iBeams vs Piles Capacity
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
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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.
Piles Capacity
This mobile tool simplifies the design of cast-in-place bored piles for geotechnical engineers. It features a unique soil profile builder, advanced soil parameter input, and generates detailed reports on bearing values. Supports both metric and imperial units.
- Soil profile builder (Touch Soil™)
- Metric and Imperial unit support
- Depth vs. friction/tip capacity graphs
- Detailed layer bearing value reports
- Advanced soil parameter input
- Optional tip resistance correction
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Mobile Design Tool for Cast-in-Place Bored Piles Piles Capacity has a modern design which priorities speed and simplicity. Up-to-date estimation engine documented in a brief and straight-forward online reference manual ( http://www.hetge.com/PCref ) Featuring a unique soil profile builder, Touch Soil™. Visually build required soil profile with the ease and convenience like never before. Works with either Metric (mm, metres, ton, kN, kPa)or Imperial (inch, feet, psi, psf, kips) unit systems. Graphs depth vs. friction, tip and allowable bearing capacities with optional correction of tip resistance with respect to underlying strata. Prepares detailed report for bearing values of each layer with average effective stress, skin friction and tip resistance at top and bottom of layer. Uses advanced soil parameters for more precise estimation such SPT, cohesion increment with depth, diameter reduction in rock as well as partial safety factors for skin friction and tip resistance.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: iBeams at Free against Piles Capacity's $199.99. Piles Capacity's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 17 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
iBeams is free to download; Piles Capacity costs $199.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Piles Capacity holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
iBeams ships an update every 17 months, Piles Capacity every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iBeams | Piles Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $199.99 |
| Rating | 3.5 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Norm Schuster | hetGE LLC |
Customer experience
iBeams
Piles Capacity
In-app purchases
iBeams
No in-app purchases
Piles Capacity
No in-app purchases
