Simple Complications vs CalCs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simple Complications
Display any online data as a complication on your Apple Watch. Track key metrics by pulling information from websites, RSS feeds, or APIs. Data can be shown as text, numbers, or images.
- Display online data as watch complications
- Pull data from websites, RSS, XML, JSON APIs
- Show data as text, number, or image
- Supports custom feed parsing
- Track key metrics
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Display any data available online as a complication on your Apple Watch. Keep track of a key metric. Pull data from a website, XML/RSS feed or plist or JSON API. Pulled data can be displayed as text, number or image. Examples include: - Displaying the latest in sports news from public RSS feeds like ESPN or Yahoo Sport. - Daily currency conversion rates - iTunes Top Song - Recent earthquakes - Daring Fireball blog entries, any blogs that support XML RSS feeds really - NASA image of the day Any online feed can be added and parsed according to custom requirements. To use non-secure (http) resources, please activate the http switch in the settings app under Simple C. If you have any questions related to a specific feed and how to parse it, just contact us. If you choose to purchase a SimpleC subscription, payment will be charged to your iTunes account.
CalCs
Enhance your Apple Watch experience with customizable calendar complications. Display dates, events, reminders, and monthly calendars directly on your watch face. Manage your schedule at a glance without needing to open the main app.
- Date display complications
- Event and reminder display
- Monthly calendar view
- Customizable week start day
- Holiday support
- Minimal settings
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CalCs (short for "Calendar Complications") is a watchOS-only app that provides various complications related to the calendar. --Important Notes-- The features built into the main body of this app are limited to listing events/reminders & displaying a monthly calendar. All other features are provided through complications & the Smart Stack. ●If you download CalCs from the iPhone App Store, due to synchronization issues between the iPhone & Apple Watch, CalCs may not appear on the Apple Watch. According to Apple's specifications, watchOS-only apps cannot be re-downloaded from the App Store app on the iPhone. Therefore, please use the App Store app "on your Apple Watch" & follow the steps below to re-download it. ・Scroll to the bottom→"Account"→"Purchased"→"CalCs"→re-download ------------------- Key Features ●Supports a variety of complications such as date display, events/reminders display, & monthly calendar display ・Date Display Displays the current date in various formats. ・Event/Reminder Display Displays events/reminders synced with your iPhone. You can choose whether or not to include all-day events. ・Monthly Calendar Display Displays the monthly calendar in various formats. You can choose to start the week on Monday. Supports holidays in some areas. *Holiday data depends on external APIs & may be incomplete. Only Modular Duo supporting models (Series 7+, not SE series) can show a month calendar using 2 large rectangles. Other models can show it in 1, with smaller font. ●In the main app, events/reminders, & the monthly calendar are displayed Tapping the complication opens the app, where you can view the list of events/reminders synced with your iPhone, as well as the monthly calendar. *Only incomplete reminders are displayed. *The app currently does not have functionality to add, edit, or delete events/reminders, nor to mark reminders as complete. ●Minimal Setting Options To avoid complicating settings on the small Apple Watch screen, the settings only allow you to select which calendar/reminder lists to display. *Notes ・The corner complications, circular complications, & large rectangular complications are supported only on Apple Watch Series 4 & later, so CalCs is not guaranteed to work on Series 3 or earlier models. ・Due to the limitations of watchOS complication display updates, complications may not immediately reflect changes when the date changes or after events or reminders are added or edited on the iPhone. ・After placing a complication for the 1st time, it may take some time for it to actually appear. ・If the complication is not updating, try tapping the complication to open CalCs, as this may refresh the data. ・If the complication is not updated even after launching CalCs, the issue may be resolved by 1 of the following methods. Please try them. 1.Restart both your iPhone & Apple Watch. 2.Force restart CalCs ①With CalCs open, press & hold the side button. ②When the screen for emergency call & power off appears, press & hold the Digital Crown. 3.Reinstall CalCs ①Press the Digital Crown to display the app list. ②Press & hold CalCs, then tap the × button to delete it when it appears. ③Launch the App Store app on your Apple Watch. ④Scroll to the bottom→"Account"→"Purchased"→"CalCs"→Re-download. ・If the complication does not update after force quitting & restarting CalCs, try restarting both your iPhone & Apple Watch, as it may resolve the issue. ・If event information is not displayed on the app's main event/reminder list screen or in complications, it may be because full access to the calendar has not been granted. The issue may be resolved by following the steps below to re-enable full access permission to the calendar. Please give it a try. ①Open the "Privacy & Security" section in the iPhone Settings app & tap "Calendars". ②Change CalCs' calendar access to "None", then select "Add Events Only". ③When you open CalCs, you will be prompted to grant full access, so tap "Allow Full Access".
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Simple Complications at Free against CalCs's $0.49. Simple Complications also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). CalCs's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 8 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
Simple Complications is free to download; CalCs costs $0.49 up front. Simple Complications sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and CalCs sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
CalCs holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Simple Complications's written reviews are positive against 67% of CalCs's.
Simple Complications ships an update every 8 months, CalCs every 5 days. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.
| Parameter | Simple Complications | CalCs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.49 |
| Rating | 3.4 (14 ratings) | 4.6 (9 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14 — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #97 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Audioforge Labs Inc. | Akihiro Usui |
Customer experience
Simple Complications
CalCs
In-app purchases
Simple Complications
- Simple C annual subscription$1.99
CalCs
- Snack-Sized Tip$0.49
- Coffee-Sized Tip$1.99
- Lunch-Sized Tip$3.99
Questions
Is Simple Complications free?
Is CalCs free?
Which has better reviews, Simple Complications or CalCs?
Do Simple Complications or CalCs have ads?
Which is updated more often, Simple Complications or CalCs?
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