Calcs.com alternative
StructSuite vs Calcs.com
StructSuite is free structural design software for US engineers: wood and steel members, joists and rafters, shear walls, footings, retaining walls and ASCE 7-22 loads, in the browser, with no account. Here it is next to Calcs.com (formerly ClearCalcs), row by row.
Verified 7 November 2026. Every Calcs.com row comes from Calcs.com's own published pages, and every StructSuite row from the StructSuite code. Written and checked by StructSuite's licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.).
The short answer
StructSuite is the free choice for US light-frame design: every design module runs in full in the browser with no account. It models shear walls on the building plan, names the smallest adequate joist, rafter or header from the 2024 IBC and TJI tables, checks Simpson Strong-Tie connectors against the computed loads, builds dead and live loads from the ASCE 7-22 tables, and quotes the governing code text beside the inputs. Pro, for printing and the plan-check link, is $100/month or $50 for a week. Calcs.com (formerly ClearCalcs) is a broader paid library after a 14-day trial, from US$79/month (US$119/month for concrete members, masonry, shear walls and ASCE 7 loads), with cold-formed steel, non-US codes and load linking between members.
At a glance
Free use
- StructSuite
- Every design module, no account
- Calcs.com
- 14-day Pro trial, then a free plan that keeps existing projects
Paid plans from
- StructSuite
- $100/mo (Pro) · $50 week
- Calcs.com
- US$79/mo (Basic)
Focus
- StructSuite
- US light-frame wood, steel members, footings, walls, ASCE 7-22 loads
- Calcs.com
- 152 calculators across 5 code regions
Runs in
- StructSuite
- Browser
- Calcs.com
- Browser (internet required)
Why engineers choose StructSuite
Free in full, no account
Every design module runs in the browser with the complete calculation on screen. No trial, no sign-up.
Shear walls on the plan
Model every wall line on the building plan at once. Forces distribute automatically and collector forces are drawn along each line.
Simpson Strong-Tie built in
Hangers, hold-downs, SABR anchor bolts, framing clips and post caps, checked against the loads the module computed and drawn as connection details.
Framing sized fast
Floor joists, ceiling joists, rafters and headers from the 2024 IBC and TJI tables, every candidate charted against the span (or the load, for TJ-9000 headers).
Loads from ASCE 7-22
Dead loads from Table C3.1-1a, live loads from Table 4.3-1, wind (Ch. 27, 28, 30) and seismic, in the same project.
The code text, quoted
A book icon beside a governing input opens the provision word for word: 2024 IBC, ASCE 7-22, NDS 2024, SDPWS 2021, ACI 318-25, AISC 360-22.
The whole package, one project
Cover sheet with your logo, stamp and signature, loads, every member, footings and walls, a table of contents and page numbers, printed as one PDF with a plan-check link. Revise a module and the contents and page numbers follow.
Guided, step by step
Every module walks through numbered steps: geometry sketches draw as you type, a step summary stays red until its inputs are filled, and every check is written out. A filled-in sample project, videos and worked examples show the way.
Built for the job site and the plan-check counter
On a phone or tablet
Size a joist, rafter or header at the job site: the modules lay out for small screens in any mobile browser, with nothing to install.
On a locked-down office computer
No installation and no administrator rights, so it runs on city and agency computers where installing software is not allowed.
Code text for the correction list
The governing provision is quoted word for word beside the input it governs, so a plan checker can check the value and copy the section into a correction comment.
Code and catalog in one place
The code sections and the Simpson Strong-Tie catalog data sit inside the module that uses them, so you are not jumping between code books and catalogs.
StructSuite vs Calcs.com, feature by feature
How to read it. A check mark means the product does it, with the note saying how. For Calcs.com, “Not stated” means its published material does not claim the feature, which is not proof it is missing. For StructSuite, “No” means it doesn't do it today.
