picocalc vs Firstext
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
picocalc
This app displays a single number on your home screen badge, which can be set, added to, or subtracted from. It's a minimalist tool for quick numerical reminders. Negative numbers and zero are not displayed on the badge.
- Set a number
- Add to number
- Subtract from number
- Home screen badge display
- Hides zero and negative numbers
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picocalc is a tiny number memo which can be set, added and subtracted. The number is show as an application badge in the home screen. Zero and a negative number won't be shown in the badge.
Firstext
This app is a straightforward text editor designed for quick note-taking and text creation. It automatically saves your work and allows for easy sharing to other applications with customizable actions. Advanced features like search, replace, and character counting are also included.
- Instant text input on launch
- Automatic text saving and restoration
- Customizable text sharing actions
- Cursor movement by swiping
- Search and replace functionality
- Character and line counting
- Font size adjustment
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Firstext is a simple text editor application. I named it "First" + "Text" = "Firstext" with the aim of making it the "first step" in all kinds of text creation. Firstext has the following features. ・Start typing as soon as the application is launched. ・The text you type is automatically saved and can be restored at any time. ・Ability to freely share text to other apps by creating and adding share actions to suit your needs. There is no functionality for managing multiple texts or notes, decorating text, or inserting photos. *Before removing the limitation by in-app purchase, the number of shared actions is limited to 10, and the number of saved history is limited to 20. Please understand. After confirming the usability of the application, you can use it without restrictions by making an in-app purchase. Main functions and features ・Input text as soon as the application is launched. ・Automatic saving and restoration of text ・Ability to create and add shared actions. ・Ability to move the cursor by swiping left and right. ・Ability to search and replace text. ・Ability to search and delete history. ・Ability to count the number of characters and lines. ・Ability to change the font size of text. ・Ability to change icons. ・URL scheme support - Launch → firstext:// - Startup by replacing the current text with the clipboard contents → firstext://clipReplace - Starts by appending the clipboard contents to the end of the current text → firstext://clipAdd - Inserts the clipboard content at the cursor position of the current text → firstext://clipInsert - Starts with replacing the current text with the specified text → firstext://textReplace?text=[text] - Appends the specified text to the end of the current text → firstext://textAdd?text=[text] - Inserts the specified text at the cursor position of the current text → firstext://textInsert?text=[text] The following features will be added in future updates Synchronization of text, shared actions, and history with other devices via iCloud *I have confirmed an issue where an alert regarding pasting is displayed every time when using clipboard-related URL schemes on iOS 16 or later. This issue can be avoided by updating to iOS16.1 or later and making the following settings from the Settings app. (1) Select "Firstext" in the Settings app and select "Paste from Other Apps". (2) Change the setting to "Allow". *Notification about pasting will appear even after changing to "Allow". Due to the limitation of iOS, you cannot turn off this notification.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Firstext at every 2 weeks against picocalc's every 31 months. picocalc's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (66% vs 50%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. picocalc sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Firstext sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
picocalc ships an update every 31 months, Firstext every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | picocalc | Firstext |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 65.6% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 31 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Masayuki Akamatsu | Akihiro Usui |
Customer experience
picocalc
Firstext
In-app purchases
picocalc
- Remove Ads$0.99
Firstext
- Snack-Sized Tip$0.49
- Restriction Removal$1.99
- Coffee-Sized Tip$1.99
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- Lunch-Sized Tip$3.99









