# Halcyon Calc vs HP16C

The clearest difference is price: HP16C at Free against Halcyon Calc's $4.99. HP16C also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 4 months). Halcyon Calc's advantage is ratings volume (18 vs 2). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

HP16C is free to download; Halcyon Calc costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Halcyon Calc against 5.0 for HP16C. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Halcyon Calc has 18 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Halcyon Calc ships an update every 4 months, HP16C every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Halcyon Calc | HP16C |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.9 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/halcyon-calc/id327064659/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hp16c/id6761774728/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **18** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 10 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Halcyon Touch Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/327064662) | [Michael Doornbos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891405652) |

## What reviewers say

### Halcyon Calc

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/halcyon-calc/id327064659)

A powerful calculator app for students, engineers, and scientists. It handles complex numbers, symbolic expressions, unit conversions, and matrix operations, with advanced plotting and programming capabilities.

**Highlights:** Complex number calculations, Symbolic expression manipulation, Unit conversion with custom units, Matrix and vector operations, Symbolic plotting, Programming of custom operations, Statistical data analysis

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### HP16C

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hp16c/id6761774728)

This app faithfully recreates the legendary HP 16C Computer Scientist calculator, offering advanced hex arithmetic, bit manipulation, and base conversion. It features RPN, keystroke programming, and modern enhancements like a two-line display and haptic feedback.

**Highlights:** Full RPN calculator, Integer arithmetic (HEX, DEC, OCT, BIN), Configurable word size (1-64 bits), Complete bit operations, Keystroke programming, Two-line display, Haptic feedback

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Halcyon Calc free?

Halcyon Calc costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HP16C free?

HP16C is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Halcyon Calc or HP16C?

HP16C is rated higher. Halcyon Calc averages 4.9 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while HP16C averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Halcyon Calc or HP16C have ads?

Neither Halcyon Calc nor HP16C shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Halcyon Calc or HP16C?

Halcyon Calc ships an update every 4 months, and HP16C every 8 days. Most recently, Halcyon Calc was updated on September 22, 2026 and HP16C on September 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*