Comparison

Core by BQE vs Heights and Areas Calculator

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

Head to head
About

Core by BQE

Manage your professional services business on the go with robust time and expense tracking, client and project management, and invoicing capabilities. Generate reports and handle personnel requests directly from your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Time and expense tracking
  • Receipt attachment
  • Invoice creation and sending
  • Client and project management
  • Visit tracking
  • Personnel time-off requests
  • Report generation
Features
Read full description

Powerful Time/Expense Tracking & Billing for Professional Services Firms *** Manage your business on the go *** The powerful features of BQE Core’s mobile app truly lets you manage your business from anywhere. You can quickly and easily track time and expenses, attach receipts, create and send invoices, and run reports - all from the convenience of your phone or favorite device. ** Time & Expenses ** Use multiple timers, enter and review time and expenses, and monitor to-dos and workflows from your mobile dashboard. ** Visit Tracking ** Visits to your client or project sites are tracked and matched automatically so you can easily convert them into time entries. ** Project Management ** Create and manage clients and projects, and stay up to date on milestones and deadlines. ** Billing ** Create and send invoices and vendor bills. Apply payments to invoices instantly. ** Personnel Management ** Submit and approve personal time-off requests right from your phone. ** Reports ** Get actionable insights at your fingertips. Create and share reports right from your phone. Your feedback will help us plan and improve Core and its documentation. Please e-mail your comments, suggestions and ideas to Core-Ideas@bqe.com.

About

Heights and Areas Calculator

Calculate maximum building heights and areas based on International Building Code provisions. Input building geometry, site conditions, construction type, and occupancy to determine allowable limits. This tool aids in wood construction design.

Highlights
  • IBC code compliance
  • Building height calculation
  • Building area calculation
  • Occupancy type input
  • Construction type input
  • Site condition input
Features
Read full description

Wood construction offers distinct design options typically not found in a single structural material. It is inexpensive, readily available, easy to work with, strong and adaptable. The economic, environmental and energy-efficiency advantages account for more buildings being constructed of wood than any other structural material. The Heights and Areas (H&A) Calculator is a joint effort of the American Wood Council and WoodWorks – The Wood Products Council. It provides users with an app-based approach to calculating maximum heights and areas for buildings of various occupancies and fire protection based on 2009 to 2021 editions of the International Code Council’s International Building Code® (IBC®) provisions. Input a given building geometry, site conditions (e.g., open frontage), type of construction and occupancy, and allowable heights and areas can be determined. This H&A Calculator is not meant to be a replacement for the IBC and does not encompass all of its design options. The IBC should always be consulted for final construction type determination, in addition to state and local amendments to the IBC that may apply. About the American Wood Council (AWC) On behalf of the industry it represents, AWC is committed to ensuring a resilient, safe and sustainable built environment. To achieve these objectives, AWC contributes to the development of sound public policies, codes and regulations that allow for the appropriate and responsible manufacture and use of wood products. We support the utilization of wood products by developing and disseminating consensus standards, comprehensive technical guidelines and tools for wood design and construction, as well as providing education regarding their application. Contact AWC via email: info@awc.org or connect with one of AWC’s regional building code experts. About WoodWorks WoodWorks – Wood Products Council provides free technical support as well as education and resources related to the code-compliant design of non-residential and multi-family wood buildings. WoodWorks field teams have expertise in a wide range of building types including mid-rise/multi-family, schools, commercial, office, institutional and public. Our objective is to make it easier to design, engineer and construct wood buildings at less cost. If you have a wood building project that could use some technical support, email the Project Assistance Help Desk, contact a technical expert near you or use the staff list to contact any member of the WoodWorks team. About the International Code Council (ICC) The International Code Council is a member-focused association with over 64,000 members. It is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.

Screenshots

Core by BQE4 screens
Heights and Areas Calculator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Heights and Areas Calculator at 5.0 against Core by BQE's 3.1. Heights and Areas Calculator also leads on iOS requirement (14.2 vs 16.0). Core by BQE's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Heights and Areas Calculator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Core by BQE has 38 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Core by BQE ships an update every 3 weeks, Heights and Areas Calculator every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Core by BQE versus Heights and Areas Calculator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCore by BQEHeights and Areas Calculator
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (38 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings38 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.014.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size153 MB154 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBQE Software Inc.American Wood Council

Customer experience

Core by BQE

All ratings38 ratings
Positive47.4%
Neutral7.9%
Negative44.7%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Heights and Areas Calculator

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Core by BQE

No in-app purchases

None

Heights and Areas Calculator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Core by BQE free?
Core by BQE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heights and Areas Calculator free?
Heights and Areas Calculator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Core by BQE or Heights and Areas Calculator?
Heights and Areas Calculator is rated higher. Core by BQE averages 3.1 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while Heights and Areas Calculator averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Core by BQE or Heights and Areas Calculator have ads?
Heights and Areas Calculator shows ads; Core by BQE does not.
Which is updated more often, Core by BQE or Heights and Areas Calculator?
Core by BQE ships an update every 3 weeks, and Heights and Areas Calculator every 2 weeks. Most recently, Core by BQE was updated on October 24, 2026 and Heights and Areas Calculator on September 13, 2026.

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