# Calca app vs LightPad

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LightPad at none against Calca app's 4. LightPad also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Calca app sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. LightPad asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calca app | LightPad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (91 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calca-app/id1567655347/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **91** | — |
| Positive reviews | 48.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 65 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Francisco Mateo Marquez](https://appshunter.io/developer/990577710) | [Mingwei Cui](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893401120) |

## What reviewers say

### Calca app

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calca-app/id1567655347)

This app allows you to project any image from your device or camera onto a surface for drawing or tracing. It offers customization options for fonts and colors, and can even capture web pages. Tutorials are available to help users get the most out of its features.

**Highlights:** Image projection for drawing, Camera lucida functionality, Customizable fonts (1550+), Web page capture, 3D effect option, Multicultural language support

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One-year subscription | $2.99 | per year |
| Monthly Advanced Founder Plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly Basic Founder Plan | $49.99 | per year |
| Permanent License | $149.99 | one-time |


### LightPad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightpad-tracing-light-box/id6804355640)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calca app free?

Calca app is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is LightPad free?

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

### Do Calca app or LightPad have ads?

Calca app shows ads; LightPad does not.

### Which is updated more often, Calca app or LightPad?

Calca app ships an update fortnightly, and LightPad fortnightly. Most recently, Calca app was updated on October 30, 2026 and LightPad on October 29, 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.*