# Material Estimator Calculator vs Building Calculator

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Building Calculator at none against Material Estimator Calculator's 9. Building Calculator also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). Material Estimator Calculator's advantage is ratings volume (3.2K vs 6). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Material Estimator Calculator sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Building Calculator asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Material Estimator Calculator against 4.8 for Building Calculator. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Material Estimator Calculator has 3.2K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Material Estimator Calculator ships an update every 6 weeks, Building Calculator every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Material Estimator Calculator | Building Calculator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/material-estimator-calculator/id376071081/reviews) | **[4.8 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/building-calculator/id1566781992/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.2K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 41.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 57 MB | 100 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Calculated Industries](https://appshunter.io/developer/370406449) | [Peter Buonaiuto](https://appshunter.io/developer/1566781994) |

## What reviewers say

### Material Estimator Calculator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/material-estimator-calculator/id376071081)

This app helps contractors and DIYers accurately estimate material costs and quantities for construction projects. It features dimensional measurement tools, unit conversions, and a material database to optimize budgeting and ordering.

**Highlights:** Precise cost and percentage calculations, Integrated material size database, Advanced dimensional measurement tools, Comprehensive unit conversion, Efficient material requirement determination, Board feet and cost estimation, Digital record keeping

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Full Access | $3.99 | per month |
| 3 Months Full Access | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| 1 Year Full Access | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Extremely helpful for daily use
- 👍 Works as expected for over 12 years

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription model instead of one-time purchase
- 💰 Expensive compared to physical calculator
- 🔒 Requires internet connection to function
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs after recent updates

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes repeatedly on launch
- Subscription screen keeps appearing even after purchase

**Requested features**

- Landscape mode support
- Metric unit support
- Offline functionality


### Building Calculator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/building-calculator/id1566781992)

This utility app provides accurate measurements for various building tasks, returning answers as fractions found on a tape measure. It simplifies complex calculations for projects like wainscot spacing and shelf placement. The app prioritizes user privacy and is open-source with no data collection.

**Highlights:** Accurate measurement calculations, Tape measure fraction output, Wainscot spacing function, Shelf placement calculations, Open-source and privacy-focused, No data collection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Material Estimator Calculator free?

Material Estimator Calculator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Building Calculator free?

Building Calculator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Material Estimator Calculator or Building Calculator?

Building Calculator is rated higher. Material Estimator Calculator averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.2K ratings, while Building Calculator averages 4.8 from 6 ratings.

### Do Material Estimator Calculator or Building Calculator have ads?

Neither Material Estimator Calculator nor Building Calculator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Material Estimator Calculator or Building Calculator?

Material Estimator Calculator ships an update every 6 weeks, and Building Calculator every 3 weeks. Most recently, Material Estimator Calculator was updated on November 6, 2026 and Building Calculator on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*