What it designs
| Feature | StructSuite | Calcs.com |
|---|---|---|
| Wood shear walls | YesEvery wall line modeled on the building plan at once; force distributed automatically; hold-downs, anchor bolts, end posts, two-sided sheathing (SDPWS 2021) | YesWood Shear Wall (ASD) calculator; its diaphragm analysis distributes forces to braced wall lines by tributary area |
| Collector (drag strut) forcesForce along a wall line between its shear walls | YesDrawn along each wall line, with the diaphragm and wall unit shears, per ASCE 7-22 | Not stated |
| Framing clips for base shear transferSimpson A35, LTP4, LTP5 | YesRequired clip spacing worked out from the wall line’s shear, capacity tabled from 8 to 48 in, and the clips drawn in the connection detail | Not stated |
| Joists, rafters and headers sized from span tablesFloor joists, ceiling joists, rafters, headers | YesSmallest adequate size named as soon as the table inputs are in, every candidate charted against the span (or the load, for TJ-9000 headers): sawn lumber from the 2024 IBC tables, TJI joists and TJ-9000 headers from the Trus Joist tables | Designed by calculation, with joist, rafter and header presets in the wood beam calculator; no span-table lookup stated |
| Connectors | YesSimpson Strong-Tie hangers, hold-downs, SABR anchor bolts, framing clips and post caps, picked from the catalog and checked against the computed loads | YesSimpson hangers in the Wood Connectors calculator; Simpson hold-downs selected automatically in the shear wall calculator |
| Wood beams and joists | YesSawn, glulam, LVL, LSL, PSL, I-joists (TJI, BCI, LPI); multi-span and cantilever | YesASD and LRFD (NDS 2024 / 2018) |
| Wood columns and posts | YesSawn, glulam, round timber; NDS Table G1 effective length, §3.9.2 combined loading | YesASD and LRFD |
| Steel beams and columns | YesLRFD (AISC 360-22); W, HSS and pipe shapes | YesASD and LRFD; torsion and composite beams |
| Spread and strip footings | YesBearing, overturning, sliding, uplift, punching and one-way shear, flexure, dowels; ACI 318-25 or 318-19 | Yes |
| Cantilever retaining walls | YesConcrete or CMU stem; Mononobe-Okabe or Seed-Whitman seismic pressure; groundwater, surcharges | Yes |
| Restrained (basement) retaining walls | At-rest pressure option; no top-support model | Yes |
| Masonry walls | CMU retaining-wall stem only (TMS 402-22) | YesTMS 402/602 shear and gravity walls |
| Combined and pier footings | No | Yes |
| Steel connections, base plates, joists | No | YesBolts, base plates, SJI joists |
| Cold-formed steel | No | YesAISI S100-16 beams and studs |
| Concrete beams, columns and slabs | No | YesACI 318-19 / 318-14 |
| Frame, truss or 3D analysis | No | Yes2D portal frame and truss wizards (FEA) |
The loads it builds for you
| Feature | StructSuite | Calcs.com |
|---|---|---|
| Dead loads from material weightsASCE 7-22 Table C3.1-1a | YesAssembly builder with presets | Not stated |
| Live loads by occupancyASCE 7-22 Table 4.3-1 | Yes | Not stated |
| Wind, main wind-force resisting system | YesASCE 7-22 Ch. 27 directional and Ch. 28 envelope | YesASCE 7-22 / 7-16 |
| Wind, components and cladding | YesASCE 7-22 Ch. 30 | YesASCE 7-22 |
| Seismic | YesASCE 7-22 equivalent lateral force: base shear, story, overturning and diaphragm forces | YesASCE 7-22 / 7-16 |
| Live-load pattern arrangementsWorst-case arrangements of live load on multi-span beams | Opt-in box per ASCE 7-22 §4.3.3; wood and steel beams, including overhangs; each arrangement drawn with a note on why it can govern | Opt-in toggle, marked BETA; wood beams and one-way slabs |
| Site values from a project address | Seismic values (USGS); wind speed you enter | YesWind and seismic (US, Australia, New Zealand) |
| Snow | Not generated; you enter the snow load | YesASCE 7-22 / 7-16 |
| Tornado | No | YesASCE 7-22 Ch. 32, inside the wind calculator (directional MWFRS and C&C) |
Codes and design methods
| Feature | StructSuite | Calcs.com |
|---|---|---|
| US code editions | NDS 2024 · SDPWS 2021 · AISC 360-22 · ACI 318-25 or ACI 318-19 · TMS 402-22 · ASCE 7-22 · 2024 IBC | NDS 2024 / 2018 · AISC 360-22 / 360-16 · ACI 318-19 / 318-14 · ASCE 7-22 / 7-16 · TMS 402-22 / 402-16 · AISI S100-16 |
