Comparison

Calctan vs MKV PiP Player

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Calctan

This app offers a high-precision scientific and financial calculator with an editable tape for auditing calculations. It supports complex formulas, a wide range of mathematical functions, and customizable constants, all within an ad-free, private interface.

Highlights
  • Smart formula workspace with direct cursor editing
  • Advanced scientific engine with true order of operations
  • Auditable calculation history on a digital tape
  • Exportable reports via AirPrint and PDF
  • Multitasking support for iPad
  • iCloud synchronization across devices
  • Private and ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

Calctan is a high-precision scientific and financial tape calculator designed for iPhone and iPad. Built for students, engineers, accountants, and business professionals, Calctan bridges the gap between scientific computing and practical everyday finance. Edit complex formulas with ease, audit running totals on a printable tape, and enjoy a distraction-free workspace with no ads. KEY FEATURES 1. SMART FORMULA WORKSPACE • Direct Cursor Editing: Tap anywhere in your expression to fix numbers or operators instantly—no need to clear the expression and start over. • Live Syntax Validation: Real-time calculation preview with automatic balancing of parentheses as you type. • Fluid Multi-Line Display: Expressions scale dynamically so long formulas are never cut off. 2. ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC ENGINE • Complete Math Suite: Trigonometric functions (radians/degrees, inverse, hyperbolic), factorials, permutations, powers, roots, modulo, and logarithms. • True Order of Operations: Context-aware order of operations with high-precision calculations that minimize floating-point rounding errors. • Built-in & Custom Constants: A library covering mathematics, physics, and chemistry, plus customizable slots for your own tax rates or business ratios. 3. ACCOUNTING TAPE & REPORT EXPORT • Auditable Calculation History: Every calculation is automatically logged on a persistent digital paper tape. • Label & Categorize: Add custom notes, tags, and project labels to track expenses, homework problems, or client totals. • Batch Operations: Select multiple past entries to instantly calculate a running total. • AirPrint & PDF Reports: Generate itemized, professional calculation sheets to share, save, or print directly. 4. DESIGNED FOR PRODUCTIVITY • Multitasking on iPad: Full support for Split View, Slide Over, external keyboards, and trackpads. • iCloud Synchronization: Keep your saved formulas, constants, and calculation history unified across iPhone and iPad. • Customizable & High-Contrast Themes: Handcrafted color palettes designed to minimize eye strain during long study or work sessions. • Private & Ad-Free: No tracking, no data collection, and no subscription is required to calculate. We do not collect your data; calculations stay on your device and, if enabled, sync privately through your personal iCloud account. PERFECT FOR: • STEM & College Students: Algebra, calculus, physics, and exam prep with clear, step-by-step editing. • Finance & Accounting: Tax prep, budgeting, invoices, and expense verification with itemized tapes. • Retail & Small Business: Quick customer totals, discount percentages, and printable calculation logs.

About

MKV PiP Player

Play any video file with picture-in-picture functionality. Supports a wide range of video and subtitle formats, playlist files, and casting to DLNA TVs. Offers playback speed control and multi-track audio/subtitle options.

Highlights
  • Picture-in-Picture playback
  • Supports numerous video formats (MKV, MP4, AVI, etc.)
  • Supports multiple subtitle formats (ASS, SRT, VTT, etc.)
  • M3U playlist support
  • DLNA TV casting
  • Playback speed control
  • Multi-track audio and subtitles
Features
Read full description

MKV PiP Player is a video player that Lets you play any videos picture-in-picture. - Supports video files : MKV, MP4, AVI, M4V, MOV, 3GP, TS, MTS, M2TS, WMV, FLV, F4V, ASF, WEBM, RM, RMVB, QT, DV, MPG, MPEG, MXF, VOB, GIF, OGV, OGM etc. - Supports subtitle files : ASS, SRT, SMI, SSA, IDX, SUB, SUP, VTT, SCC, MKS, JSS, JS, AQT, RT, UFT, UTF8, UTF-8 etc. - Supports playlist files : M3U - Supports Cast Web Videos to DLNA TV - Supports Browser, SMB, WebDAV, AList - Playback speed control : 0.25x ~ 4.0x - Supports multi-track audio - Supports embedded subtitles - Supports multi-track subtitles - Supports user’s selection of subtitle files - Supports recently played list - Supports Safari extension Disclaimer:MKV PiP Player does not provide any M3U playlists, users must use their own playlists containing legal content.

