RPN vs DB48X
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RPN
This app is a photo-realistic simulation of a classic Hewlett-Packard programmable business calculator. It offers advanced programming features, extensive register memory, and a library of pre-installed programs for various financial and statistical calculations.
- Photo-realistic look-and-feel
- Programmable with subroutines and flags
- 20 registers with unlimited store/recall
- Indirect register addressing
- Program library and sharing
- Financial and statistical functions
- Date and calendar calculations
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RPN-38 CX is the first photo-realistic simulation of Hewlett-Packard's popular high-end programmable business calculator HP-38C for the iPhone. Produced from 1979 through 1983, it was the "Chive" member of the third-generation HP calculators known as the "Spice" series. While the simulator works like the original calculator, a number of carefully designed extensions make it a lot easier to use. RPN-38 CX is fully compatible with the HP-12C, except for calculations and programs involving Bonds and Depreciation. Features: • Photo-realistic look-and-feel • Programmable (99 steps, program memory not shared with register memory) • Subroutines, flags, loop control, extended conditional branching • Insert and delete steps with automatic address correction • 20 registers, "continuous", with unlimited store/recall arithmetic • Indirect register addressing • Register view • Program listing view • Program library view • Additional functions (nominal and effective interest rate) • Shortcuts for often-used key combinations • Store and retrieve any number of programs • Sharing: e-mail, AirDrop, Dropbox, copy, paste, print • 40 programs pre-installed Calculator functions: • Percentage (%, ∆%, %Total) • Simple and Compound Interest • Optional odd periods (like HP-12) • Nominal/Effective interest rate conversion • Amortization • Discounted Cash Flow Analysis • Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return • Date and Calendar (actual or 30/360 day basis) • Statistics (mean, weighted mean, standard deviation) • Linear Regression • Additional functions not found on the HP-38: - Subroutines, flags, loop control, random number, Pi, Log, x² and more Details: cuveesoft.ch/rpn38
DB48X
This advanced scientific calculator offers arbitrary precision computations, RPN and algebraic operations, and extensive graphing capabilities. It supports complex numbers, matrices, symbolic calculations, and over 1000 built-in functions, inspired by the HP48 series.
- Arbitrary precision computations
- RPN and algebraic operations
- Complex numbers, vectors, and matrices
- Symbolic computations and numerical solving
- Graphing and plotting
- Engineering units and currency conversion
- Built-in hyperlinked help system
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DB48X is a new high-precision scientific calculator inspired by the legendary HP48 series from Hewlett-Packard. It is not an emulator, but a redesign from scratch, which is faster, and delivers never seen before capabilities like computations in arbitrary precision. Like the original HP48, DB48X supports an unlimited stack, RPN and algebraic operations, complex numbers, based numbers, vectors, matrices, text, symbolic computations, numerical solving and integration, graphing and plotting, statistics, engineering units, and well over 1000 built-in functions. DB48X adds several HP50G capabilities, including a library of equations and constants covering mathematics, physics or chemistry. Using modern technologies, DB48X goes well beyond the original HP48 in many ways: - It is significantly faster, uses less memory, and features a higher-resolution 240x400 pixels graphical display. - Integer and decimal values can have an arbitrarily large number of digits, so you can compute log(pi) with 200 digits in a few keystrokes. - The six function keys feature up to three function per key, giving quick access to up to 18 related functions at a time. - Complex numbers can mix and match polar and rectangular form. - Symbolic operations extend to complex numbers, vectors and matrices. - Based numbers can be in any base from 2 to 36, and support any number of bits, making it easy to emulate a 23-bit or 512-bit processor. - Text is represented using Unicode instead of the proprietary HP encoding, facilitating data exchange with the rest of the world. - Multiple graphs can be distinguished using bitmap patterns (DB50X adds the ability to use colors) - Engineering units include all the modern evolutions of the SI system, and can be configured by the user, e.g. to integrate currency units with the exchange rate du jour. Converting between USD/hour and EUR/day has never been so easy! - A built-in hyperlinked help system documents functions simply by holding the corresponding key, and combine a quick start guide, a user manual and a reference manual. DB48X will run many user RPL programs as is. However, since it is not an emulator, it will not run any HP binary object, and notably will not run HP48 games or anything involving system RPL. DB48X is part of a family of compatible RPL calculators that include the free DB40X and the color DB50X.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: RPN at 100% against DB48X's 50%. RPN also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and price ($1.99 vs $4.99). DB48X's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
RPN costs $1.99 and DB48X $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
RPN holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of RPN's written reviews are positive against 50% of DB48X's.
RPN ships an update every 2 months, DB48X every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RPN | DB48X |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better | 4.2 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CuVee Software | Christophe de Dinechin |
Customer experience
RPN
DB48X
In-app purchases
RPN
No in-app purchases
DB48X
No in-app purchases









