Comparison

Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator vs BIM 360

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

Head to head
About

Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator

This app helps pipe fitters, welders, and fabricators create accurate cuts for pipe intersections. It calculates offset layout dimensions and generates full-size pattern templates for various pipe sizes and angles, eliminating the need for traditional tools and books.

Highlights
  • Accurate pipe intersection cut calculations
  • Generates full-size pattern templates
  • Supports any pipe size and intersection angle
  • Considers pipe wall thickness
  • Outputs in imperial and metric units
  • Adjustable control point accuracy
  • Printable templates for standard paper sizes
Features
Read full description

Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator is a iPhone app that provides the fitter with the points to make an accurate cut (fish mouth, cope, etc) for piping (cylinder to cylinder) intersections. This app is intended to be used by fitters, welders, fabricators, or anyone who needs to join two metal cylinders at any angle. Are you still carrying that blue book around? Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator is the modern piping blue book. Confused about how to layout cut lines for joining two pieces of pipe? If you are a pipe fabricator, welder, or fitter who needs to make perfect saddle cuts, then this app is for you. Forget books, calculators, compasses, ancient saddle layout procedures, laptops, expensive CAD programs, mathematics or internet access to figure out how to make that perfect saddle joint. Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator is easy. Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator provides the offset layout dimensions for that perfect pipe joint. This calculator works with any size pipe, any angle of intersection, and any wall thickness of pipe. User enters: main pipe, branch pipe, wall thickness (this app considers wall thickness, you don't want to leave too much metal, or take too much off) and branch angle. The calculator does the rest. This calculator produces an on the fly ordinate table of the offsets. The beauty of this app is that it also produces full size pattern templates, so you don't have to measure and layout all of the work points. Now you can print out your pipe pattern templates for any size and any angle intersection. This version outputs patterns configured for an 8.5 X 11 (everyone has access to one of these), 11 X 17, and 24 X 36 printer sizes. So with this app and a 8.5 X 11 printer, the user can still produce any size pipe coping pattern. The calculator is very versatile. Presently input and output is US based imperial and/or metric. Output is feet, or feet and inches, decimal or fractions (to 1/32"). This app has been updated to support metric solutions. User can control how much cut line accuracy he/she wants by setting how many control points are desired (infinite amount, user can get 8 control points, i.e. every 45 degrees or 360 control points, i.e every degree, or more). Most books only give 8 or 16 control points. This app allows an infinite amount. For example, a 2" pipe needs fewer control points than a 48".

About

BIM 360

Access project documents, plans, and models on your mobile device. Execute construction quality and safety workflows, manage documents, and collaborate with your team from anywhere. Streamline project delivery to stay on time and on budget.

Highlights
  • Cloud document and data management
  • View and explore 2D plans and 3D models
  • Quality and safety workflow execution
  • Create, assign, and approve RFIs
  • 2D & 3D markup and annotation
  • Daily site activity logging
  • Permission-based access control
Read full description

The Autodesk® BIM 360® app provides users of the next-generation BIM 360 platform with the ability to access all project documents, plans and models, as well as execute construction quality and safety workflows from their iPhone or iPad. This is a companion app for users of the next-generation BIM 360 Field Management and Document Management modules. Apps for other BIM 360 products are available on the iTunes store. The BIM 360 platform for construction management and project delivery helps your project team stay on-time and on-budget because everyone has access to the latest version all project information in a single app - anytime, anywhere. As a result, you can save time, lower risk and reduce rework and errors. ______________________________ With the BIM 360 app, users can: Collaborative document and data management • Manage all 2D plans, 3D models, and project documents in the cloud. • View and explore documents from Apple phones or tablets. • Organize, share and track use of contractual documents. Get the right project information into the hands of those that need it • Curate files and drawings into project folders with permission-based access rights. • Extract sheets and properties directly from drawings and models. • Get notified automatically on document changes or when an issue is assigned to you. Deploy quality and safety programs to mobile workers • View and run checklists assigned to you on your Apple device. • Generate issues for non-conforming checklist items. • Add punch list items during site walkthroughs. Reduce risk, eliminate errors and ensure the entire team is building from the current set • Create, assign and approve RFIs, and pin to location on drawing. • View, edit and manage docs from your phone or tablet. • Access zero-client model and PDF viewing, with optimized zoom. Keep teams in sync from the office to the field, 2D to BIM • Create, view and share 2D & 3D markups. • Notifications alert users of changes or issues to be reviewed. • Log daily site activity to track project progress and performance. Support Email: bim360fieldmgmtsupport@autodesk.com

Screenshots

Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator4 screens
BIM 3604 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BIM 360 at Free against Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator's $4.99. BIM 360 also leads on ratings volume (148 vs 8). Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator's advantage is rating (3.1 vs 1.8) and review sentiment (33% vs 5%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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

BIM 360 is free to download; Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BIM 360 has 148 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator's written reviews are positive against 5% of BIM 360's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator versus BIM 360: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPipe Saddle Layout CalculatorBIM 360
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.1 (8 ratings) — better1.8 (148 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews — better4.8% of reviews
Number of ratings8148 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB249 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJean-Paul LanauxAutodesk Inc.

Customer experience

Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator

All ratings8 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

BIM 360

All ratings148 ratings
Positive16.2%
Neutral6.8%
Negative77.0%
Written reviews126 reviews
Positive4.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative88.1%

Bugs and requests

Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

BIM 360

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • App crashes when uploading photos to issues or checklists
  • Login failures with 'account not activated' error
  • Syncing failures requiring app reinstallation
  • Drawings fail to load or open
  • App freezes when viewing 3D models
Show 15 more
  • Keyboard covers input fields making text invisible
  • Session expires frequently requiring repeated logins
  • Downloaded drawings lost after session expiration
  • Filters reset when navigating between tabs
  • App offloads when backgrounded, requiring restart
  • Assignee filter inconsistently shows 'my company' option
  • Checklist items take 20+ seconds to register button clicks
  • Cannot delete photos from checklists
  • Keyboard only accepts one letter in company field
  • App crashes after iOS updates
  • Microsoft single sign-on not working on iPhone SE
  • MFA code entry field missing
  • Incompatibility with iPhone X button placement
  • Projects over 200MB cannot be opened
  • Large project downloads crash iPad

Requested features

17 requests
  • Offline-first functionality with reliable syncing
  • Portrait and landscape orientation support
  • Admin tools for team member management
  • Better markup and annotation capabilities
  • PDF search functionality
Show 12 more
  • Batch photo upload
  • Copy/duplicate checklist items
  • Equipment module from BIM 360 Field
  • RFI creation capability
  • Split-screen mode for iPad
  • Email notification controls
  • Filter by drawing version
  • Upload date display for models
  • Improved model viewer with pivot point rotation
  • Clash detection and reporting
  • Better Word and Excel file support
  • Mouse scroll wheel support

In-app purchases

None

Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator

No in-app purchases

None

BIM 360

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator free?
Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is BIM 360 free?
BIM 360 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator or BIM 360?
Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator is rated higher. Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator averages 3.1 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while BIM 360 averages 1.8 from 148 ratings.
Do Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator or BIM 360 have ads?
Neither Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator nor BIM 360 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator or BIM 360?
Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator ships an update every 2 months, and BIM 360 every 2 months. Most recently, Pipe Saddle Layout Calculator was updated on November 6, 2026 and BIM 360 on November 5, 2026.

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