Comparison

PCalc Lite vs Calculator

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

This calculator app features a unique hexagonal interface with color-coded buttons for easy operation. It offers a comprehensive set of mathematical functions, including basic operations, trigonometry, logarithms, and memory functions, optimized for touch control.

Highlights
  • Unique hexagonal button layout
  • Full scientific and basic math functions
  • Trigonometric and logarithmic operations
  • Memory functions (m+, m-, AC)
  • Radian/degree toggle
  • Color-coded buttons
Features
Read full description

A calculator with a unique hexagonal interface where all buttons are arranged in a honeycomb pattern. Features: - Non-standard button layout in hexagonal shapes - Complete set of mathematical functions: basic operations, trigonometric functions (sin, cos, tan, sinh, cosh, tanh), logarithms (ln, log₁₀), powers and roots - Additional functions: percentages, constants (π, e), exponential operations - Memory buttons (m+, m-, AC) - Radian/degree toggle (Rad) - Scientific notation (EE) - Color-coded buttons for different operation types The interface is optimized for touch control on iPad. The hexagonal grid provides an ergonomic arrangement of frequently used functions around the numeric keypad.

Screenshots

PCalc Lite4 screens
Calculator2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Calculator at 5.0 against PCalc Lite's 4.4. Calculator also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 82%). PCalc Lite's advantage is ratings volume (214 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Calculator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Calculator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PCalc Lite has 214 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of PCalc Lite's written reviews are positive against 100% of Calculator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PCalc Lite versus Calculator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPCalc LiteCalculator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (214 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings214 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Vision Pro
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB2 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperTLA Systems Ltd.Maxim Frolov

Customer experience

PCalc Lite

All ratings214 ratings
Positive83.6%
Neutral6.5%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews530 reviews
Positive82.5%
Neutral7.0%
Negative10.6%

Calculator

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
1 purchases

Calculator

One-time1
  • Scientific Version$4.99

Questions

Is PCalc Lite free?
PCalc Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Calculator free?
Calculator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PCalc Lite or Calculator?
Calculator is rated higher. PCalc Lite averages 4.4 out of 5 from 214 ratings, while Calculator averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do PCalc Lite or Calculator have ads?
Neither PCalc Lite nor Calculator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PCalc Lite or Calculator?
PCalc Lite ships an update every 2 months, and Calculator every 2 months. Most recently, PCalc Lite was updated on October 29, 2026 and Calculator on October 24, 2026.

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