iBeams vs Structural Navigator
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.
Structural Navigator
View, query, and annotate 3D structural models on your mobile device. Navigate complex designs with intuitive controls, filter elements by properties, and check for clashes. Ideal for on-site reviews and collaboration.
- 3D model navigation (zoom, rotate, pan)
- Color-coding by element properties
- Filtering models by member attributes
- Clash detection between objects
- Adding markups with status and due dates
- Interactive querying of member properties
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Structural Navigator is the ideal app for the mobile review of 3D structural models. Structural Navigator allows designers to view, query, and red line structural models in 3D from anywhere using a mobile device. With Structural Navigator users can: * Navigate through 3D models using zoom, rotate, pan, walkthrough, and flyover commands * Color code elements within the model according to specific properties (for example, slab thickness, pipe diameter, etc.) * Filter models based on members with common member attributes * Check for clashes between different types of objects * Add markups with status, due date, responsible party, and additional information * Interactively query members for all property values Structural Navigator reads Bentley's i-model format, to which any ISM repository can be easily converted with a single operation. The process is simple. Build a data-rich ISM repository using any Bentley ISM-compliant applications desired, convert the ISM repository to i-model, and then review in Structural Navigator. Structural Navigator can read models from any of the following sources once published to i-model: - STAAD - RAM - SACS - AECOsim - Revit - Tekla - ProStructures - Dlubal RFEM
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Structural Navigator at 5.0 against iBeams's 3.5. Structural Navigator also leads on update cadence (every 5 months vs every 17 months) and iOS requirement (9.1 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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.
Structural Navigator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 53% of iBeams's written reviews are positive against 50% of Structural Navigator's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
iBeams ships an update every 17 months, Structural Navigator every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 5, 2026.
| Parameter | iBeams | Structural Navigator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.3% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 9.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 90 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Norm Schuster | Bentley Systems, Inc. |
Customer experience
iBeams
Structural Navigator
In-app purchases
iBeams
No in-app purchases
Structural Navigator
No in-app purchases
