# iBeams vs Piles Capacity

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | iBeams | Piles Capacity |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $199.99 |
| Rating | [3.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ibeams/id398882202/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piles-capacity/id443906827/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 53.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 5 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Norm Schuster](https://appshunter.io/developer/398882205) | [hetGE LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/380672452) |

## 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


### Piles Capacity

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piles-capacity/id443906827)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iBeams free?

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

### Is Piles Capacity free?

Piles Capacity costs $199.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, iBeams or Piles Capacity?

Piles Capacity is rated higher. iBeams averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Piles Capacity averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do iBeams or Piles Capacity have ads?

Neither iBeams nor Piles Capacity shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iBeams or Piles Capacity?

iBeams ships an update every 17 months, and Piles Capacity every 3 months. Most recently, iBeams was updated on October 5, 2026 and Piles Capacity on October 12, 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.*