PileCalc
APILE alternative

Looking for an APILE alternative? Get axial + lateral in one tool.

PileCalc is a browser-native APILE alternative: NAVFAC DM-7.02 axial capacity, settlement and downdrag plus everything APILE leaves to other Ensoft licenses — lateral p-y, groups, drilled shafts and footings. Free to try, on any OS.

Try it free See the full APILE comparison

No install, any OS

APILE is Windows-only. PileCalc runs in any browser on macOS, Windows, Linux or a Chromebook — nothing to download, no dongle, no license server.

Transparent, lower price

≈ $950 perpetual ($1,350 Offshore) + $143/yr maintenance. PileCalc is free to start and $39.99/month for Pro — priced in the open, with no four-figure quote-by-email license.

Validated and visible

Checked term-by-term against LPILE and RSPile, with the numbers published — and every input, assumption and curve shown inline so you can audit the result.

What you keep when you switch from APILE

  • Axial, lateral, groups, shafts and footings in one tool — APILE is axial-only
  • Neutral-plane downdrag analysis included, plus torsion, capacity-vs-length sweeps and buckling APILE doesn't cover
  • Runs in any browser on any OS — no dongle, no separate license per analysis type
  • The full t-z / q-w load–settlement curve exposed and exportable by default; REST API and Excel integration
  • Free tier and $39.99/month, priced in the open

The numbers, published

PileCalc's engine is checked term-by-term against the reference codes. A representative sample of the benchmarks — every intermediate value is visible in the app so you can reproduce them yourself.

Free-head pile (EI 1.43×10⁶, D 1 m, L 24.4 m)Liang et al. (2014) exact solution / RSPile
Max moment
792.2 kN·m
792.1 kN·m (exact)
within 0.1%
Fixed-head pile (EI 1.43×10⁶, D 1 m, L 24.4 m)Liang et al. (2014) exact solution / RSPile
Head moment
−581.1 kN·m
−581.0 kN·m (exact)
within 0.1%
Cantilever pile (EI 320, D 0.1 m, L 5.25 m)Liang et al. (2014) exact solution / RSPile
Head deflection
8.75 mm
8.750 mm (exact)
within 0.1%
Cantilever pile (EI 320, D 0.1 m, L 5.25 m)Liang et al. (2014) exact solution / RSPile
Max moment
2.335 kN·m
2.334 kN·m (exact)
within 0.1%
Circular pile, API sand (D 0.5 m, L 10 m, H 100 kN)RSPile verification manual
Deflection & moment profile
RSPile 2018 problems #1/#2/#8/#15
chart-reading tolerance
within 1–3%
Steel pile, multi-layer slope stabilization (17 m)RSPile / TZPile / LPile
Lateral resistance
607 kN
582 kN
within ~4%
Read how we validate — and why against two independent codes

APILE alternative: common questions

The detailed, capability-by-capability APILE comparison

Open your APILE model in PileCalc

Re-run it in the browser in under a minute — free, no install — and compare the numbers side by side.

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