Comparison

Material Estimator Calculator vs Builder's Helper MAX

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

Head to head
About

Material Estimator Calculator

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
Read full description

FREE Try Before You Buy trial, your App Store account is not charged by Apple during the free trial. Revolutionize Your Building Projects with the Ultimate Material Estimator App by Calculated Industries Designed for Handyman Contractors and Serious DIY enthusiasts, this app is your essential tool for precise material and cost estimation. Say goodbye to costly errors and time-consuming calculations! ---- PRECISE COST AND PERCENTAGE CALCULATIONS ---- • Quickly compute material expenses • Effortlessly integrates percentages for allowances • Optimizes your budgeting and material acquisition process ---- INTEGRATED MATERIAL SIZE DATABASE ---- • Contains built-in size specifications for widespread materials • Delivers spot-on estimations for various supplies like tiles and paint • Makes choosing and measuring materials straightforward ---- ADVANCED DIMENSIONAL MEASUREMENT TOOLS ---- • Offers accurate length, area, and volume calculations • Suitable for projects of all scopes • Increases the accuracy of your measurements ---- COMPREHENSIVE UNIT CONVERSION ---- • Compatible with multiple units, including metric and imperial • Facilitates easy conversion between area and volume measurements • Removes the hassle of manual unit conversion ---- EFFICIENT MATERIAL REQUIREMENT DETERMINATION ---- • Instantly identifies requirements for common construction elements • Perfect for projects involving fencing, decking, and flooring • Guarantees precise material ordering ---- BOARD FEET AND COST ESTIMATION ---- • Provides immediate cost estimates for materials • Aids in budget management and expenditure analysis • Improves the financial oversight of your projects ---- TIME-SAVING UTILITIES ---- • Multi-Format Compatibility: Works seamlessly across various measurement formats • Material Quick Find: Easily solve material requirements for several common building materials • Instant Cost Estimation: Get on-the-spot material cost assessments ---- SPECIAL FUNCTIONS FOR ENHANCED USABILITY ---- • Entry Editing: Swipe-backspace for easy correction • Cost Efficiency: Solve unit costs for smarter budgeting • Digital Record Keeping: Paperless tape for tracking calculations Transform your building material estimation with this advanced, user-friendly app by Calculated Industries, creators of the acclaimed Construction Master(R) calculators. Say hello to accuracy and efficiency in every project! SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Your Free Trial period is free of charge. Subscriptions offered will automatically renew at the end of the chosen period. Payment will be charged to your Apple account upon purchase confirmation. The subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off or the subscription is canceled in settings at least one day (24 hours) before the subscription period ends. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal in your Apple account Settings > Subscriptions. TRADEMARKS Material Estimator(R) and Construction Master(R) are registered trademarks of Calculated Industries, Inc. Copyright 2025.

About

Builder's Helper MAX

This comprehensive construction app offers advanced calculation tools for linear, square, and cubic measurements in both imperial and metric units. It includes features for roof pitch, stair lengths, and a memory bank for storing values. Manage projects with detailed lists, store documents and images, and utilize quick job calculators for various construction tasks.

Highlights
  • Advanced construction calculator (imperial/metric)
  • Roof pitch and rafter length calculations
  • Project management with data lists
  • Document and image storage for projects
  • Quick job calculators for various tasks
  • Notepad with PDF export
Features
Read full description

The most advanced, feature-rich, intuitive & user-friendly construction app available is BACK, Rebuilt from the ground up for modern devices, with universal support for both iPhone and iPad! With its easy-to-use layout & features, it is capable of handling even the most demanding construction projects, and blows expensive stand-alone construction calculators out of the water at a fraction of the cost! Whether an experienced tradesman or novice DIYer, you will find Carpenter’s Helper the perfect companion for every project, in the office and in the field. ---- Features: • Calculator: Includes all of the features you would expect to find on an advanced Construction Calculator, but redesigned and optimized for the touch screen. Easily calculate linear, square & cubic measurements in English (Yards, Feet, Inches, Inch Fractions [up to x/128”]) & Metric (Millimeters, Centimeters, Meters), and convert easily between the two unit modes with a convenient [E/M] toggle. Store & recall triangular measurements to calculate roof pitch, rafter lengths, stair lengths, and more with the convenient [Pitch], [Rise], [Run] and [Diagonal] buttons. When any 2 values are stored, the other 2 are generated automatically! The [Tape] feature keeps an easy-to-read list of your calculations for error-checking, while the Memory Bank feature allows you to Add, Subtract, and recall stored values with a running ticker displayed in the LCD area. Plus we just added a NEW Quick-List feature, which allows you to label and store often-used values for quicker entry into your equation! • Notepad: Keep important notes within one tap of your calculator, supporting multiple pages and exporting to PDF. • Projects: Create lists of data in Text-Only, Simplified, or Detailed lists, and store in organized Projects. Useful for take-offs, estimating, budgets, material lists, etc. Lists can even be tabulated to include running totals on the bottom! Not only does it keep track of important project info & create powerful lists, but you can also store project documents (like budgets, contracts, plans, etc.) & images (either by attaching images from you photo library or taking new ones). And of course you can Print or export your Project data via email as a PDF! • Quick-Jobs: Graphical interface to easily calculate all kinds of construction projects, large or small. With just a few known parameters, Quick-Jobs will automatically fill-in and calculate the rest of the project for you. These Quick-Jobs are included: -Rafters -Stairs -Arc/Circle -Column/Cone -Crown/Miter -Concrete -Conc. Block -Drywall -Flooring -Painting -Roof -Convert -Fencing (Imperial-Mode Only) -Decking (Imperial-Mode Only) -Wall Framing (Imperial-Mode Only) -Board Feet Calc. (Imperial-Mode Only) You can also export all of your QJ data to be included with a Project, or export separately. ---- With Builder’s Helper, you’ll always have the calculating power you need on you, every time you need it. And with all of the additional features, you’ll be able to take estimating, take-offs, & on-site job performance to a whole new level!

