Comparison

Steam Tools vs SKF Shaft alignment

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

Head to head
About

Steam Tools

This application provides quick access to steam tables with thermodynamic data for water/steam and a tool to help size saturated steam pipelines. It allows users to input pressure or temperature to retrieve relevant data and offers output in various standardized units.

Highlights
  • Steam Tables for thermodynamic data
  • Saturated Steam Pipe Sizing tool
  • Input pressure or temperature
  • Output data in standardized units
  • Access to water/steam thermodynamic data
Features
Read full description

Spirax Sarco would like to introduce our free application to assist customers in identifying the right steam tools for the job. Spirax Sarco is the global leader in the supply of engineered solutions for the efficient design, maintenance and operation of industrial and commercial steam systems. The Steam Tools app enables quick and easy access to both our Steam Tables and a Saturated Steam Pipe Sizing tool. The Steam Tables cover the thermodynamic data for water/steam, supporting the design and operation of expert steam/water equipment. You simply need to enter a pressure or a temperature into the app, returning: - The corresponding pressure or temperature. - Water (hf) (Sensible Heat) - Evaporation (hfg) (Latent Heat) - Steam (hg) (Total Heat) - Specific Volume Steam The pipe sizing tool allows access to Saturated Steam pipeline data, helping you to size a pipeline. To enhance the feature set, both tools offer the output of this data into a range of different standardised units. Download today to get access to this useful tool, and the opportunity to see what else Spirax Sarco can offer. You can also sign up to our service and we will keep you up-to-date with future enhancements of our application and provide you with details our steam solutions. For more information on Spirax Sarco go to http://www.spiraxsarco.com.

About

SKF Shaft alignment

This utility app, when paired with specific hardware, enables precise and intuitive shaft alignment for rotating machinery. It offers a demonstration mode for experiencing the full process without the hardware and generates automatic, shareable reports.

Highlights
  • Intuitive shaft alignment with hardware
  • Flexible three-position measurement
  • Demonstration mode for full experience
  • Automatic, customizable alignment reports
  • Explanatory setup and measurement videos
  • 3D animations for guidance
  • Machine library with QR code scanner
Features
Read full description

The Horizontal shaft alignment app is designed to be used with the SKF Shaft Alignment Tool TKSA 51 or TKSA 71. Together, the hardware and the app form an alignment system that allows shaft alignments of many rotating machines to be made in an intuitive and easy way. The system uses line laser to PSD technology that enables highly accurate and reliable shaft alignments. The hardware and its app communicate wirelessly via Bluetooth®. Without the hardware the app can nonetheless be used, as it features a fully functional demonstration mode allowing the complete alignment process to be experienced before purchasing the TKSA 51 or TKSA 71 instrument.

 KEY FEATURES:
 • Very easy-to-use – The Horizontal shaft alignment app focuses on making the main alignment tasks as easy as possible and enabling accurate shaft alignments. 

• Full measurement flexibility – The Horizontal shaft alignment app uses a flexible three position measurement method that allows measurements to start at any angle and if the space is limited alignments can be performed with a total of 40° rotation only.

 • Demonstration mode – The Horizontal shaft alignment app offers a fully functional demonstration mode allowing the complete alignment process to be experienced before purchasing a supported SKF Shaft Alignment Tool.

 • Automatic alignment report – Automatically generated alignment reports give a complete overview of the alignment process and results. The reports can be customised with additional notes, a machine picture, a signature and can easily be shared via email or cloud services.

 • Explanatory videos – Easy to follow videos demonstrating how to set up and perform accurate measurements using the TKSA 51 or TKSA 71.

 • 3D Animations – 3D animations guide the user through the alignment process, allowing accurate shaft alignment to be performed in a very easy way.

 • Machine library and QR code scanner – Helps keeping track of the machines that have been measured. Machine information like distances, the machine picture, and other details are saved for each machine and can be reused the next time the same machine is measured. QR codes can be scanned to identify a machine and quickly retrieve its details. The library can also be used for easy access to all the reports generated for each machine in one place. HARDWARE – SKF Shaft Alignment Tool TKSA 51 and TKSA 71:
 The SKF TKSA 51 and TKSA 71 systems use a pair of measurement units that are combined with laser transmitter and detectors to measure and correct shaft alignment with high accuracy and reliability. The data is transferred in real time through Bluetooth® 4.0 LE to the app.

 IMPORTANT NOTE:
This app is designed to be used with the SKF Shaft Alignment Tool TKSA 51 or TKSA 71 hardware. 
The SKF TKSA 51 or TKSA 71 can be purchased separately from your local SKF Authorized Distributor. For more information and technical specifications about the SKF Shaft Alignment Tool, please visit our website.

Screenshots

Steam Tools4 screens
SKF Shaft alignment4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SKF Shaft alignment at 100% against Steam Tools's 32%. SKF Shaft alignment also leads on rating (3.7 vs 2.9) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 27 months). Steam Tools's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.0). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SKF Shaft alignment holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Steam Tools's written reviews are positive against 100% of SKF Shaft alignment's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Steam Tools ships an update every 27 months, SKF Shaft alignment every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Steam Tools versus SKF Shaft alignment: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSteam ToolsSKF Shaft alignment
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (8 ratings)3.7 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews31.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings810 — better
Update frequencyEvery 27 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB72 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpirax-Sarco Engineering plcSKF

Customer experience

Steam Tools

All ratings8 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive31.6%
Neutral5.3%
Negative63.2%

SKF Shaft alignment

All ratings10 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Steam Tools

No in-app purchases

None

SKF Shaft alignment

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Steam Tools free?
Steam Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SKF Shaft alignment free?
SKF Shaft alignment is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Steam Tools or SKF Shaft alignment?
SKF Shaft alignment is rated higher. Steam Tools averages 2.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while SKF Shaft alignment averages 3.7 from 10 ratings.
Do Steam Tools or SKF Shaft alignment have ads?
Neither Steam Tools nor SKF Shaft alignment shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Steam Tools or SKF Shaft alignment?
Steam Tools ships an update every 27 months, and SKF Shaft alignment every 3 months. Most recently, Steam Tools was updated on October 5, 2026 and SKF Shaft alignment on October 8, 2026.

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