Comparison

SteelSolve vs BuildCalc

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

Head to head
About

SteelSolve

This app simplifies complex calculations for construction professionals. It supports various units, allows for easy expression editing, and provides instant results as you type. Features include built-in functions for rise, run, diagonal, and slope, along with estimating capabilities.

Highlights
  • Feet, Inch, and Fraction Input
  • Unit Assignment and Conversion
  • Full Expression Editing
  • Instant Results as You Type
  • History Tape for Previous Entries
  • Rise, Run, Diagonal, and Slope Functions
  • Estimating Functions
Features
Read full description

- Feet, Inch, and Fraction Input, along with other units in 28 categories. - Fully Functional Unit calculator - ft x ft = sqft. Quickly convert result to other units. - See the whole expression, and tap numbers to edit. Answers are live. - Free of Annoying Ads, No Internet connection required. - Powerful Dictation such as “5 feet 4 and 3/8 plus 36 and a quarter inch" - Date and Time Calculations built in - “Today + 7 weeks” - History tape to store, categorize, re-use and export your calculations. - Rise, Run, Diagonal, and Slope functions built-in. - Pricing units to turn quantities into prices: 500 lbs * 25 $/lb. - Quick Fraction entry buttons and fractions in your results. - Smart Parentheses that are not strict: 1 + 2 ) x 3 - Unit Combinations such as deg-min-sec or lb-oz. Powerful Dictation - Tell the Calculator what to calculate: - “26 feet times 42-feet-7 times 6 inches, convert to cubic yards” - “50 feet times 40 pounds per foot times a dollar 50 per pound plus 30 percent margin” - “4 foot run, 3 foot rise, slope” - “Average of 2 and a half feet and 4 meters” - “Convert 7 and 3/4 meters to decimal feet” - “13 tablespoons times 3 to cups” - “Working Days until December 20th” - “August 11th of last year plus 3 weeks” Custom version with additional features: - Purchase for a one-time fee. - Use Pro Accent Theme for a beautifully colored keypad. - Customize your Calculator Keypad with a catalog of available buttons. - Add custom units with intelligent suggestions for composite units. - Add custom functions to calculate more complex expressions. - Edit the Look up Database, write your own pages and calculators, share customizations with others. Specialized Calculators: - Right Triangle Calculator, Oblique Triangle, Arc Segment, and Graphing Calculator. - Spacing Calculators that give you running dimensions, for standard spacings and picket railings. - Compound Miter and Compound Angle Calculators with visuals to show angled cuts. - Date Difference and Date Add or Subtract Calculators with Working/Calendar Days. - Stair Stringer and Rake Wall calculators for framers, including layout drawings. - Excel-Style Formula Solver - Export what you’re seeing to PDF or PNG Steel and Wood Shapes and Tools: - Steel and Wood Shapes Database with accurate shape visualizations. - Enter the Length of a Profile to quickly calculate the weight or board-feet. - Use Steel List and Wood List to keep track of a list of Material or calculate weights. Export to PDF or CSV. - Material Nesters that take available lengths and give you an optimized cutting layout. - Filter to find shapes by their dimensions with Pipe Search & WF Search. - Customizable Home Screen for quick access to your favorite shapes & calculators. - Find a shape using natural language dictation. HSS 6 by 6 by quarter - Steel Grating load tables and calculators. - Deflection calculators for Steel & Wood Beams

About

BuildCalc

This app provides 56 construction calculators across 13 trades, helping contractors measure, price, and create client-ready estimates directly from the job site. It supports various measurement units and includes waste factors and cost editing for accurate material and labor calculations.

Highlights
  • 56 construction calculators across 13 trades
  • Supports feet, inches, fractions, and metric units
  • Adjustable waste factors and editable cost lines
  • Project saving and client estimate generation
  • PDF export with logo
  • Reference tables for building codes
Features
Read full description

Material quantities, waste, and cost — then a client-ready estimate. BuildCalc puts 56 construction calculators across 13 trades on one screen, so you can measure, price, and send a quote from the job site. WHY CONTRACTORS AND BUILDERS USE IT - Enter dimensions the way you measure them: feet, inches and fractions, or metric - Every result includes a waste factor you control and a cost line you can edit - Save calculations to a project, then turn the project into a professional estimate - Export estimates to PDF with your logo, on Letter or A4 paper 13 TRADES, 56 CALCULATORS - Concrete: slabs, footings, columns, stairs, bags and yards - Framing: studs and plates, plywood, board feet, joist spans, headers, stair stringers - Roofing: shingles, metal panels, underlayment, ridge cap, gutters, soffit and fascia - Drywall: sheets, joint compound, tape, screws - Flooring: hardwood, tile, baseboard, stairs - Painting: interior, exterior, primer, wall area with door and window deductions - Masonry: brick, block, mortar - Electrical: voltage drop, wire size, conduit fill, Ohm's law - Plumbing: pipe sizing, fixture units, drain slope, water heater sizing - HVAC: BTU load, heat load, duct sizing - Insulation: batts and blown-in, R-value - Landscaping: mulch and gravel, sod, fence, excavation - General: aggregate tonnage, grade and slope, unit conversions ESTIMATES THAT WIN JOBS - Materials and labor sections with markup, tax and discounts - Clients and projects kept together - One tap to a PDF you can share from your phone REFERENCE TABLES ON THE JOB SITE Floor-joist and header spans from the 2021 IRC and conduit fill from the 2023 NEC, with the load case and source shown on every result. BUILDCALC PRO The free version includes selected trades and one project, with ads. BuildCalc Pro unlocks every calculator, unlimited projects, client estimates with PDF export and your logo, and removes ads. Pro is available as a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription or as a one-time lifetime purchase. A free trial may be offered on the annual plan; any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel subscriptions in your Apple Account settings. Prices are shown in the app in your local currency before you buy. Privacy policy: https://jyvapps.com/privacy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Results are estimates for planning and ordering. Verify quantities, spans and sizes against your locally adopted code or a licensed professional before building. IRC and NEC are trademarks of their respective owners; BuildCalc is not affiliated with the International Code Council or the National Fire Protection Association.

Screenshots

SteelSolve4 screens
BuildCalc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: SteelSolve at none against BuildCalc's shown. SteelSolve also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. SteelSolve sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and BuildCalc sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SteelSolve against 5.0 for BuildCalc. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SteelSolve ships an update monthly, BuildCalc every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
SteelSolve versus BuildCalc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSteelSolveBuildCalc
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHeber HarkerFarah Aydoni

Customer experience

SteelSolve

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

BuildCalc

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SteelSolve

One-time1
  • Custom$12.99
3 purchases

BuildCalc

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly: All Calculators$4.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly: Estimates & PDF7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime: All Trades & PDF$49.99

Questions

Is SteelSolve free?
SteelSolve is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BuildCalc free?
BuildCalc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SteelSolve or BuildCalc?
SteelSolve and BuildCalc are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do SteelSolve or BuildCalc have ads?
BuildCalc shows ads; SteelSolve does not.
Which is updated more often, SteelSolve or BuildCalc?
SteelSolve ships an update monthly, and BuildCalc every 4 months. Most recently, SteelSolve was updated on September 19, 2026 and BuildCalc on September 22, 2026.

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