Comparison

PCalc Lite vs Calculator 17

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

Head to head
About

PCalc Lite

This free scientific calculator offers essential features like RPN mode, unit conversions, and multiple undo/redo. It provides a taste of a more powerful version, with optional in-app purchases for expanded functionality.

Highlights
  • Optional RPN mode
  • Multiple undo and redo
  • Unit conversions and constants
  • Two stylish themes
  • Apple Watch app
Features
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.PCalc Lite is a fully functional and free taste of our very popular scientific calculator. It includes an optional RPN mode, multiple undo and redo, unit conversions and constants, as well as two stylish themes and our highly praised design. A great choice for your new iPad! If you like what you see, the full version has many more settings and themes, a paper tape, engineering and scientific notation, and full support for hexadecimal, octal, and binary calculations. You can also now purchase extra features directly from inside PCalc Lite. Buy them individually, or buy everything. Includes an Apple Watch app, so you can calculate on your wrist!

About

Calculator 17

This app offers a user-friendly calculator with basic and scientific modes. Access calculations instantly via a home screen widget and review past computations in a saved history.

Highlights
  • User-friendly interface
  • Basic and scientific modes
  • Home screen widget
  • LiveActivity Standby for iPhone
  • Calculation history
  • Customizable themes
Features
Read full description

Introducing Calculator 17, the ultimate tool for all your math needs on the go! *** - User-Friendly: Calculator 17 makes math feel easy and quick, perfect for both school tasks and daily math jobs. *** - Various Modes: Whether it's basic addition or advanced calculations, we have you covered. Switch between the simple calculator and Scientific mode easily. *** - Instant Access: No more searching for the app. With our homescreen widget and LiveActivity Standby for iPhone, perform calculations directly on your main screen, all while choosing from a variety of fun themes. *** - Never Forget: Your calculations are always saved in our handy history tab. Want to share or copy them? It's just one tap away. Calculator 17 isn’t just another math app. It’s your trusty helper, ready to handle any math challenge. Whether you're a student in need of a school calculator or someone who loves playing with numbers, our calculator is the perfect fit.

Screenshots

PCalc Lite4 screens
Calculator 174 screens

Verdict

The call

PCalc Lite and Calculator 17 both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of PCalc Lite's written reviews are positive against 22% of Calculator 17's. PCalc Lite also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Calculator 17's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PCalc Lite sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Calculator 17 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Calculator 17 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 214 and 971 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of PCalc Lite's written reviews are positive against 22% of Calculator 17's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PCalc Lite ships an update every 2 months, Calculator 17 every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
PCalc Lite versus Calculator 17: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPCalc LiteCalculator 17
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (214 ratings)4.6 (971 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.6% of reviews — better21.5% of reviews
Number of ratings214971 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTLA Systems Ltd.AI APPS SRL

Customer experience

PCalc Lite

All ratings214 ratings
Positive83.6%
Neutral6.5%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews528 reviews
Positive82.6%
Neutral7.0%
Negative10.4%

Calculator 17

All ratings971 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive21.5%
Neutral16.9%
Negative61.5%

User reviews

PCalc Lite

From 214 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
  • 💡 Customizable themes and settings
  • 🚀 Efficient performance
  • 👍 Useful conversion tools

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional lags and crashes
  • 🔒 Lack of dark mode support
  • 🔒 Inconsistent icon appearance after upgrades
  • 🔒 Limitations in RPN mode on Apple Watch
  • 🔒 Lack of financial calculator functions

Calculator 17

From 971 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Convenient and easy to use
  • 💡 Excellent free app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Keyboard not functioning properly
  • 🐛 Widget not working or slow
  • 🐛 Screen sizing issues
  • 🐛 Only works in portrait mode on iPad

Bugs and requests

PCalc Lite

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Calculations sometimes produce unexpected results
  • Upside-down text censorship feature is problematic
  • Purchased features not always accessible on Apple Watch

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add option to display thousands separators
  • Implement a history function to review past calculations
  • Provide more customization options for the widget
  • Add support for sexagesimal angle input and conversion

Calculator 17

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Widget shows up blank
  • Numerical display is cut off
  • Significant delay between key presses and display update

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add landscape mode support
  • Improve widget responsiveness
  • Increase bracket functionality

In-app purchases

11 purchases

PCalc Lite

One-time11
  • Theme Pack$0.99
  • Power User Pack$0.99
  • Multiple Line Pack$0.99
Show 8 more
  • Conversion Pack$0.99
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$1.99
  • Programmer Pack$2.99
  • Engineer Pack$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99
  • Complete Pack$9.99
  • Enormous Tip$9.99
None

Calculator 17

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PCalc Lite free?
PCalc Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Calculator 17 free?
Calculator 17 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PCalc Lite or Calculator 17?
Calculator 17 is rated higher. PCalc Lite averages 4.4 out of 5 from 214 ratings, while Calculator 17 averages 4.6 from 971 ratings.
Do PCalc Lite or Calculator 17 have ads?
Neither PCalc Lite nor Calculator 17 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PCalc Lite or Calculator 17?
PCalc Lite ships an update every 2 months, and Calculator 17 every 4 days. Most recently, PCalc Lite was updated on October 13, 2026 and Calculator 17 on October 12, 2026.

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