iBend Pipe vs RailChop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iBend Pipe
This app simplifies conduit bending calculations for electricians and tradespeople. It offers instant, accurate results for various bend types using English or Metric measurements, with customizable bender profiles and an integrated protractor.
- Calculates various conduit bends
- Supports English and Metric measurements
- Instant, one-screen calculations
- Accurate centerline bending radius calculations
- Includes protractor function
- Customizable bender profiles
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iBend Pipe — Bend It Right the First Time iBend Pipe is a professional conduit bending calculator designed to help electricians make accurate bends faster and reduce wasted material. Whether you're bending a simple offset or laying out a complex compound bend around an obstruction, iBend Pipe gives you the information you need to bend it right—the first time. CONDUIT BENDING CALCULATORS Calculate the following bends using English or Metric measurements: • Offsets — bend toward or away from an obstruction • Rolling Offsets — bend toward or away from an obstruction • Parallel Offset Adjustments • 3-Bend Saddles • 4-Bend Saddles • Segmented Bends • 90° Bends • Back-to-Back 90° Bends • Kicked 90° Bends • Compound 90° Bends around round obstructions • Compound 90° Bends around square obstructions • Compound 90° Bends around rectangular obstructions FAST, ONE-SCREEN CALCULATIONS Enter your measurements and see results update instantly. There’s no need to work through multiple screens just to get a measurement. iBend Pipe is designed to keep the calculation and results visible so you can work quickly and efficiently. Large, easy-to-read measurements make the app practical to use on the job. ACCURATE, PRACTICAL RESULTS iBend Pipe goes beyond basic bending multipliers. Centerline bending radius calculations are available for greater accuracy, and bends automatically account for shrink so you don't have to do the math yourself. Pre-position your bends, plan your layout, and get the information you need before you start bending. What's faster—bending it twice or bending it right the first time? PROTRACTOR INCLUDED Use the built-in protractor to measure your bend angle as you bend. The measured angle can be sent directly back to your calculation, helping you work faster without switching between tools. BENDER PROFILES iBend Pipe includes nearly 100 bender and conduit combinations. You can also customize or modify profiles to match the benders and conduit you use in the field. FRACTIONS, NOT JUST DECIMALS Enter measurements as fractions instead of converting everything to decimals. Get your results in practical measurements you can use on the job. BUILT FOR ELECTRICIANS iBend Pipe is for the electrician who takes pride in their work. If you're the person other electricians come to when they have a difficult bend, this app is for you. If you want less wasted conduit in the bone pile, this app is for you. If you can write your name in conduit, this app is definitely for you. From a first-year apprentice to a seasoned journeyman, iBend Pipe is designed to save time, reduce wasted material, and make difficult conduit bends easier to plan. Bend it right. The first time. Thanks for all the great reviews! If you have questions or suggestions, contact me at: support@ibendpipe.com
RailChop
This app optimizes moulding cuts for picture framers, minimizing waste and generating professional cut tickets. It offers features like work order scanning, cut list import, and remnant management, with various tiers to suit different needs.
