Terms of Use: https://apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy: https://equable-stock-b78.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-230ecf57511e8055b033ff10a63428be

Screenshots

BuildCalc4 screens
Construction Calculator Pro #14 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Construction Calculator Pro #1 at Free against BuildCalc's $24.99. BuildCalc's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 12 months) and review sentiment (87% vs 67%). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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 Calculator Pro #1 is free to download; BuildCalc costs $24.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BuildCalc holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 72 and 96 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of BuildCalc's written reviews are positive against 67% of Construction Calculator Pro #1's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BuildCalc ships an update every 3 weeks, Construction Calculator Pro #1 every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
BuildCalc versus Construction Calculator Pro #1: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuildCalcConstruction Calculator Pro #1
Price$24.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (72 ratings) — better4.5 (96 ratings)
Positive reviews87.4% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings7296 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#51 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer42nd ParallelOryx

Customer experience

BuildCalc

All ratings72 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral1.4%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive87.4%
Neutral1.1%
Negative11.6%

Construction Calculator Pro #1

All ratings96 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

BuildCalc

No in-app purchases

None

Construction Calculator Pro #1

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BuildCalc free?
BuildCalc costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Construction Calculator Pro #1 free?
Construction Calculator Pro #1 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BuildCalc or Construction Calculator Pro #1?
BuildCalc is rated higher. BuildCalc averages 4.7 out of 5 from 72 ratings, while Construction Calculator Pro #1 averages 4.5 from 96 ratings.
Do BuildCalc or Construction Calculator Pro #1 have ads?
Neither BuildCalc nor Construction Calculator Pro #1 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BuildCalc or Construction Calculator Pro #1?
BuildCalc ships an update every 3 weeks, and Construction Calculator Pro #1 every 12 months. Most recently, BuildCalc was updated on October 19, 2026 and Construction Calculator Pro #1 on September 27, 2026.

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