PileCalc
All comparisons
PileCalc vs Rocscience RSPile

RSPile's modern workflow — browser-native, with every curve exposed.

Lateral, axial and groups with the raw p-y / t-z / q-w curves surfaced and exportable by default, an explanation behind every input, and transparent public pricing — $29/month instead of a ~$1,099/year lease.

RSPile is the strongest desktop experience in this space — a modern UI is table stakes, and RSPile has one. PileCalc's argument isn't 'newer UI'; it's the browser, the visible/exportable curves, the built-in explanations, and real-time sharing.

Platform
Windows desktop (cloud-managed licensing)
Pricing
≈ $1,099 / year (personal lease)
Scope
Lateral + axial + groups

What Rocscience RSPile does well

  • A genuinely modern, polished ribbon UI with strong visualization
  • Broad model library and Python scripting
  • Integrates with the wider Rocscience suite (Slide, Settle3)

Where PileCalc is different

  • Browser-native — nothing to install, works on any OS
  • Raw p-y / t-z / q-w curves surfaced and exportable by default
  • Built-in explanations on every input (a common RSPile documentation request)
  • Shareable cloud projects and transparent, public pricing

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)RSPile / LPile
Max moment
792 kN·m
≈ 800 kN·m
within ~1%
Cantilever pile (EI 320, D 0.1 m, L 5.25 m)RSPile / analytical
Head deflection
8.75 mm
≈ 9 mm
within ~3%
Cantilever pile (EI 320, D 0.1 m, L 5.25 m)RSPile / analytical
Max moment
2.34 kN·m
≈ 2.4 kN·m
within ~3%
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
582 kN
582 kN
within ~4%
Read how we validate — and why against two independent codes

PileCalc vs RSPile: common questions

Switching from RSPile? See the RSPile alternative guide

Run the comparison yourself

Open the same pile in PileCalc and see the result in your browser in under a minute.

Launch the app