Structural Engineering lite vs WeldCalcs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Structural Engineering lite
This app provides engineers with essential structural formulas and calculations for civil construction projects. It offers instant results, demand/capacity checks, and a built-in database of materials and sections, all accessible on mobile devices.
- 59 structural formulas (AISC/ACI)
- Instant demand/capacity checks
- Built-in AISC section database
- Material and code references
- USCS & SI unit support
- Pass/Fail visual indicator
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Structural Engineering Calculator delivers 59 AISC and ACI structural formulas with instant results, demand/capacity checks, a built-in AISC section database, and material references — all in one app. Whether you’re on site, in the office, or reviewing drawings, every calculation you need is in your pocket. 59 STRUCTURAL FORMULAS COLUMNS Critical Ratio (Cc), Effective Length Factor (K), Slenderness Ratio (KL/r), Allowable Compressive Stress (Sr less than Cc), Allowable Compressive Stress (Sr greater than Cc), Safety Factor, Maximum Axial Load. BEAMS Shear Capacity of Flexural Members, Allowable Bending Stress (Compact and Noncompact), Moment Gradient Factor (Cb), Allowable Flange Bending Stress, Plastic Moment (Mp), Lateral Unbraced Lengths (Lp and Lr), Limiting Buckling Moment (Mr), Nominal Moment (Mn), Critical Elastic Moment (Mcr), Allowable Shear Stress, Beam Deflection for UDL and Point Load. BASE PLATES Base Plate Area, Plate Thickness, Bearing Pressure, Flange and Web Thickness, Plate Dimensions N and B. COMPOSITE BEAMS Horizontal Shear for Concrete and Steel, Number of Shear Connectors, Transformed Section Properties, Modular Ratio, Elastic Neutral Axis. CONNECTIONS Allowable Shear with Tension Field Action, Allowable Bearing Stress for Rollers and Rockers, Axial Stress for Concentrated Loads, Allowable Bearing Stress on Fasteners, Number of Shear Connectors, Total Horizontal Shear. AISC CODE REFERENCES Every formula links directly to AISC/ACI clauses — AISC 360-16, AISC ASD 9th Edition, ACI 318-19, and AISC Design Guide 3. PASS / FAIL CHECK Instant visual adequacy check with demand/capacity ratio — green for PASS, red for FAIL. AISC SECTION PICKER Browse W-shapes (AISC 15th Edition) and auto-fill section properties instantly. REFERENCE TAB Built-in library with W-sections (W4–W44), ASTM materials (A36, A992, A572, A500, A325, A490, F1554), weld electrodes, concrete grades, and codes. USCS & SI UNITS Switch anytime between inches/ksi and mm/MPa with automatic conversion. All section and material data included. Supports both USCS and SI units. Compatible with iPhone and iPad. Pay once — no subscriptions. References: AISC Steel Construction Manual 15th Edition, AISC 360-16, AISC ASD 9th Edition, ACI 318-19, AISC Design Guide 3.
WeldCalcs
This engineering calculator app assists in the preliminary sizing of fillet welds for steel construction. It computes section properties for typical welding patterns, allowing users to input dimensions and applied forces/moments to determine the maximum resisting resultant force and initial weld size.
- Fillet weld design sizing
- Section property calculation
- Elastic Method calculations
- Input dimensions and forces
- Determines maximum resisting force
- Reference equations available
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Useful for the preliminary sizing of fillet welds, WeldCalcs is an engineering calculator app that computes the section properties for typical welding patterns used in steel construction. After selecting a Weld Group, the user enters the dimensions for the depth and width, along with any combination of applied forces and moments. The section properties for the Weld Group, including the area, section moduli and polar moment of inertia, are instantly calculated. The app also determines the maximum resisting resultant force and the initial fillet weld size. The calculations performed by the WeldCalcs app are based on the Elastic Method. This approach treats the weld as a line or a group of lines. This allows the weld group section properties to be determined without knowing the size of the weld. The section properties and the applied loads are used in structural engineering formulas to determine the maximum resisting resultant force along the weld. This resultant force is expressed in terms of force per unit length. Since the weld is evaluated based on a force per unit length, in lieu of stresses, combining the effects from different load types (shear, axial, moment, torsion) is easily accomplished. The applied moments and torsions are resolved into vertical, horizontal and axial components and then vectorially combined with the directly applied shears and axial forces. All of the applied loads are assumed to act through the center of gravity of the weld. Therefore, each segment of the weld resists an equal share of the direct shear and axial forces and a proportional share of the bending moments and torsions relative to the weld segment's distance to the neutral axis of the weld group. The fillet weld size is determined by dividing the maximum resisting resultant force by the available strength of the weld. For practicality, both weld dimensions 'd' and 'b' are limited to a minimum value of 0.25 inches and a maximum value of 100 inches. Dimensions 'tw' and 'tf' are limited to a minimum value of 0.125 inches and a maximum value of 10 inches. The applied forces are limited to a range of -99,999 to +99,999 kips. The applied moments are limited to a range of -99,999 to +99,999 kip-inches. The equations for the section properties and resultant forces used by the app are available for reference and manual verification by the user. The general equations for the resisting forces in each quadrant are based on the applied forces and moments all acting in the positive direction.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Structural Engineering lite at Free against WeldCalcs's $1.99. Structural Engineering lite also leads on ratings volume (19 vs 1) and update cadence (every 6 months vs every 15 months). WeldCalcs's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On 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
Structural Engineering lite is free to download; WeldCalcs costs $1.99 up front. Structural Engineering lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. WeldCalcs asks for nothing beyond the download.
WeldCalcs holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Structural Engineering lite has 19 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Structural Engineering lite ships an update every 6 months, WeldCalcs every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and June 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Structural Engineering lite | WeldCalcs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.2 (19 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 19 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months — better | Every 15 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | V PUGAZHENTHI | Glendale Coding Labs, Inc |
Customer experience
Structural Engineering lite
WeldCalcs
In-app purchases
Structural Engineering lite
- Structural Engineering Calc.$5.99
WeldCalcs
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Structural Engineering lite free?
Is WeldCalcs free?
Which has better reviews, Structural Engineering lite or WeldCalcs?
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