Comparison

Taco Tools vs Heat Engineer

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

Head to head
About

Taco Tools

Easily select centrifugal pumps for hydronic heating and cooling systems. View pump performance characteristics for specific flow and head conditions. Access Taco product literature and contact technical support directly.

Highlights
  • Centrifugal pump selection
  • Performance characteristic viewing
  • Hydronic heating/cooling system application
  • Access to product literature
  • Direct technical support contact
Features
Read full description

An application for the selection of Centrifugal Pumps manufactured by Taco, Inc. This application allows the user to quickly select a pump for application to Hydronic Heating and/or Cooling Systems and view the performance characteristics of the selected pump for a specified Flow & Head Condition. In addition, this App will allow users easy access to all published Taco Product Literature and direct access to the Taco Technical Support Department.

About

Heat Engineer

This app assists heating engineers and surveyors in collecting property data for heating system installations. It supports heat loss reports for various technologies and includes tools for sound assessments and quick estimations. Data is automatically saved for later review and amendment.

Highlights
  • Heat loss survey for BS EN 12831, CIBSE, and MCS standards
  • MCS 020 sound assessment for Air Source Heat Pumps
  • Quick heat loss estimator tool
  • Automatic data saving and history for amendments
  • Room-by-room heat loss calculation
  • Photo capture for rooms and installation locations
  • Fuel comparisons and running cost calculations
Features
Read full description

Heat Engineer Software helps heating engineers and surveyors capture property information on site, carry out heat loss surveys and assess air source heat pump sound levels. From a quick estimate to a detailed room-by-room survey (3D LiDAR scanning), gather the information you need for heat pump and conventional heating system design. Work from your iPhone or iPad, then continue with your project in the Heat Engineer desktop platform. ROOM-BY-ROOM HEAT LOSS SURVEYS Capture the property details needed for heat loss calculations designed to follow BS EN 12831-1:2017, the CIBSE Domestic Heating Design Guide and relevant MCS requirements. β€’ Create rooms using preset or custom names. β€’ Record room dimensions, building materials and construction details. β€’ Select materials from the built-in library or enter custom descriptions and U-values. β€’ Record walls, floors, windows, doors, ceilings and roofs. β€’ Capture complex room shapes and vaulted ceilings using illustrated profiles. β€’ Record existing radiator types and dimensions to support emitter assessment. β€’ Add photographs of rooms and proposed installation locations. β€’ Continue your survey in the desktop platform to review calculations and produce detailed reports. CHOOSE HOW YOU MEASURE Use a tape measure or laser measure and enter your measurements, or use built-in LiDAR scanning on a compatible iPhone or iPad to capture room dimensions and layouts. Choose the survey method that suits the property and the equipment you have available. LiDAR scanning requires a compatible device with a LiDAR sensor. FLOOR PLANS AND LIDAR SCANNING Bring your survey to life with a visual layout of the property. β€’ Scan rooms using supported LiDAR devices. β€’ View captured rooms and layouts. β€’ See room dimensions and radiator locations within your floor plans. β€’ Export 2D floor plans to PDF for use alongside your project documentation. WHOLE-HOUSE HEAT LOSS AND QUICK ESTIMATES Assess a property before progressing to a detailed room-by-room survey. Use whole-house heat loss and quick estimation tools to support early discussions, initial project assessments and quotation preparation. Preliminary estimates help you get started. Complete a detailed room-by-room calculation to support final heating system and emitter design. AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMP SOUND ASSESSMENTS Carry out sound assessments to support assessment of the noise requirements associated with permitted development. β€’ Record the proposed heat pump manufacturer and model. β€’ Enter the manufacturer’s A-weighted sound power level. β€’ Record the assessment position and add supporting photographs. β€’ Review the assessment result. β€’ Return to an assessment to update equipment details or site information. β€’ Produce a PDF assessment report for your project records. A sound assessment addresses noise criteria; other planning requirements may also apply. CONNECTED FROM SITE TO DESKTOP Keep your mobile survey and desktop project connected with the updated Heat Engineer platform. Save your work, revisit surveys and assessments, and continue adding information as the project develops. Capture details on site, then use the desktop platform for further design work and reporting. GET STARTED A Heat Engineer account is required. Visit our website to create an account, explore the platform and watch our training videos

Screenshots

Taco Tools1 screens
Heat Engineer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Heat Engineer at 79% against Taco Tools's 20%. Heat Engineer also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). Taco Tools's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Heat Engineer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Taco Tools asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Taco Tools ships an update every 5 months, Heat Engineer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 5 level
Taco Tools versus Heat Engineer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTaco ToolsHeat Engineer
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews78.9% of reviews β€” better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 β€” better16.4
Further details β€” not scored
Size52 MB203 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTaco, Inc.Heat Engineer Software Ltd

Customer experience

Taco Tools

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%

Heat Engineer

Written reviews19 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative21.1%

In-app purchases

None

Taco Tools

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Heat Engineer

One-time1
  • MCS 020 PDF Report Token$2.99

Questions

Is Taco Tools free?
Taco Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heat Engineer free?
Heat Engineer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Taco Tools or Heat Engineer have ads?
Neither Taco Tools nor Heat Engineer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Taco Tools or Heat Engineer?
Taco Tools ships an update every 5 months, and Heat Engineer every 2 months. Most recently, Taco Tools was updated on October 6, 2026 and Heat Engineer on October 2, 2026.

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