Comparison

RPN vs DB40X

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

Head to head
About

RPN

This app simulates a legendary scientific calculator, offering photo-realistic visuals and advanced functions like integration and root finding. It includes built-in programs and extensions for enhanced usability, making it a powerful tool for complex calculations.

Highlights
  • Photo-realistic look-and-feel
  • Programmable with 999 steps
  • Integration and root solving
  • Built-in application programs
  • Live register view
  • Program library and backup
  • Sharing via email, AirDrop, Dropbox
Features
Read full description

RPN-34 CE is the first photo-realistic simulation of Hewlett-Packard's popular mid-range scientific calculator HP-34C for the iPhone. Produced from 1979 through 1983, it was the "Basil" member of the third-generation HP calculators known as the "Spice" series. It was the first pocket-calculator ever capable of doing integration and root finding. While the simulator works like the original calculator, a number of carefully designed extensions, along with the tremendously improved speed, make it joy to use even today. RPN-34 CE comes with the programs of HP's "Applications", "Mathematics", "Surveying", "Student Engineering", and "Statistics" application books built-in! Handbooks may be downloaded from CuVee Software's website. Features: • Photo-realistic look-and-feel • Programmable (999 steps), subroutines, 12 labels, 10 flags • 100 registers, "continuous", with full store/recall arithmetic • "Live" register view • Program listing view with intelligent navigation • Program library, easily backed-up via iTunes • Store and retrieve any number of programs • Sharing: e-mail, AirDrop, Dropbox, copy, paste, print • 62 programs pre-installed (53 original HP) Calculator functions: • Integration, root solving • Statistics (mean, standard deviation, linear regression, normal distribution) • Factorial of any number (normal and logarithmic) • Trigonometric and hyperbolic functions (degrees, radians, grads) • Polar/rectangular conversions • Inverse, square root, logarithm, exponential, pi • Storage arithmetic (both store and recall) • Statistics (average, standard deviation, y-estimate, linear regression) • Unit and hours conversions • 31 additional functions not found on the HP-34C, like time and sound Details: cuveesoft.ch/rpn34

About

DB40X

A high-precision scientific calculator inspired by the HP48 series, offering arbitrary precision computations, complex numbers, vectors, matrices, and graphing. It supports RPN and algebraic operations, with over 1000 built-in functions and a hyperlinked help system.

Highlights
  • Arbitrary precision computations
  • RPN and algebraic operations
  • Complex numbers, vectors, and matrices
  • Graphing and plotting
  • Engineering units and conversions
  • Hyperlinked help system
Features
Read full description

DB40X is a high-precision scientific calculator compatible with DB48X and 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, DB40X 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. DB40X adds several HP50G capabilities, including a library of equations and constants covering mathematics, physics or chemistry. Using modern technologies, DB40X 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. - 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. DB40X 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. Version 0.7.14 is an early-access release. Please consult https://github.com/c3d/db48x/blob/stable/doc/5-Unimplemented.md for a list of HP48 commands that are not yet implemented. DB40X is part of a family of compatible RPL calculators that include DB48X and DB50X. DB40X lacks the ability to write programs or data to disk, and RPL programs are limited to 40K.

Screenshots

RPN4 screens
DB40X3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DB40X at Free against RPN's $1.99. DB40X also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). RPN's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). 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

DB40X is free to download; RPN costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RPN holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of RPN's written reviews are positive against 67% of DB40X's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RPN ships an update every 3 months, DB40X every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
RPN versus DB40X: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRPNDB40X
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (14 ratings) — better4.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCuVee SoftwareChristophe de Dinechin

Customer experience

RPN

All ratings14 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

DB40X

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

RPN

No in-app purchases

None

DB40X

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RPN free?
RPN costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DB40X free?
DB40X is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RPN or DB40X?
RPN is rated higher. RPN averages 5.0 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while DB40X averages 4.7 from 7 ratings.
Do RPN or DB40X have ads?
Neither RPN nor DB40X shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RPN or DB40X?
RPN ships an update every 3 months, and DB40X every 3 weeks. Most recently, RPN was updated on October 24, 2026 and DB40X on October 24, 2026.

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