iBeams vs Beam HPC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iBeams
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.
- Beam and load configuration display
- Reaction, shear, moment, deflection diagrams
- Editable load values
- Editable geometric values
- Structural engineering analysis
Read full descriptionHide full description
iBeams is a tool for structural engineers. The app displays various beam and load configurations along with the corresponding reaction, shear, moment, and deflection diagrams. Load and geometric values can be edited.
Beam HPC
This app calculates structural diagrams for beams, including moment, shear, and deflection. It supports various loads, supports, and material properties, allowing for interactive adjustments and comparisons. Designed for educational purposes, it helps users visualize and understand beam behavior.
- Moment, shear, and deflection diagrams
- Multiple load types (forces, moments, distributed)
- Adjustable support conditions (pinned, fixed, roller)
- Segmented beams with varying properties
- Interactive drag-and-drop interface
- Educational focus on beam behavior
Read full descriptionHide full description
Beam HPC app calculates the moment, shear, deflection and rotation diagrams for a beam with various types of loading. Loading types include forces, moments and distributed loads. The load location and magnitude can be changed at any time. There are three types of supports (i.e. boundary conditions) including pinned, fixed and vertical roller. Each beam can be split into sub-beam segments. Each beam segment can have a different moment of inertia (I) and stiffness (E). The user can click and drag all items to quickly change and compare results. This program is designed for educational uses only. It should not be used for commercial purposes. There is no warranty or guarantee the results are accurate, and the user accepts all responsibility for values calculated.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Beam HPC at 100% against iBeams's 53%. Beam HPC also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.5) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Beam HPC holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of iBeams's written reviews are positive against 100% of Beam HPC's.
iBeams ships an update every 17 months, Beam HPC every 18 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iBeams | Beam HPC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (2 ratings) | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months — better | Every 18 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Norm Schuster | Kurt Gramoll |
Customer experience
iBeams
Beam HPC
In-app purchases
iBeams
No in-app purchases
Beam HPC
No in-app purchases
