Comparison

Piping Abacus vs Pipe Calc Elite

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Piping Abacus

This app serves as a comprehensive mobile reference for piping information, acting as a digital "Blue Book" for pipe fitters and related professionals. It includes a built-in calculator for on-the-fly computations and offers multiple interfaces for accessing detailed data, quick references, and browsing pipe schedules.

Highlights
  • Comprehensive piping reference database
  • Integrated calculator for on-the-fly computations
  • Catalog, Chart, and Wheels interfaces
  • Detailed fitting and valve information
  • Support for various units (Imperial/Metric, Decimal/Fraction)
  • Educational information on fitting types and standards
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

PipingAbacus is the most advanced and powerful mobile app for piping information; it is the modern Pipe Fitter's "Blue Book". It is designed to be used by draftsman, designer, pipefitter (s), engineer, and construction personnel. Piping Abacus now supports iPhone 5. Piping Abacus is the modern Pipe Fitter's "Blue Book". Piping Abacus is a powerful piping reference database utility. Piping Abacus is unique; it is the only piping reference resource that incorporates a built in calculator to the reference data. The basic idea is: if you are referring to the data ( datum ), than you probably need to add it or subtract it. But it can also be used just as easily for a reference tool. PipingAbacus now has three interfaces (windows) to access the piping information - Catalog, Chart, and Wheels. It works the way you want it to work. For example, use the catalog if you want very detailed and specific information about a valve or fitting. If you are checking or adding takeouts, then use the easy and fast chart. Like to quickly browse pipe schedules, then use the wheel view. Use the right view to match your task. Accurate - All data was carefully entered upon entry. It was re-checked after the program was written. The program has been regularly used for over two years in the field by piping designers and construction personnel ( fitter fabrication ). Complete - All common Buttweld, SocketWeld, Threaded, welding, and Flanged Fittings and Valve (s) are presented in the "catalog" section of the app ANSI, ASME, etc. The user can easily add o'all lengths, weights, 1/2 OD's etc. Sizes include 1/8" through 60" (DIN and Imperial). Flange ratings 150 through 2500. Schedules: 10 - XXS. The menu system was designed to provide the user with graphical pipe fitting images that are large enough to provide details that are commonly found in manufacturer catalogs. All fitting properties are displayed in a scrolling table below the image with a clear description, value and a add/sub button. Versatile - Use the catalog section for detailed information. Use the chart or wheels for quick and easy reference. Output and input - imperial metric, fraction, decimals - you decide. Educational - What is the difference between a gate and a globe? What ASTM or ANSI does a particular fitting conform to? This information is now at your fingertips. Easy and intuitive - Uses common symbology. Useful - Other apps or programs simply present partial fitting dimensions to the user. PipingAbacus presents all catalog information. If a computation is required (how common it is to have add multiple fittings together)? The abacus part of the catalog adds fitting dimensions on the fly. But there's more versatility: units include: decimal, inch, ft-in input. You owe it to yourself: check out the you-tube videos through the web site. Compare our app against others. Their app may be good, but our app is BETTER! Go to our website www.jplanaux.com to learn more or search "PipingAbacus" at you-tube before you buy any other piping info app. PipingAbacus is easier to use, is regularly updated, has tons of information, is more versatile, and loads fast. Piping Abacus is a work in progress, and it keeps getting more xtreme through your comments and email contact. We are the best most advanced and powerful Piping Mobile iPhone App!" The best piping iPhone app keeps adding more information - for free. Most recent additional information includes: Orifice Flanges, Bolt Torque, Series A and Series B Flanges, wrench sizes for bolting, pipe spacing, malleable iron, and butt-weld valves and a "fitting chart" which includes built in calc buttons. Added tutorial links and email support link. Not quite sure that this is the right app for you? Visit our web site by clicking on the support link to find out more info about our app.

About

Pipe Calc Elite

An advanced calculator for pipe trade professionals, offering quick access to pipe data, dimensions, and complex calculation solutions. It handles fractions and unit conversions, making it an essential tool for plumbers and fabricators on the job site.

Highlights
  • Pipe data and dimensions
  • Pressure loss calculations
  • Offset and cutback calculations
  • Fraction and unit conversions
  • 7 pipe material options
  • Detailed pipe data lookup
Features
Read full description

