# Fomcal vs IES ShapeDB

The clearest difference is price: IES ShapeDB at Free against Fomcal's $1.99. IES ShapeDB also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 12.0). Fomcal's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

IES ShapeDB is free to download; Fomcal costs $1.99 up front. Fomcal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. IES ShapeDB asks for nothing beyond the download.

Fomcal ships an update every 3 months, IES ShapeDB every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fomcal | IES ShapeDB |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ies-shapedb/id1068309510/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 6 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **9.3** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NOBORU IMAI](https://appshunter.io/developer/896071356) | [INTEGRATED ENGINEERING SOFTWARE INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1068309509) |

## What reviewers say

### Fomcal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fomcal/id954145664)

This app allows you to create and save custom calculation formulas for daily use. It supports complex functions, logical operations, and parameter studies, with options to export results as CSV. An optional numeric pad enhances input efficiency.

**Highlights:** Save and reuse custom formulas, Support for logical and comparison functions, Parameter study for variable analysis, Export results as CSV, Optional enhanced numeric pad, Extended syntax for branching and iteration

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Enhancements | $1.99 | one-time |


### IES ShapeDB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ies-shapedb/id1068309510)

Access a comprehensive database of over 18,000 structural shapes and their engineering properties. Perform simple beam and column stress analysis for various materials like steel, wood, aluminum, rebar, and cables. Ideal for field use by engineers.

**Highlights:** 18,000+ structural shapes, Engineering properties database, Simple beam stress analysis, Column stress analysis, Supports steel, wood, aluminum, rebar, cables, Calculates bending and combined stresses

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Fomcal free?

Fomcal costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is IES ShapeDB free?

IES ShapeDB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Fomcal or IES ShapeDB have ads?

Neither Fomcal nor IES ShapeDB shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Fomcal or IES ShapeDB?

Fomcal ships an update every 3 months, and IES ShapeDB every 7 months. Most recently, Fomcal was updated on October 13, 2026 and IES ShapeDB on October 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*