# Charcoal vs Calculator

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Charcoal at 144 against Calculator's 5. Charcoal also leads on device support (4 vs 1). Calculator's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Charcoal against 4.4 for Calculator. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Charcoal has 144 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 77% and 78% positive.

Charcoal ships an update every 2 months, Calculator every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Charcoal | Calculator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484/reviews)** | [4.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calculator-for-ipad/id1534439413/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **144** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 76.8% of reviews | **77.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 29 MB | 0 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lars Augustin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1806278075) | [Grant Jarvis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1475033835) |

## What reviewers say

### Charcoal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484)

This app offers a simple yet powerful sketching experience with rich tools and beautiful color palettes. Easily create and export your artwork for use in other graphics programs. It supports modern iOS features like multiple windows and dark mode for enhanced productivity.

**Highlights:** Simple sketching interface, Rich drawing tools, Beautiful color palettes, Export sketches, Multiple window support, Dark mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and intuitive
- 👍 Great for quick sketching
- 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing design
- 💰 Free with no ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎨 Limited color palette
- 🎨 Lack of customization options
- 🎨 Missing advanced drawing tools
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Saved sketches lose quality
- Palette colors change unexpectedly
- Freezing when opening color palette

**Requested features**

- Ability to change brush/pen size
- Layers and blending tools
- Color wheel and custom color selection
- Import/export options


### Calculator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calculator-for-ipad/id1534439413)

This free iPad calculator offers a familiar interface that can be resized to suit your needs. Easily switch between a compact view for one-handed typing and a full-screen view for larger calculations. It's optimized for iPad and supports Apple Pencil.

**Highlights:** Free to use, Resizable calculator interface, One-finger typing mode, Full-screen mode, Optimized for iPad, Apple Pencil support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Charcoal free?

Charcoal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Calculator free?

Calculator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Charcoal or Calculator?

Charcoal is rated higher. Charcoal averages 4.5 out of 5 from 144 ratings, while Calculator averages 4.4 from 5 ratings.

### Do Charcoal or Calculator have ads?

Neither Charcoal nor Calculator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Charcoal or Calculator?

Charcoal ships an update every 2 months, and Calculator every 3 months. Most recently, Charcoal was updated on November 3, 2026 and Calculator on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*