Screenshots

Calctan4 screens
MKV PiP Player4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MKV PiP Player at 94% against Calctan's 29%. MKV PiP Player also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Calctan's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Calctan is free to download; MKV PiP Player costs $0.99 up front. Calctan sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MKV PiP Player sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MKV PiP Player holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 61 and 68 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of Calctan's written reviews are positive against 94% of MKV PiP Player's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Calctan ships an update every 3 months, MKV PiP Player every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Calctan versus MKV PiP Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalctanMKV PiP Player
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.5 (61 ratings)4.7 (68 ratings) — better
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews94.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6168 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB46 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperJorge Lozada北京伊码网络科技有限公司

Customer experience

Calctan

All ratings61 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%

MKV PiP Player

All ratings68 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive94.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.0%

Bugs and requests

Calctan

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

MKV PiP Player

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • HD clarity cannot load
  • DLNA cast to TV has no response
  • Glitchy at times
  • Frequent crashes, especially when initiating PiP
  • M3U parsing needs to be faster and search needs to be smoother
Show 9 more
  • Latest picture-in-picture fast forward/backward not working normally
  • Freezes every few minutes, requires pause/play to resume
  • External subtitles not working
  • Crashes when clicking recent playback history
  • Picture-in-picture playback crashes after about 10 seconds
  • Default to landscape, cannot adjust
  • File list automatically switches to date sorting upon reopening, causing disorder
  • Cannot select files from external USB drive
  • Cannot delete Alibaba Cloud Drive resources directly from the app

Requested features

41 requests
  • Add option to close transition animations
  • Add vertical screen viewing function
  • Support for Emby
  • Add function to import video sources
  • Support for ATV
Show 36 more
  • Add pause/play with Airpod controls
  • Allow listening to videos when phone is powered off (without PiP)
  • Faster M3U parsing and smoother search
  • Ability to display M3U contents in a list
  • Ability to disable subtitles
  • Add function to import letters
  • Add function to import video sources or provide jump interface
  • Support for ATV
  • Add VOD URL function
  • Add option to disable recent playback
  • Add network movie posters and library
  • Add background playback (not PiP)
  • Add auto-play next episode
  • Add grid layout
  • Add background playback function
  • Add option for automatic horizontal screen
  • Add drag-and-drop sorting for playback list
  • Support for ATV
  • Add side-screen and vertical screen viewing options
  • Add Apple TV support
  • Add DLNA screen casting
  • Allow screen-off playback for music
  • Develop TV version
  • Add cache function for large files
  • Add screen casting function
  • Add delete function for Alibaba Cloud Drive resources
  • Add timer playback function
  • Add screen lock function
  • Display only one history record for the same folder
  • Sync playback history data with Alibaba Cloud
  • Add dark mode
  • Add audiobook function
  • Add cloud synchronization function across devices
  • Allow lock screen playback and co-playback with other audio
  • Add more detailed long-press speed options (e.g., 2.5x)
  • Support downloading videos from the browser

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Calctan

One-time1
  • No Ads$0.99
1 purchases

MKV PiP Player

One-time1
  • MKV PiP Player Pro$1.99

Questions

Is Calctan free?
Calctan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MKV PiP Player free?
MKV PiP Player costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Calctan or MKV PiP Player?
MKV PiP Player is rated higher. Calctan averages 4.5 out of 5 from 61 ratings, while MKV PiP Player averages 4.7 from 68 ratings.
Do Calctan or MKV PiP Player have ads?
Neither Calctan nor MKV PiP Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Calctan or MKV PiP Player?
Calctan ships an update every 3 months, and MKV PiP Player every 9 days. Most recently, Calctan was updated on October 29, 2026 and MKV PiP Player on October 30, 2026.

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