Magnetic field perturbations due to finite-beta operation in stellarators have been simulated by using the three-dimensional free-boundary equilibrium code VMEC to overcome the limitations imposed by averaged equilibrium and fixed-boundary methods. Results of these computations have been compared with analytic predictions for cylindrical stellarator models and confirm a linear relationship between the average beta and the plasma dipole moment. Only a weak sensitivity of the computations to details of the pressure profile is found. The distortion of the magnetic surfaces can be significant even at moderate beta, so that careful modelling is required when analysing the data.