Pipe Calc Elite is the pipe trades calculator for pipefitters, plumbers, steamfitters, welders and sprinkler fitters. Solve simple and rolling offsets, take-outs and cut lengths in feet, inches and fractions, look up pipe data for seven materials, and work out pressure loss through pipe, valves and fittings. One purchase. No subscription, no ads, no account, and no data collected. Everything, including the full user's manual, works with no signal on the job site. On the App Store since 2013. OFFSETS AND FITTINGS • Simple and rolling offsets: offset, run, travel, roll and advance • Take-out and cut length for butt-weld long and short radius, field-cut, and threaded Class 150, 300, 3000 and 6000 elbows • Thread make-up by pipe size, or enter your own • Welder's gap, cutbacks, arc lengths and odd-angle fittings • Enter your own take-out when your fittings differ from the standard • When the fittings are longer than the centerline allows, the cut length shows how much you are short • Slope, grade, drop per foot and fitting angle PIPE DATA • Steel, Stainless Steel, Cast Iron, Aluminum, Brass, PVC and Copper, 1/8" to 42", with dimensions per ASME B36.10 and B36.19 and the ASTM copper and PVC standards • Schedules 10 to 160, Standard, Extra Strong and Double Extra Strong; stainless 5S to 160S; PVC Schedule 40, 80, 120 and SDR 21 to 41; copper Type K, L, M, DWV, Medical and ACR • Inside and outside diameter, wall thickness, internal area, volume per foot, and dry and filled weight per foot, with a cross-section drawing • Filled weight for water or any fluid density you set FLOW AND PRESSURE LOSS • Pressure loss by flow rate or velocity, per foot or over a run • Darcy-Weisbach with Colebrook-White friction • Ten valves and fittings, with loss coefficients from the ASHRAE Handbook by size and by threaded or welded joint • Water temperature from 32 to 212°F sets the viscosity • Answers in psi, psf, feet of head, inches of mercury, kPa and bar, with the Reynolds number and friction factor used • Flow, velocity, force, pressure and area solved from each other CALCULATOR AND CONVERSIONS • Add, subtract, multiply and divide feet, inches and fractions, down to 1/64, with meters and millimeters mixed in • Areas and volumes carry their units: 5 in x 5 in is 25 square inches • Conversions for length, area, volume, weight, flow, velocity, pressure, force and temperature • Sine, cosine, tangent and their inverses, degrees-minutes-seconds, powers and roots, and percent • Store values and recall them later, even after the app is closed The full user's manual, with worked examples, is built in: hold Offset, Convert or any other function key to open it at that key's section. Technical support is free. If you have questions, suggestions for improving this app, or find a bug, please email us at techsupport@cyberprodigy.com and we will respond as soon as possible. Pipe Calc Elite™ is not associated with Pipe Trades Pro™ and Cyberprodigy LLC is not affiliated with Calculated Industries, Inc.

Screenshots

Piping Abacus4 screens
Pipe Calc Elite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Piping Abacus at $9.99 against Pipe Calc Elite's $19.99. Piping Abacus also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 24 months) and review sentiment (92% vs 69%). Pipe Calc Elite's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (176 vs 9). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Piping Abacus costs $9.99 and Pipe Calc Elite $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pipe Calc Elite holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pipe Calc Elite has 176 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 92% of Piping Abacus's written reviews are positive against 69% of Pipe Calc Elite's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Piping Abacus ships an update every 4 weeks, Pipe Calc Elite every 24 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Piping Abacus versus Pipe Calc Elite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPiping AbacusPipe Calc Elite
Price$9.99 — better$19.99
Rating3.9 (9 ratings)4.8 (176 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.3% of reviews — better69.2% of reviews
Number of ratings9176 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 24 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#194 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJean-Paul LanauxCyberprodigy LLC

Customer experience

Piping Abacus

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive92.3%
Neutral1.3%
Negative6.4%

Pipe Calc Elite

All ratings152 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.8%

Bugs and requests

Piping Abacus

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Calculator store and recall functions not working
  • Clear button clears everything instead of last input
  • Notes display truncated data ('...')
  • Background grid lines too visible after update
  • Calculator can be glitchy
Show 2 more
  • Application bugged/not working on iPhone
  • Issues with finding different size fittings and changing thickness

Requested features

19 requests
  • Remove background grid lines
  • Update app to remove background grid lines
  • Add rolling offset chart
  • Add saddle layout
  • Add U-BOLT DIMENSIONS
Show 14 more
  • Add offset calculations
  • Add double 45, 45 off 90, 45 off tee and other 45 offset measurements
  • Add bolt size and wrench info for flanges
  • Add weights for various pipe metals
  • Add plug valve data
  • Add 150lb TH fittings data
  • Add more detail like saddle layout for big pipe
  • Add more formula related stuff like rolling offsets
  • Improve calculator functions (store, recall, clear)
  • Clear button should only clear last input mistake
  • Add dark mode option
  • Add advanced analytics dashboard
  • Add relief valves
  • Add inside/outside measurements for cutting elbows to any angle

Pipe Calc Elite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Piping Abacus

No in-app purchases

None

Pipe Calc Elite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Piping Abacus free?
Piping Abacus costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pipe Calc Elite free?
Pipe Calc Elite costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Piping Abacus or Pipe Calc Elite?
Pipe Calc Elite is rated higher. Piping Abacus averages 3.9 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Pipe Calc Elite averages 4.8 from 176 ratings.
Do Piping Abacus or Pipe Calc Elite have ads?
Neither Piping Abacus nor Pipe Calc Elite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Piping Abacus or Pipe Calc Elite?
Piping Abacus ships an update every 4 weeks, and Pipe Calc Elite every 24 months. Most recently, Piping Abacus was updated on November 1, 2026 and Pipe Calc Elite on November 1, 2026.

Other comparisons