# A vs Open Channel Flow Lite

The clearest difference is price: Open Channel Flow Lite at Free against A's $4.99. Open Channel Flow Lite also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Open Channel Flow Lite is free to download; A costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

A ships an update every 9 months, Open Channel Flow Lite every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | A | Open Channel Flow Lite |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[1.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-beam-plus/id477748904/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 months** | Every 13 months |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 53 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jutarus Ratanasethakul](https://appshunter.io/developer/1454380236) | [Alexius Academia](https://appshunter.io/developer/1209840214) |

## What reviewers say

### A

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-beam-plus/id477748904)

This application simplifies the design of RC beams, offering detailed calculation steps for confidence in results. It initially supports ACI 318 building codes in US and Metric units, with plans to add more design codes.

**Highlights:** Simplified RC beam design, Detailed calculation steps, ACI 318 Building Code support, US and Metric units, Future design code additions

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Open Channel Flow Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-channel-flow-lite/id1579229822)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is A free?

A costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Open Channel Flow Lite free?

Open Channel Flow Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do A or Open Channel Flow Lite have ads?

Neither A nor Open Channel Flow Lite shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, A or Open Channel Flow Lite?

A ships an update every 9 months, and Open Channel Flow Lite every 13 months. Most recently, A was updated on October 6, 2026 and Open Channel Flow Lite on October 14, 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.*