Screenshots

Material Estimator Calculator4 screens
Builder's Helper MAX4 screens

Verdict

The call

Material Estimator Calculator and Builder's Helper MAX both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 73% of Builder's Helper MAX's written reviews are positive against 41% of Material Estimator Calculator's. Builder's Helper MAX also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Material Estimator Calculator sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Builder's Helper MAX sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Material Estimator Calculator against 4.7 for Builder's Helper MAX. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.1K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of Material Estimator Calculator's written reviews are positive against 73% of Builder's Helper MAX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Material Estimator Calculator ships an update every 6 weeks, Builder's Helper MAX monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Material Estimator Calculator versus Builder's Helper MAX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaterial Estimator CalculatorBuilder's Helper MAX
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (3.1K ratings) — better4.7 (1.7K ratings)
Positive reviews41.4% of reviews72.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.1K — better1.7K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB71 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperCalculated IndustriesMy Pie Interactive

Customer experience

Material Estimator Calculator

All ratings3,148 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive41.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative55.7%

Builder's Helper MAX

All ratings1,617 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral5.0%
Negative22.5%

User reviews

Material Estimator Calculator

From 3.1K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Builder's Helper MAX

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🔥 Best construction calculator
  • 👍 Very easy to use
  • 💻 Convenient to have on all devices
  • ⏱️ Saves time and reduces errors
  • 🧮 Excellent fractional calculator

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and display issues
  • 🚫 No updates or support from developer
  • 💰 One-time purchase not working as expected
  • 📱 Works better on phones than tablets

Bugs and requests

Material Estimator Calculator

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes repeatedly on launch
  • Subscription screen keeps appearing even after purchase

Requested features

3 requests
  • Landscape mode support
  • Metric unit support
  • Offline functionality

Builder's Helper MAX

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Fractions not displaying properly
  • App crashing when using certain features
  • Compatibility issues with newer macOS versions

Requested features

3 requests
  • Getting started guide or help section
  • Ability to group related tasks under one project
  • Expand note-taking capabilities

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Material Estimator Calculator

Subscriptions3
  • 1 Month Full Access14 Days trial3 variants$3.991 Month
  • 3 Months Full Access14 Days trial3 variants$7.993 Months
  • 1 Year Full Access14 Days trial3 variants$29.991 Year
10 purchases

Builder's Helper MAX

One-time10
  • Quick-Job: Drywall$0.99
  • Quick-Job: Fencing$0.99
  • Quick-Job: Roofing$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Quick-Job: Decking$0.99
  • Quick-Job: Wall Framing$0.99
  • Construction Pack$4.99
  • Estimating Pack$4.99
  • Project Management$4.99
  • Pro Calculator$4.99
  • Pro Pack$12.99

Questions

Is Material Estimator Calculator free?
Material Estimator Calculator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Builder's Helper MAX free?
Builder's Helper MAX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Material Estimator Calculator or Builder's Helper MAX?
Material Estimator Calculator is rated higher. Material Estimator Calculator averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.1K ratings, while Builder's Helper MAX averages 4.7 from 1.7K ratings.
Do Material Estimator Calculator or Builder's Helper MAX have ads?
Neither Material Estimator Calculator nor Builder's Helper MAX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Material Estimator Calculator or Builder's Helper MAX?
Material Estimator Calculator ships an update every 6 weeks, and Builder's Helper MAX monthly. Most recently, Material Estimator Calculator was updated on October 24, 2026 and Builder's Helper MAX on October 20, 2026.

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