Comparison

PCalc vs Just Press Record

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

Head to head
About

PCalc

A powerful calculator designed for professionals and students, offering advanced features like RPN mode, multi-line display, and extensive unit conversions. It supports various number systems and includes an Apple Watch app for on-the-go calculations.

Highlights
  • Optional RPN mode
  • Multi-line display
  • Extensive unit conversions
  • Paper tape
  • Multiple undo/redo
  • Hexadecimal, octal, binary support
  • Apple Watch app
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

PCalc is the powerful choice for scientists, engineers, students, programmers, or indeed anybody looking for a feature rich calculator. It includes an optional RPN mode and multi-line display, a choice of button layouts, an extensive set of unit conversions and constants, a paper tape, multiple undo and redo, engineering and scientific notation, as well as support for hexadecimal, octal, and binary calculations. Includes an Apple Watch app, so you can calculate on your wrist!

About

Just Press Record

Effortlessly capture audio moments with one-tap recording, automatic transcription, and seamless syncing across all your Apple devices. Edit audio and text, share easily, and organize your recordings with powerful search and organizational tools.

Highlights
  • One-tap recording
  • Automatic transcription
  • iCloud syncing
  • Audio and text editing
  • Hands-free Siri recording
  • Apple Watch app
  • Searchable transcripts
Features
Read full description

Just Press Record is the ultimate audio recorder bringing one tap recording, transcription and iCloud syncing to all your devices. You can edit your audio and transcriptions right inside the app and even start a new recording completely hands-free with Siri! Life is full of moments we would rather not forget - like your child’s first words, an important meeting or spontaneous idea. Capture these moments effortlessly on iPhone, iPad, Mac or for ultimate convenience, Apple Watch. RECORD • One tap to start, stop, pause and resume recording. • Start and stop recording from the Lock Screen, Control Centre, the Action Button, Shortcuts, Siri, the Widget, a 3D Touch Quick Action or via the URL scheme. • Unlimited recording time. • Record discretely in the background. • Choose to record from the built-in mic, AirPods or external microphones. • Record independently on Apple Watch and sync later. PLAY • Seek backwards and forwards during playback. • Adjustable playback speed. TRANSCRIBE • Turn speech into searchable text. • Support for over 30 languages, independent of your device's language setting. • Synchronized text highlighting and audio playback. • Format as you record with punctuation commands. EDIT • Audio - visualise your audio in the waveform view and cut out the parts you don’t need. • Text - make corrections and add new text to your transcriptions. SHARE • Share audio and text to other apps. • Share easily to social media as a video clip. • Share to iTunes on Mac or PC via USB cable. • Print a hard copy of your transcripts. • Share audio files from other apps to Just Press Record. ORGANISATION • View recent recordings or browse your library by date and time. • Search by filename or transcription content. • Dedicated tab for quick access to recordings made on Apple Watch. • Rename recordings. • Slide Over and Split View support on iPad. • Add a badge to the app icon showing the number of unplayed recordings. STORAGE • Choose to store recordings in iCloud Drive or locally on-device. • Recordings stored in iCloud Drive automatically sync across all your devices. • Recordings stored locally benefit from Files app integration and automatic iTunes File Sharing. • Transcriptions are stored within the audio file. PRO-AUDIO • Support for stereo recording from the built-in microphone on supported devices. • Support for high quality external microphones connected via the Lightning Port. • Customisable Audio Settings to enhance your recording experience. • File types include WAV, AIF or standard iTunes M4A (ACC). • High quality audio up to 96kHz / 24-bit. ACCESSIBILITY • VoiceOver support throughout the app. • Magic Tap gesture to start / stop a recording. APPLE WATCH Just Press Record includes an Apple Watch app that gives you the freedom to record anywhere, even when your iPhone is not around. • Start recording with a single tap on the Complication. • Record discretely in the background. • Unlimited recording time. • Recordings automatically transfer to iPhone for transcription and iCloud syncing. • Listen to recent recordings through the built-in speaker or AirPods. • Adjust volume with the Digital Crown. • Pause recording with a downward swipe. • Accessibility support with VoiceOver, reduced motion and support for the extra large Complication template. IMPORTANT: • Just Press Record does not record phone calls or audio from other apps. • Transcription requires a good, clean audio signal. Avoid recording in noisy environments and ensure the microphone is positioned close to the source. • URL scheme implemented by Just Press Record can be found on our FAQ page.

Screenshots

PCalc4 screens
Just Press Record4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Just Press Record at none against PCalc's 4. Just Press Record also leads on price ($6.99 vs $9.99) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). PCalc's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (83% vs 63%). On ratings volume, 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

PCalc costs $9.99 and Just Press Record $6.99 up front. PCalc sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Just Press Record asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PCalc holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 776 and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of PCalc's written reviews are positive against 63% of Just Press Record's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PCalc ships an update every 3 months, Just Press Record every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
PCalc versus Just Press Record: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPCalcJust Press Record
Price$9.99$6.99 — better
Rating4.7 (776 ratings) — better4.3 (1.5K ratings)
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better62.8% of reviews
Number of ratings7761.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#162#10 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size367 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTLA Systems Ltd.Open Planet Software

Customer experience

PCalc

All ratings772 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral2.7%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews485 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral5.6%
Negative11.1%

Just Press Record

All ratings1,522 ratings
Positive80.3%
Neutral4.7%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews1,002 reviews
Positive62.8%
Neutral9.9%
Negative27.3%

Bugs and requests

PCalc

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Just Press Record

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Recordings disappearing or not syncing
  • Transcription process freezing or failing

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to edit transcriptions
  • Ability to create custom folders/tags
  • Discreet recording mode without visual indicators
  • Background recording without interruptions

In-app purchases

4 purchases

PCalc

One-time4
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$1.99
  • Large Tip$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Enormous Tip$9.99
None

Just Press Record

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PCalc free?
PCalc costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Just Press Record free?
Just Press Record costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PCalc or Just Press Record?
PCalc is rated higher. PCalc averages 4.7 out of 5 from 776 ratings, while Just Press Record averages 4.3 from 1.5K ratings.
Do PCalc or Just Press Record have ads?
Neither PCalc nor Just Press Record shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PCalc or Just Press Record?
PCalc ships an update every 3 months, and Just Press Record every 5 weeks. Most recently, PCalc was updated on October 23, 2026 and Just Press Record on October 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, PCalc or Just Press Record?
PCalc currently peaks at #162 in the App Store charts, and Just Press Record at #10. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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