| Design method | Wood ASD · steel LRFD | ASD and LRFD for wood and steel |
| Other countries | US codes only | YesAustralia, New Zealand, Canada, Eurocode |
Reports and review
| Feature | StructSuite | Calcs.com |
|---|---|---|
| Code references | Clause cited, and the provision quoted word for word beside the governing input | Clause chips open the clause text in a side panel, from its Standards Library |
| Working shown | Every check written out on screen with the numbers substituted | Fields expand to references, formulas and checks |
| Drawn connection details | YesSill anchor bolts and framing clips, Simpson hangers and post caps, drawn with the catalog’s key dimensions | Not stated |
| Link for the plan checkerReviewer opens the live calculation, no account | YesPro; the printed report links to a read-only page that flags any change made after printing | Not stated |
| PDF calculation report | YesPro; one US Letter package from one project: cover sheet with your logo, engineer of record, stamp and signature, then a table of contents, every module and page numbers that update as modules are added, removed or reordered | YesWith your branding |
Workflow
| Feature | StructSuite | Calcs.com |
|---|---|---|
| Autosize | Span tables name the smallest adequate size; beams and columns are sized by hand | YesPicks from your preferred-sections list |
| Load linking between membersA beam reaction feeds the column or footing | No | Yes |
| Member schedule | No | YesExcel export, included in project PDFs |
| Team workspace | No | YesConcurrent seats, unlimited named users, project defaults |
| API and AI | No | CalcsConnect API/MCP and CalcsAI, both beta |
| Custom calculators | No | YesCalcsBuilder |
Price and access
| Feature | StructSuite | Calcs.com |
|---|---|---|
| Using it for free | Every design module runs in full with no account and no time limit. A free account saves one project. | 14-day trial at Pro level, no card. Afterwards the account moves to a free plan that keeps access to existing projects; running new calculations needs a paid plan. |
| Platform | Any web browser, including phones and tablets; nothing to install and no administrator rights needed | Web browser; requires an internet connection |
| Paid plans (US$) | Pro $100/mo ($1,000/yr) · $50 one-week pass | Basic $79/mo ($790/yr) · Pro $119/mo ($1,190/yr) · Ultimate $149/mo ($1,490/yr) |
| What paying adds | Printing the PDF report, unlimited cloud projects and the plan-check link. Every calculation is already free. | Any new calculation after the trial. Basic covers wood, steel, cold-formed and footings; Pro adds concrete members, shear walls, masonry, retaining walls, ASCE 7 wind/snow/seismic and 2D analysis. |
| Refund | No refunds; cancel any time and Pro runs to the end of the period paid for | Yes30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans |
Where StructSuite leads
- Free in full: every design module runs without an account or a time limit, and the complete calculation shows on screen. Paying is only needed to print, save more than one project or share a plan-check link.
- Every shear wall line on one building plan at once, with collector (drag strut) forces drawn along each line, and hold-downs, anchor bolts and end posts checked in the same module.
- Fast framing: for floor joists, ceiling joists, rafters and headers the smallest adequate size is named as soon as the table inputs are in, sawn lumber from the 2024 IBC tables or TJI from the Trus Joist tables, with every candidate charted against the span (or the load, for TJ-9000 headers).
- Simpson Strong-Tie beyond hangers and hold-downs: SABR anchor bolts, framing clips for base shear transfer and post caps are checked against the computed loads, and hangers, post caps, clips and sill anchorage are drawn as details.
- Dead and live loads built from the ASCE 7-22 tables (Table C3.1-1a material weights, Table 4.3-1 occupancies), so the gravity loads start from a cited table.
- US code text at the point of use: a book icon beside a governing input opens the provision word for word, from 2024 IBC, ASCE 7-22, NDS 2024, SDPWS 2021, ACI 318-25 and AISC 360-22.