- Moulding cut optimization
- Work order scanning
- Cut list import
- Remnant management
- PDF cut tickets
- Voice dictation
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RailChop is a cut optimizer built for picture framers. It replaces handwritten math and guesswork with fast, accurate moulding optimization — right from your phone or iPad. Scan a handwritten work order, import a cut list, or enter dimensions manually. RailChop calculates the best way to cut your moulding stock, minimizes waste, and gives you a clean PDF cut ticket to work from. HOW IT WORKS Enter your frame orders — scan a work order with your camera, import a CSV/Excel file, or type dimensions by hand. Set up your moulding profiles — widths, stock lengths, and kerf settings for each moulding you carry. Tap Optimize — RailChop runs a multi-pass bin-packing algorithm to minimize waste and prioritize your remnant inventory. Cut with confidence — follow the PDF cut ticket on the shop floor and mark sticks complete as you go. KEY FEATURES Now with Voice Dictation. Speak your work order aloud and RailChop turns it into a cut plan in seconds. Available on Pro and Business plans, including the free trial. Smart Cut Optimization — Multi-pass best-fit decreasing algorithm finds efficient cuts across your stock lengths and existing remnants. Work Order Scanning — Photograph handwritten work orders and let AI extract customer names, frame sizes, and quantities automatically (Business tier). Cut List Import — Bring in cut lists from CSV, TSV, or Excel files. Columns auto-map to customer, dimensions, quantity, and profile. Remnant Manager — Track leftover moulding pieces so they get used on future jobs instead of collecting dust. PDF Cut Tickets — Export professional cut plans showing every stick, every cut, and every remnant — ready for the shop floor. Stock Inventory — Track how many sticks of each profile you have on hand. Get low-stock alerts so you never run out mid-job. Shop Dashboard — See waste trends, optimization scores, cost savings, and material usage over time (Business tier). Monthly Reports — Export PDF and CSV reports for shop management and accounting. Fraction Support — Enter dimensions as fractions (16 1/2) or decimals. RailChop handles the conversion. Dark Mode — Full dark theme for working in any lighting. Offline-First — All core features work without an internet connection. Your data stays on your device. iPad Optimized — Two-column layouts, navigation rail, and expanded views on larger screens. THREE TIERS Free — Manual entry, 3 jobs per day, 3 moulding profiles. Great for trying it out. Pro ($9.99/mo or $84.99/yr) — Quick Scan (on-device OCR), unlimited jobs and profiles, remnant manager. Business ($24.99/mo or $209.99/yr) — AI-powered scanning, shop dashboard with KPIs, cut list import, monthly reports, CSV exports, and everything in Pro. Start with a free 14-day trial of the Business tier — full access to AI work order scanning, voice dictation, dashboards, and import. Cancel anytime during the trial. Built by a framer, for framers. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Pro and Business are auto-renewable subscriptions billed monthly or annually through your App Store account. Payment is charged at purchase confirmation. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your device's Subscription settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited if you purchase a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://railchop.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://railchop.com/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: RailChop at Free against iBend Pipe's $4.99. RailChop also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (100% vs 81%). iBend Pipe's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (106 vs 5). On update cadence, ads 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
RailChop is free to download; iBend Pipe costs $4.99 up front. RailChop sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. iBend Pipe asks for nothing beyond the download.
RailChop holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iBend Pipe has 106 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of iBend Pipe's written reviews are positive against 100% of RailChop's.
iBend Pipe ships an update fortnightly, RailChop every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iBend Pipe | RailChop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (106 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 106 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Best chart rank | #10 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.5 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 81 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Francisco Alcala | JBlaze Development LLC |
Customer experience
iBend Pipe
RailChop
Bugs and requests
iBend Pipe
Reported bugs
8 issues- Apple Watch app crashes
- Missing app icon in app library after purchase
- Segment bend calculations producing incorrect developed length
- 4-point saddle measurements (ABCD) potentially inaccurate
- Step-by-step instructions removed in recent update
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- App becomes unresponsive with certain calculations
- Bender type selection not retained between sessions
- Incompatibility with Android version features on iOS
Requested features
17 requests- Apple Watch compatibility and offset calculator
- Support for rigid conduit calculations
- Metric system measurements
- Multi-bend layout (offset + 90 + kick in one stick)
- Parallel offset calculations for different pipe sizes
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- Pipe spacing calculations for panel entry
- Gain calculations for deducts
- Conduit shrink information
- 3-point saddle with step-by-step instructions
- Support for larger pipe sizes (2", 4" etc)
- Hickey bender calculations
- Parker and Swagelok crank bender support
- Hydraulic bender support
- Front of shoe adjustment for table benders
- Ability to select bender and conduit size each time
- Simpler/faster calculation mode option
- Detailed visual descriptions and pictures for bending techniques
RailChop
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
iBend Pipe
No in-app purchases
RailChop
- Pro Plan - Monthly$9.991 Month
- Business Plan— Monthly14 Days trial$24.991 Month
- Pro Plan — Annual$84.991 Year
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- Business Plan — Annual14 Days trial$209.991 Year









