# iBeams vs steelyard

The clearest difference is rating: steelyard at 4.7 against iBeams's 3.5. steelyard also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 17 months) and ratings volume (297 vs 2). iBeams's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. steelyard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. iBeams asks for nothing beyond the download.

steelyard holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: steelyard has 297 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of iBeams's written reviews are positive against 56% of steelyard's.

iBeams ships an update every 17 months, steelyard every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iBeams | steelyard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ibeams/id398882202/reviews) | **[4.7 (297 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/steelyard/id1291109620/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **297** |
| Positive reviews | 53.3% of reviews | **55.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 5 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Norm Schuster](https://appshunter.io/developer/398882205) | [Mohamed Saad](https://appshunter.io/developer/1291109619) |

## What reviewers say

### iBeams

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ibeams/id398882202)

This tool helps structural engineers visualize and analyze beam behavior. It displays reaction, shear, moment, and deflection diagrams for various configurations. Users can edit load and geometric values for custom analysis.

**Highlights:** Beam and load configuration display, Reaction, shear, moment, deflection diagrams, Editable load values, Editable geometric values, Structural engineering analysis

**In-app purchases:** none


### steelyard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/steelyard/id1291109620)

This app quickly calculates the weight of steel sections from various international standards. It supports both metric and imperial units and offers offline functionality for convenience. Save your settings and calculations for easy access.

**Highlights:** Steel section weight calculation, Supports EU, USA, Japanese, KOREA standards, Metric and Imperial units, Offline functionality, Save calculations and settings, Advanced search system

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad Blocker | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iBeams free?

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

### Is steelyard free?

steelyard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, iBeams or steelyard?

steelyard is rated higher. iBeams averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while steelyard averages 4.7 from 297 ratings.

### Do iBeams or steelyard have ads?

Neither iBeams nor steelyard shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iBeams or steelyard?

iBeams ships an update every 17 months, and steelyard every 2 months. Most recently, iBeams was updated on September 18, 2026 and steelyard on September 19, 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.*