Comparison

SteelKit vs FabCalc

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

Head to head
About

SteelKit

Features
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SteelKit is the go-to reference tool for metalworkers: fabricators, blacksmiths, structural steel contractors, and engineers. COMPLETE PROFILE CATALOG Instantly look up structural steel profiles: IPE, IPN, UPN, HEA, HEB, HEM, round tubes, rectangular tubes, angles, rounds, and flats. Every profile shows weight per meter, dimensions, and technical data. CALCULATE WEIGHT IN SECONDS Enter the length and get the total weight of the piece. Works for custom profiles too โ€” just enter the dimensions. MATERIAL LISTS Build cut lists with your materials, set a price per kg, and get an estimated cost. Perfect for quick quotes right on the job site or in the workshop. FREQUENTLY USED PROFILES SteelKit remembers the profiles you look up most, so they're always within reach. UNIT CONVERTER Quickly convert between millimeters, inches, kg, pounds, and other common industry units. SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT Keep track of your preferred suppliers with notes and contacts โ€” all stored locally on your device. WORKS OFFLINE No internet connection needed. All data lives on your device, available even where there's no signal. MULTILINGUAL Available in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. Built for people who work in the field, with an interface designed to be used with greasy hands.

About

FabCalc

Features
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The flat pattern calculator your fab shop needs โ€” cylinders, cone gores, duct wraps, and more. Fully offline. No account. No ads. Stop laying out cone gores by hand on the table. Stop guessing developed length on a duct wrap. FabCalc generates shop-ready flat pattern drawings and 1:1 DXF files for common fabricated shapes. WHAT'S INSIDE โ€ข Cylinder wrap โ€” full shell and partial segments โ€ข Half-pipe sleeve โ€” 180ยฐ cylinder segments โ€ข Cone / frustum gore โ€” annular sector with slant length and arc development โ€ข Rectangular duct wrap โ€” four-panel strip with bend lines and bend allowance โ€ข Live 2D preview โ€” cut profile, bend lines, roll direction, dimensions โ€ข DXF export โ€” AutoCAD R12 ASCII, layered (CUT, BEND, ROLL, TEXT), 1:1 scale โ€ข PDF job sheet โ€” drawing, inputs, calculated values, notes โ€ข Saved jobs โ€” reopen and edit patterns locally WHO IT'S FOR Fabricators, sheet metal workers, pipe fitters, boilermakers, plasma/laser operators, and shop owners who need accurate flat patterns without desktop CAD. FREE vs PRO Free forever: all shape inputs, live preview, calculated values, warnings, and DXF cut-file export. Pro unlocks PDF job sheets and unlimited saved jobs. One-time purchase or subscription. Subscriptions auto-renew until cancelled. Manage in your Apple ID Subscription Settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://doublevision.company/privacy NO ACCOUNT. NO ADS. NO DATA COLLECTION. FabCalc works on the layout table, at the plasma table, in the truck. Everything runs locally.

Screenshots

SteelKit4 screens
FabCalc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SteelKit at none against FabCalc's 4. SteelKit also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. FabCalc sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. SteelKit asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SteelKit ships an update every 3 days, FabCalc weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
SteelKit versus FabCalc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSteelKitFabCalc
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days โ€” betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.616.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size20 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperALECU POPADouble Vision USA LLC

In-app purchases

None

SteelKit

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

FabCalc

Subscriptions2
  • FabCalc Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • FabCalc Pro Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Fab Shop Bundle$119.99
  • ShopCalc Pro Lifetime$129.99

Questions

Is SteelKit free?
SteelKit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FabCalc free?
FabCalc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SteelKit or FabCalc have ads?
Neither SteelKit nor FabCalc shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SteelKit or FabCalc?
SteelKit ships an update every 3 days, and FabCalc weekly. Most recently, SteelKit was updated on September 19, 2026 and FabCalc on September 4, 2026.

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