# Piping Abacus vs Layout Calc Pro

The clearest difference is price: Layout Calc Pro at Free against Piping Abacus's $9.99. Layout Calc Pro also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 weeks). Piping Abacus's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and chart position (#135 vs unranked). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Layout Calc Pro is free to download; Piping Abacus costs $9.99 up front. Layout Calc Pro sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Piping Abacus asks for nothing beyond the download.

Piping Abacus ships an update every 4 weeks, Layout Calc Pro every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Piping Abacus | Layout Calc Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[3.9 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piping-abacus/id421739105/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **9** | — |
| Positive reviews | 92.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#135** | — |
| Size | 5 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jean-Paul Lanaux](https://appshunter.io/developer/306486995) | [思源 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/1704804704) |

## What reviewers say

### Piping Abacus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piping-abacus/id421739105)

**Currently charting:** #135 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Wealth of information
- 🚀 Quick access to data
- 👍 Eliminates need for books/charts
- 👍 Useful calculator
- 👍 Easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Lacks some information
- 👎 Some data not in database
- 👎 Some items in free apps also
- 👎 Calculator store/recall not working
- 👎 Clear button clears everything

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Remove background grid lines
- Update app to remove background grid lines
- Add rolling offset chart
- Add saddle layout
- Add U-BOLT DIMENSIONS


### Layout Calc Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/layout-calc-pro/id6476074424)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Three Day VIP | $5.00 | one-time |
| 1-Year VIP Membership | $19.99 | one-time |
| 2-Year VIP Membership | $34.99 | one-time |
| 3-Year VIP Membership | $44.99 | one-time |
| 1-Year VIP Membership | $55.00 | one-time |
| 2-Year VIP Membership | $104.99 | one-time |
| 3-Year VIP Membership | $154.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Piping Abacus free?

Piping Abacus costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Layout Calc Pro free?

Layout Calc Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Piping Abacus or Layout Calc Pro have ads?

Neither Piping Abacus nor Layout Calc Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Piping Abacus or Layout Calc Pro?

Piping Abacus ships an update every 4 weeks, and Layout Calc Pro every 6 days. Most recently, Piping Abacus was updated on September 24, 2026 and Layout Calc Pro on September 17, 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.*