Comparison

PCalc Lite vs Sci

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

Sci

This app offers a versatile calculator with three distinct modes: Basic, Scientific, and Programmer. It provides a history view, sharing capabilities, and supports various input and output formats. The app is designed for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Highlights
  • Multi-mode calculator (Basic, Scientific, Programmer)
  • Calculation history
  • Share results via email
  • Copy & paste values
  • Configurable display precision
  • Retina graphics
Features
Read full description

Sci:Pro Calculator is a simple multi-mode calculator for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch (Universal App). The app features three modes of operation: Basic, Scientific, and Programmer. Each mode features an easy-to-access history view and support for sharing results using e-mail or by copying & pasting values to and from other applications. This is our first app for the App Store and we’re making the first version free for everyone to use without ads. If you like the app please take a moment to rate it for us. if you encounter any bugs or problems while using it please let us know and we’ll do our best to fix them as quickly as possible. App Features: • No Ads! • Multi-mode Calculator (Basic, Scientific, Programmer) • Calculation History (Swipe up/down to access) • Full screen key layouts (in all orientations) • Multiple Copy & Paste Formats • Share Results via Email (Plain Text, HTML) • Memory Keys (M+,M-,MC,MR) • Configurable Display Precision (2 to 15 digits) • User Interface Sounds (Configurable: on/off) • Retina graphics (Optimized for all devices) Basic Mode: • High-Precision Floating Point (2-15 digits display precision) • Selectable Display Formats (Standard, Scientific, Engineering) • Basic Math Functions (+, -, ×, ÷) • Percent Key/Mode (Single value or Expression-based) • Parentheses Keys (Expression Grouping/Nesting—iPad Only) Scientific Mode: • High-Precision Floating Point (2-15 digits display precision) • Selectable Display Formats (Standard, Scientific, Engineering) • Basic Math Functions (+, -, ×, ÷, modulo) • Percent Key/Mode (Single value or Expression-based) • Parentheses Keys (Expression Grouping/Nesting) • Trigonometric Functions (Normal, Inverse, and Hyperbolic) • Selectable Trig. Mode (Degrees, Radians) • Exponent Functions (2^x, 10^x, x^y, x², x³ e^x) • Root Functions (√, ³√, x√y) • Logarithmic Functions (Log2, Log10, Ln) • Other Functions (random, Exponent, Factorial, 1/x) • Numerical Constants (π, e) Programmer Mode: • 64 bit Integer Values • Radix Modes & Conversion (Binary, Decimal, Hexadecimal, Octal) • Integer Math Functions (+, -, ×, ÷, MOD) • Bitwise Operators (AND, OR, NOR, XOR) • Bit Shift and Rotate (Single & Multiple bit) • Signed Number Operations (1’s & 2's Complement) • Byte-Flip, Word-Flip • Bit Count • Random Integer • Parentheses Keys (Expression Grouping/Nesting) • Full-time Binary View (iPad Only) • Encoding Views (ASCII, Unicode, RGB) • Multiple Copy Formats (Binary, Hex, Decimal, ASCII, Unicode, RGB value) • Multiple Paste Formats (Decimal, Hex, Octal, and Binary values)

Screenshots

PCalc Lite4 screens
Sci4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sci at none against PCalc Lite's 11. Sci also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (3.6K vs 214). On price, update cadence, 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sci holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sci has 3.6K ratings behind it against 214, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of PCalc Lite's written reviews are positive against 93% of Sci's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
PCalc Lite versus Sci: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPCalc LiteSci
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (214 ratings)4.8 (3.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.6% of reviews93.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2143.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.09.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTLA Systems Ltd.Jerry Montgomery

Customer experience

PCalc Lite

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

Sci

All ratings3,603 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews204 reviews
Positive93.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative2.9%

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

Sci

From 3.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
  • 🔒 No ads or in-app purchases
  • 💡 Versatile with basic, scientific, and programming modes
  • 👍 Useful for a variety of calculations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs or glitches
  • 🔍 Lack of split-screen support on iPad
  • 🔍 Limited keyboard input support
  • 🔍 Inconsistent behavior when switching between modes

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

Sci

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incorrect calculations for certain sequences of operations
  • Memory issues when dealing with large numbers or exponents
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to configure number of digits displayed
  • Option to change display colors or themes
  • Support for more advanced programming features
  • Integration with other apps or services

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

Sci

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PCalc Lite free?
PCalc Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sci free?
Sci is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PCalc Lite or Sci?
Sci is rated higher. PCalc Lite averages 4.4 out of 5 from 214 ratings, while Sci averages 4.8 from 3.6K ratings.
Do PCalc Lite or Sci have ads?
Neither PCalc Lite nor Sci shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PCalc Lite or Sci?
PCalc Lite ships an update every 2 months, and Sci every 2 months. Most recently, PCalc Lite was updated on October 13, 2026 and Sci on October 16, 2026.

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