- A plan-check link printed in the report: the reviewer opens the calculation read-only, and the page flags any change made after printing.
- Lower price for what it does: Pro is $100/month or $1,000/year against Calcs.com Pro at US$119/month or US$1,190/year (the Calcs.com plan that includes shear walls and ASCE 7 loads), and a $50 one-week pass for a single project.
Where Calcs.com fits
- A much larger library (152 calculators): concrete members, masonry walls, cold-formed steel, steel connections, combined and pier footings, 2D frame and truss analysis.
- ASD and LRFD for wood and steel, older US editions, and Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and European codes.
- Project workflow: load linking from member to member, autosize from preferred sections and an exportable member schedule.
- Snow and tornado loads, and team features (concurrent seats, shared defaults).
Which to choose
Choose StructSuite if…
- Most of your work is US residential and light commercial: wood beams, posts, joists, rafters, headers and shear walls, steel beams and columns, spread and strip footings, and concrete or CMU retaining walls.
- You want the whole calculation package from one project: a cover sheet with your logo, stamp and signature, the loads, every member, footings and walls, a table of contents and page numbers, printed as one PDF and renumbered for you when you revise.
- You want the tool free to use, or you need it for a week rather than a year.
- You want dead, live, wind and seismic loads built from ASCE 7-22 in the same place you size the members.
- You or your reviewer want to read the code text and every substituted step, not just the result.
- You want a tool a new engineer can pick up quickly: guided numbered steps, a filled-in sample project, step-by-step videos and worked-example guides.
- You size joists, rafters and headers at the job site, on a phone or tablet instead of a desktop computer.
- You review other engineers’ calculations: StructSuite is free, runs in the browser with nothing to install (so it works on locked-down city and agency computers) and needs no account, so a plan checker can rerun a beam, post, footing, shear wall or wind load from another program’s calc package, within StructSuite’s scope (US codes, wood ASD, steel LRFD), and copy the quoted code section into a correction comment.
Choose Calcs.com if…
- Your work is mainly concrete, masonry, cold-formed steel or steel connections.
- You design to non-US codes, or need ASD steel or LRFD wood.
- You need member-to-member load linking and a member schedule across a large project.
Already on Calcs.com? A free StructSuite run is a quick second check on a member you've designed there, with every step written out.
Frequently asked questions
Is Calcs.com the same as ClearCalcs?
Yes. Calcs.com says it was renamed from ClearCalcs in 2025 and is the same product from the same team.
Is there a free alternative to Calcs.com (ClearCalcs)?
Yes. StructSuite runs every design module free in the browser with no account and no time limit: wood and steel beams and columns, joists, rafters and headers, wood shear walls, footings, retaining walls, and dead, live, wind and seismic loads to ASCE 7-22. Calcs.com offers a 14-day trial, after which running new calculations needs a paid plan from US$79/month.
Which is cheaper, StructSuite or Calcs.com?
StructSuite. Every calculation is free, and Pro ($100/month, $1,000/year, or $50 for one week) adds printing, unlimited cloud projects and the plan-check link. Calcs.com Basic is US$79/month but leaves out ASCE 7 wind, snow and seismic, shear walls and retaining walls; those need Pro at US$119/month (US$1,190/year).
Which one is better for wood shear walls?
StructSuite works from the building plan: you draw every wall line, the lateral force is distributed to them automatically, collector (drag strut) forces are drawn along each line, and each wall is checked to SDPWS 2021 with hold-downs, anchor bolts and end posts, with Simpson products checked against the loads. Calcs.com offers a Wood Shear Wall (ASD) calculator, which selects Simpson hold-downs automatically, and a diaphragm analysis that distributes forces to the braced wall lines by tributary area and links to the wall calculators.
Does StructSuite do load linking, autosize or a member schedule like Calcs.com?
Not today. StructSuite designs each member in its own module: its span tables name the smallest adequate joist, rafter or header, but beams and columns are sized by hand, and reactions are not linked from one member to the next. Calcs.com offers load linking, autosize from preferred sections and an exportable member schedule.
Which one calculates snow loads?
Calcs.com has an ASCE 7-22 and 7-16 snow load calculator. StructSuite does not generate snow loads: you enter the snow load and it is carried through the ASCE 7-22 load combinations.
