# iHP48 vs DB48X

The clearest difference is price: iHP48 at Free against DB48X's $4.99. iHP48 also leads on ratings volume (302 vs 4). DB48X's advantage is chart position (#188 vs unranked) and review sentiment (100% vs 88%). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

iHP48 is free to download; DB48X costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for iHP48 against 4.8 for DB48X. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iHP48 has 302 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of iHP48's written reviews are positive against 100% of DB48X's.

iHP48 ships an update monthly, DB48X every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iHP48 | DB48X |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.6 (302 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ihp48/id1549608953/reviews) | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/db48x/id6615086535/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **302** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 88.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#188** |
| Size | 6 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alexis Lorca](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549608955) | [Christophe de Dinechin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1761608161) |

## What reviewers say

### iHP48

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ihp48/id1549608953)

This app brings the powerful HP48 calculator experience to your mobile device. It offers enhanced performance, seamless file management, and a customizable interface with support for various HP calculator models. Enjoy a familiar and convenient calculator solution without needing extra hardware.

**Highlights:** Supports HP38, HP39, HP48, HP49, HP50 calculators, Haptic feedback and customizable zoom options, Seamless file transfer via iTunes and Files app, Cloud storage integration (iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox), Object saving/loading and copy/paste functionality, Access to calculator packages, skins, and ROMs, Internal file manager and extensible settings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent emulation of HP48
- 👍 Familiar and nostalgic feel
- 👍 Comprehensive functionality
- 👍 Customizable skins
- 👍 Haptic feedback

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🐛 Missed keystrokes when typing quickly
- 🐛 Blank or flickering display
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup
- Inability to save state across sessions
- Incompatibility with certain iOS devices

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to disable haptic feedback
- Support for HP50G emulation
- Improved keyboard mapping and arrow key functionality


### DB48X

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/db48x/id6615086535)

**Currently charting:** #188 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

This advanced scientific calculator offers arbitrary precision computations, RPN and algebraic operations, and extensive graphing capabilities. It supports complex numbers, matrices, symbolic calculations, and over 1000 built-in functions, inspired by the HP48 series.

**Highlights:** Arbitrary precision computations, RPN and algebraic operations, Complex numbers, vectors, and matrices, Symbolic computations and numerical solving, Graphing and plotting, Engineering units and currency conversion, Built-in hyperlinked help system

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iHP48 free?

iHP48 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is DB48X free?

DB48X costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, iHP48 or DB48X?

DB48X is rated higher. iHP48 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 302 ratings, while DB48X averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do iHP48 or DB48X have ads?

Neither iHP48 nor DB48X shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iHP48 or DB48X?

iHP48 ships an update monthly, and DB48X every 3 weeks. Most recently, iHP48 was updated on October 24, 2026 and DB48X on October 25, 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.*