BuildCalc vs Baluster Calculator Elite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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!
Baluster Calculator Elite
This app calculates precise baluster spacing for handrails, accommodating both flat and sloped surfaces. It provides detailed measurements for installation, including the number of balusters, spacing between them, and marking points. Users can also switch between metric and imperial units for convenience.
- Flat railing calculations
- Stair railing calculations
- Max baluster spacing input
- Baluster width input
- Run length input
- Unit preference settings (inches, cm, mm)
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Baluster Calc Elite is an industry leading tool and calculator designed to simplify solving baluster spacing measurements for handrails (both flat and on a rake). Flat Railing (inputs): -Max baluster spacing -Baluster width -Run length Flat Railing (outputs): -Number of balusters -Space between centers -Number of spaces -Space between balusters -Measurements for marking centers of each baluster Stair Railing (inputs): -Max baluster spacing -Baluster width -Run length (on rake) -Rake angle, stair rise, stair run, or stair run/stair rise Stair Railing (outputs): -Number of balusters -Space between centers (on rake) -Number of spaces -Space between balusters (on rake) -Space between balusters -Measurements for marking centers of each baluster Preference settings for easily switching between inches, centimeters, and millimeters for all dimensions. If you are not 100% satisfied with this calculator please email us at techsupport@cyberprodigy.com so we can make things right before posting any negative reviews. We read all emails. We are also open to any suggestions you may have for future enhancements to this app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Baluster Calculator Elite at $8.99 against BuildCalc's $24.99. Baluster Calculator Elite also leads on ratings volume (366 vs 74) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). BuildCalc's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 18 months) and review sentiment (87% vs 59%). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
BuildCalc costs $24.99 and Baluster Calculator Elite $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Baluster Calculator Elite holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 74 and 366 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 87% of BuildCalc's written reviews are positive against 59% of Baluster Calculator Elite's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
BuildCalc ships an update every 3 weeks, Baluster Calculator Elite every 18 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BuildCalc | Baluster Calculator Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 | $8.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (74 ratings) | 4.9 (366 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.4% of reviews — better | 58.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 74 | 366 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 18 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #35 — better | #125 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 42nd Parallel | Cyberprodigy LLC |
Customer experience
BuildCalc
Baluster Calculator Elite
Bugs and requests
BuildCalc
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Baluster Calculator Elite
Reported bugs
18 issues- Stops at 1/16 inch increments
- Cannot delete previous entry
- Errors on subsequent calculations after initial entry
- Inaccurate on angled and flat runs
- Does not allow for spacing less than 25mm
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- Last picket is off
- Only provides baluster centers
- Maximum spacing limited to 12 inches
- Maximum run limited to 200 inches
- Smallest increment of 1/16 inch is not useful for certain tasks
- Misleading icon regarding tread surface mount measurements
- Cannot input horizontal rake inputs
- Only works with balusters less than 1 inch width
- Massive icon appears on screen
- Calculation for sloped railing with landing does not work
- Not as user-friendly as Android version
- Requires manual placement of blocks
- Provides center measurements instead of side measurements for spindle drop
Requested features
12 requests- Fix 1/16 inch increment issue
- Allow deletion of previous entry
- Add ability to calculate end piece length without manual deduction
- Add option to change baluster measurements from center to before or after
- Add column function
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- Add ability to input horizontal rake inputs
- Improve user-friendliness and add Android parity
- Calculate material location directly
- Allow for smaller spacing increments
- Provide measurements for tread surface mount
- Allow for calculation of sloped railings including landings
- Provide side of spindle drop measurements
In-app purchases
BuildCalc
No in-app purchases
Baluster Calculator Elite
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BuildCalc free?
Is Baluster Calculator Elite free?
Which has better reviews, BuildCalc or Baluster Calculator Elite?
Do BuildCalc or Baluster Calculator Elite have ads?
Which is updated more often, BuildCalc or Baluster Calculator Elite?
Which is more popular, BuildCalc or Baluster Calculator Elite?
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