Which code editions do they use?
StructSuite uses NDS 2024, SDPWS 2021, AISC 360-22, ACI 318-25 (or ACI 318-19), TMS 402-22, ASCE 7-22 and the 2024 IBC, US codes only. Calcs.com lists NDS 2024 and 2018, AISC 360-22 and 360-16, ACI 318-19 and 318-14, ASCE 7-22 and 7-16 and TMS 402-22 and 402-16 for the US, plus Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and European standards.
Do they work offline?
Neither one. Both run in the web browser, and Calcs.com states that it requires an internet connection.
How fast can StructSuite size floor joists, rafters and headers?
As soon as the table inputs are in: pick the member, live and dead load, spacing, and species and grade, and StructSuite names the smallest adequate size from the 2024 IBC span tables for sawn lumber, or the Trus Joist tables for TJI joists and TJ-9000 headers, with every candidate charted against your span (or against the load, for TJ-9000 headers).
Can a plan checker use StructSuite to check calculations made in other software?
Yes. StructSuite is free to use in full, runs in any web browser and needs no account, so a plan-check engineer can rerun a member from a calc package produced in another program and compare the results, within StructSuite’s scope (US codes, wood ASD, steel LRFD), with every check written out and the governing code text quoted beside the inputs.
Does StructSuite work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. StructSuite runs in the phone or tablet browser with nothing to install, and its modules lay out for small screens, so an engineer or contractor can size a joist, rafter or header at the job site without a desktop computer.
Can plan checkers use StructSuite on city or agency computers?
Yes. It runs in the web browser with no installation and no administrator rights, which suits locked-down government computers, and a plan checker needs no account to calculate. Each governing provision is quoted word for word beside its input, so a reviewer can check a value against the code and copy the section text into a correction comment.
Does StructSuite include Simpson Strong-Tie connectors?
Yes. Simpson Strong-Tie products are built into the modules: joist and beam hangers, shear wall hold-downs and SABR anchor bolts, framing clips for base shear transfer, and post caps. You pick the product from the catalog list and StructSuite checks it against the loads the module computed; hangers, post caps, clips and sill anchorage are also drawn as details with the catalog’s key dimensions.
Does StructSuite produce a complete calculation package?
Yes. One StructSuite project holds every module of a typical residential or light-commercial job: the cover sheet (firm logo, engineer of record, professional stamp and signature), dead and live, wind and seismic loads, beams, joists, rafters and headers, columns, shear walls, footings and retaining walls. Printing (Pro) assembles them into one US Letter PDF with a table of contents and page numbers, and the contents and page numbers follow when a module is added, removed or reordered. The report links to a read-only verification page for the plan checker.
Is StructSuite free?
Yes, to use: every design module runs in full in the browser with no account and no time limit, and a free account saves one project. Pro ($100/month, $1,000/year, or $50 for one week) adds printing the PDF report, unlimited cloud projects and the plan-check link.
Try StructSuite on your next project
Every design module runs free in the browser, with no account.
How we checked
Every Calcs.com row was read from Calcs.com's own public website and documentation on 7 November 2026, listed below. Nothing comes from inside a trial account, from third-party reviews or from memory. Every StructSuite row was read from the StructSuite code on the same day. Prices are in US dollars, as each vendor publishes them.
Software changes. If a row about Calcs.com is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll correct it and update the date at the top.
- Calcs.com pricing
- Calcs.com calculator library
- Calcs.com features
- Calcs.com vs Enercalc (their FAQ on ClearCalcs and offline use)
- Docs: live load patterning (BETA)
- Docs: preferred sections and autosize
- Docs: member schedule export
- Site-specific load data from project address
- Docs: load linking, wind to diaphragm to shear wall
- Diaphragm analysis calculator
- Docs: viewing clauses from inside a calculator
- Docs: tornado loads (ASCE 7-22)
- Docs: wood shear wall, Simpson hold-down selection
- Docs: wood connectors, Simpson database
More comparisons
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- StructSuite vs US WoodWorks
The software directory lines up the main tools on what they design, the loads they build and what they cost. All comparisons.