Comparison

Nixie Calculator vs Ziro

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

Head to head
About

Nixie Calculator

This calculator app features a digital paper tape to display entries, which can be copied or shared. It offers various customization options like color schemes, rounding, and display modes, blending retro aesthetics with modern device technology.

Highlights
  • Paper tape for entry display
  • Copy and paste functionality
  • Customizable color schemes
  • Adjustable rounding and exponential modes
  • Classic Nixie font option
  • Thousand separator styles
Read full description

Features of Nixie Calculator: • Paper tape to display what you have entered. Can be copied or shared • Copy and paste entries Settings available: • Color schemes • Color layouts (in-app purchase) • Rounding options • Exponential modes • Use classic Nixie font for the display • Separators embedded with the digits • Classic pyramid and illuminated thousand separators • Classic red filter The calculator is a rounding or truncating type to fit numbers into the fixed display. Please enjoy this calculator that combines one of the first display technologies with state of the art in phone and tablet technology.

About

Ziro

Features
Read full description

Time, told in ones and zeros. Calm, delivered in soft hiss and rain. Ziro is a tiny piece of digital art that hides a binary clock and a white-noise machine inside one quiet screen. Open it on your desk while you work, set it by your bed while you sleep, or just leave it glowing on a spare phone as ambient room decor. No accounts, no ads, no nagging notifications — just zeros, ones, and the sound of focus. A BINARY CLOCK FOR THE TECHNICALLY CURIOUS Every column of dots is a digit; every dot is a power of two. Ziro turns the time of day into the same on/off language your computer speaks, making it an instant conversation piece for developers, engineers, students, and anyone who likes their gadgets a little geekier. Glance at it for a second and you get the time. Stare at it for a minute and you start to feel the pattern. It is the kind of clock that quietly teaches you something every time you check it. A FRIENDLY WAY TO LEARN BINARY Ziro doubles as a tiny lesson in how computers actually count. Watching the dots light up and reset teaches place value and powers of two more naturally than a textbook diagram. It is handy for students learning binary numbers for the first time, parents looking for a simple computer science explainer for kids, teachers wanting a visual aid, or anyone brushing up before a coding interview. There are no quizzes and no lessons to complete, just a clock that happens to explain itself. A POMODORO TIMER WITH WHITE NOISE BUILT IN Ziro pairs a classic Pomodoro work-and-break regime with a built-in sound machine, so deep work sessions arrive scored. Pick an interval, hit start, and let the soft hiss of white, pink, or brown noise mask office chatter while the binary dots quietly count down. Swap in rain, wind, or steady ambient hum to soothe a restless mind at bedtime, soundtrack a morning meditation, or help a baby drift off. Everything runs offline, so the soundscape never stops to buffer. A MINIMAL DESIGN, MADE AS AN ART PROJECT Ziro started as a small art project about how little a clock really needs to be. The result is a stripped-back interface with no menus to learn, no streaks to keep, and no dashboards to optimize. Just light, time, and sound — composed to feel calm on a nightstand and at home on a standing desk. Pick a color, dim the dots, and let the room change around it. FREE FOREVER, POWERED BY DONATIONS Ziro is completely free, with no subscriptions, no paywalls, and no advertising. If the app earns a spot in your daily routine, an optional donation inside the app keeps it independent and helps fund the next quiet feature. Download it, share it with the nerd in your life, and turn any screen into a small piece of moving art. Less interface. More time. Ziro. Ziro is free to download.

Screenshots

Nixie Calculator4 screens
Ziro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ziro at none against Nixie Calculator's 1. On price, update cadence, ads 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

Both are free to download. Nixie Calculator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ziro asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nixie Calculator ships an update monthly, Ziro every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Nixie Calculator versus Ziro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNixie CalculatorZiro
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUNB SYSTEMS PTY LTDInnolope

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Nixie Calculator

One-time1
  • Color Layouts$2.99
None

Ziro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nixie Calculator free?
Nixie Calculator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ziro free?
Ziro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Nixie Calculator or Ziro have ads?
Neither Nixie Calculator nor Ziro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nixie Calculator or Ziro?
Nixie Calculator ships an update monthly, and Ziro every 2 months. Most recently, Nixie Calculator was updated on November 3, 2026 and Ziro on November 5, 2026.

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