# Piping Abacus vs PipeFabAR

The clearest difference is price: PipeFabAR at Free against Piping Abacus's $9.99. PipeFabAR also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.9). Piping Abacus's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 3 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

PipeFabAR is free to download; Piping Abacus costs $9.99 up front. PipeFabAR sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month. Piping Abacus asks for nothing beyond the download.

PipeFabAR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Piping Abacus has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Piping Abacus ships an update every 4 weeks, PipeFabAR every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Piping Abacus | PipeFabAR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.9 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piping-abacus/id421739105/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pipefabar/id6759136522/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 92.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#137** | — |
| Size | 5 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jean-Paul Lanaux](https://appshunter.io/developer/306486995) | [Mission Integrated Systmes](https://appshunter.io/developer/1877023198) |

## What reviewers say

### Piping Abacus

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

**Currently charting:** #137 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


### PipeFabAR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pipefabar/id6759136522)

Design and generate pipe isometric drawings for fabrication or material quotations. Organize your work into projects, work packages, and spools with a few simple clicks.

**Highlights:** Create pipe isometrics, Organize into projects, Manage work packages, Generate spools for fabrication, Issue for material quotations

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PipeFabAR Pro | $7.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Piping Abacus free?

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

### Is PipeFabAR free?

PipeFabAR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Piping Abacus or PipeFabAR?

PipeFabAR is rated higher. Piping Abacus averages 3.9 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while PipeFabAR averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Piping Abacus or PipeFabAR have ads?

Neither Piping Abacus nor PipeFabAR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Piping Abacus or PipeFabAR?

Piping Abacus ships an update every 4 weeks, and PipeFabAR every 3 months. Most recently, Piping Abacus was updated on November 10, 2026 and PipeFabAR on October 31, 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.*