Comparison

SiteCalc vs BuildCalc

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

Head to head
About

SiteCalc

Features
Read full description

Professional construction calculators for electricians, roofers, carpenters, concrete and paving contractors, HVAC techs, plumbers, masons, painters, floor layers, solar installers, fencers — and the foundations, drywall and business numbers behind every job. Built for tradespeople who need accurate, fast, offline calculations on the job site. No account needed. Calculators work with no internet. FREE IN EVERY TRADE Every trade includes a starter set of full calculators, free forever — try real tools in your own trade before you pay anything. SMART TOOLS • AR Measure: tap point-to-point distances with your camera, no tape needed • Room Scan: capture a room with LiDAR and turn it into instant dimensions • Site Level: use your phone as a digital level and angle finder • Tape Calculator with saved tapes for running totals • Cost Book and reusable estimate templates ELECTRICAL • Voltage drop (NEC / BS 7671 / IEC), wire gauge with temperature and bundling corrections, conduit fill, residential load per NEC 220, ampacity lookup, motor circuit sizing BUSINESS • CAGR, APR, APY, depreciation, future value, loan and lease; cost per square foot, gross pay, effective interest • Project dates: countdowns, days overdue, work days, completion estimates, staffing ROOFING • Pitch converter, roof area (gable, hip, shed, flat), material estimator, rafter length with birdsmouth, common rafters, hip ridge CONCRETE • Volume for slabs, footings, columns and steps, bag estimator, rebar spacing and weight, slab-on-grade CARPENTRY • Board feet, stair layout (2R+T), deck boards, crown angles, plywood, floor joists, subfloor, insulation, ramps, balusters HVAC • BTU load (simplified Manual J), duct sizing, CFM by room, refrigerant charge, fan sizing, attic ventilation, window AC PLUMBING • Pipe sizing, DWV, water heater sizing, drain slope FOUNDATIONS • Footings, columns, slabs, excavation and backfill, grading, squaring, rebar MASONRY • Block walls, core fill, brick, mortar, masonry units, stone retaining walls DRYWALL • Sheets, mud, tape, screws, metal-stud framing PAINTING • Paint gallons, primer, trim, spray coverage, labour FLOORING • Tile, plank, underlayment, grout, transitions PAVING • Asphalt, asphalt parking areas, crushed stone driveways, sealer SOLAR / PV • PV array, string sizing, voltage drop, setbacks FENCING • Posts, rails, pickets, gates, post-hole concrete FEATURES • Calculators work completely offline — no internet required • Supports US (NEC), UK (BS 7671) and EU (IEC) standards • Imperial and metric with instant conversion • Save calculations to history with job names • Export professional PDF reports • Dark mode and large touch targets for gloved hands on site • VoiceOver accessible, Siri shortcuts and widgets PRICING A starter set of calculators in every trade is free forever — no account, no subscription. Own your tools with one-time purchases — no subscription required for calculators: • Trade packs — five bundles grouped by jobsite: Systems (Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC), Structure (Concrete, Foundations, Masonry), Framing & Roofing (Carpentry, Roofing, Solar), Finishes (Drywall, Painting, Flooring), Sitework & Business (Paving, Fencing, Business) • All Trades — every calculator in a single purchase • Power Tools — AR Measure, Room Scan, Site Level, Cost Book and templates, plus unlimited notes and PDF export • Pro Lifetime — every calculator and every power tool, owned outright forever SiteCalc Pro (monthly or yearly, with a 7-day free trial) adds the cloud: iCloud sync across your devices, Crew project sharing, cloud backup for photos, voice notes and scans, new code-edition updates, and Family Sharing — and includes every calculator and power tool while active. If a subscription lapses, you keep everything you bought outright. TERMS OF USE You can find EULA terms of use here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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

SiteCalc4 screens
BuildCalc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: SiteCalc at none against BuildCalc's shown. On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. SiteCalc sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month 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.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
SiteCalc versus BuildCalc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSiteCalcBuildCalc
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequency—Every 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNeil FaulknerFarah Aydoni

In-app purchases

10 purchases

SiteCalc

Subscriptions2
  • SiteCalc Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • SiteCalc Pro Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time8
  • Sitework & Business Pack$14.99
  • Framing & Roofing Pack$14.99
  • Crew +5 Seats$19.99
Show 5 more
  • Power Tools$24.99
  • Crew +10 Seats$34.99
  • All Trades$49.99
  • Pro Lifetime$99.99
  • Unlimited Crew Seats$149.00
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 SiteCalc free?
SiteCalc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BuildCalc free?
BuildCalc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SiteCalc or BuildCalc have ads?
BuildCalc shows ads; SiteCalc does not.

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