PCalc vs Gratuity Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Optional RPN mode
- Multi-line display
- Extensive unit conversions
- Paper tape
- Multiple undo/redo
- Hexadecimal, octal, binary support
- Apple Watch app
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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!
Gratuity Lab
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Know what you’re tipping on. Gratuity Lab brings receipt scanning, amount verification and bill splitting into one clear workflow. SCAN, THEN CHECK • Scan with the camera or choose receipt photos. • Recognize text on your device. • Compare detected amounts with the original receipt and zoom in on the evidence. • Review uncertain values and detected charges before using the numbers. • Try a sample receipt without camera or photo access. SPLIT WITH CONFIDENCE • Choose pre-tax or after-tax tipping. • Use custom percentages or your own quick-tip presets. • Divide a bill among up to 100 people. • See how any remaining cents are allocated when equal shares do not add up exactly. • Keep exact amounts or round the total or each person’s share. KEEP THE DETAILS • Save bills and receipt images in local history. • Search by merchant, add notes and reopen a calculation. • Share a calculation summary. READY FOR YOUR ROUTINE Choose currencies and regional number formats. Use light or dark appearance on iPhone and iPad. Choose from 50 interface language and regional editions. No account is required. Calculations, receipt recognition and saved history work on your device. Recognition results should always be checked against the receipt. Detected service charges and included gratuities are shown for review and are not automatically added to your tip calculation. The app includes banner advertising, with consent and privacy options where required. SAVE YOUR WAY Choose app history, Photos, both, or not now. Remember your choice for next time and change it in Settings. Receipt recognition language support varies by device and iOS version; unsupported languages can be entered manually. Currency selection formats amounts; it does not convert exchange rates.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Gratuity Lab at Free against PCalc's $9.99. Gratuity Lab also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). PCalc's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#141 vs unranked).
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Gratuity Lab is free to download; PCalc costs $9.99 up front. PCalc sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Gratuity Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.
PCalc ships an update every 3 months, Gratuity Lab every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PCalc | Gratuity Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (776 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 776 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #141 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 367 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TLA Systems Ltd. | Wenbin lei |
In-app purchases
PCalc
- Small Tip$0.99
- Medium Tip$1.99
- Large Tip$4.99
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- Enormous Tip$9.99
Gratuity Lab
No in-app purchases









