# Calc Engine vs BRISTOL

The clearest difference is update cadence: Calc Engine at daily against BRISTOL's monthly. BRISTOL's advantage is iOS requirement (14.7 vs 18). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Calc Engine sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and BRISTOL sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Calc Engine ships an update daily, BRISTOL monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calc Engine | BRISTOL |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calc-engine/id1061766849/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4** | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Daily** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 17 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18 | **14.7** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [VersaEdge Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/301294952) | [Christopher Britton](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509732288) |

## What reviewers say

### Calc Engine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calc-engine/id1061766849)

A highly customizable calculator with advanced features like graphing, equation solving, and unit conversion. Design your own keyboards and functions to streamline your workflow across Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Customizable keyboard layouts, User-defined functions and constants, Live equation graphing, Equation solving, Extensive unit conversions, Programmer mode (hex, binary, octal), Cross-device syncing

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Calc Engine+ | $9.99 | one-time |


### BRISTOL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bristol-calculator/id1509732291)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| bristol calculator storage | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calc Engine free?

Calc Engine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BRISTOL free?

BRISTOL is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Calc Engine or BRISTOL have ads?

Neither Calc Engine nor BRISTOL shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Calc Engine or BRISTOL?

Calc Engine ships an update daily, and BRISTOL monthly. Most recently, Calc Engine was updated on October 16, 2026 and BRISTOL on October 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*