What is the difference between the Free plan and the Pro plan?
Using CalcSteel
Free: 3D editor, FEM analysis, 25 analyses/month, 3 projects, 1 sheet per project, PDF export with watermark, full profile catalog, all 41 design standards. Starter ($9/mo annual): 50 analyses/month, unlimited projects, 2 sheets per project, clean PDF export. Pro ($24/mo annual): unlimited analyses, unlimited projects and sheets, company logo on PDF reports, priority support, advanced features. The Free plan is fully functional for learning, student projects and occasional small designs. Pro is for practicing engineers who deliver projects to clients and need unlimited usage without restrictions.
Key takeaways
- Direct answer: Free covers genuine modeling, solving, 1,140+ profiles and code checks; CalcSteel then sells two paid tiers — Starter (US$9/mo annual) and Pro (US$24/mo annual).
- The real boundary is usage and deliverables, not analysis capability: Free caps at 25 analyses/month, 3 saved projects and 1 sheet each, and watermarks PDF reports. A paid plan removes those limits.
- Clean (watermark-free) PDF reports and IFC/DXF export unlock on a paid plan — Starter already includes both; Pro adds unlimited analyses and sheets, a company logo on reports and priority support.
- Against a browser rival, CalcSteel Free has no per-model element cap, whereas SkyCiv's free account is reported to cap at 5 elements, 2 supports and 3 loads.
- Legacy desktop pricing is far higher: STAAD.Pro is listed at about US$3,682/year by one software directory (SelectHub, 2026), while SAP2000 is generally quote-only — context for why a browser freemium tier exists at all.
Full guide
CalcSteel Free vs Pro: Full Feature Comparison
Step-by-step with figures and sources — 8 min read
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