Comparison

Free42 vs Penedex

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

Head to head
About

Free42

This application is a faithful re-implementation of the HP-42S scientific calculator and its associated printer. It offers full functionality without requiring original HP ROM images and is an open-source project.

Highlights
  • HP-42S calculator simulation
  • HP-82240 printer simulation
  • Open source project
  • No HP ROM required
  • Complete rewrite
Features
Read full description

Free42 is a re-implementation of the HP-42S calculator and the HP-82240 printer. It is a complete rewrite, not using any HP code, and it does not require an HP-42S ROM image. Free42 is an Open Source project. The executables and source code are released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 2. All third-party code used in Free42 is either in the public domain, or licensed under terms compatible with GPLv2, or used with the authors' permission.

About

Penedex

Easily manage your pen and ink collections, track inked pens, and identify those needing cleaning. Catalog details like material, nib size, and ink characteristics. Includes a wishlist and pen show calendar.

Highlights
  • Create pen, ink, and currently inked entries
  • Track pen and ink combinations
  • Catalog pen details (material, nib size, photos)
  • Quantify ink characteristics (dry time, sheen)
  • Identify pens needing cleaning
  • Wishlist for grail pens and inks
  • International pen show calendar
Features
Read full description

Penedex is an app built to easily keep track of your pen and ink collections. It also provides a simple way to keep track of what pens you currently have inked up. Penedex is built for iOS and iPad OS and allows you to quickly and easily manage your currently inked pens, identify which pens are ready for cleaning, and keep track of what pen and ink combinations you have used in the past. Organizing and cataloging your pen and ink collections has never been more straight forward! - Create pen, ink, nib, and currently inked entries. - Keep track of your pen and ink combinations in the inked tab. - Catalog important pen-related info like material, nib size, photos, and purchase date. - Quantify your ink’s unique characteristics such as dry time, sheen, saturation, and flow metrics. - Penedex will automatically keep track of how many times you’ve used a specific ink or pen. - After you’ve cataloged an active pen and ink combination, you can easily mark is as “needs cleaning” or “cleaned” with a long press on the corresponding EDC entry. - All your previously inked pens are stored in the History section of the Stats tab, along with some basic metrics about your library. - Keep a wishlist of all your grail pens and inks. - Find nearby stationery stores to visit. - Up to date international pen show calendar. The free version of Penedex allows for unlimited pen and currently inked entries but limits you to 10 ink entries. Unlimited ink entries, along with other great features, can be unlocked with a Pro subscription in the Settings page. Inked The Inked tab is where you can easily catalog a pen and ink combination. All of your combinations are organized by date and when it’s time to mark a pen as “ready for cleaning”, you can quickly do so with a long-press on that item. You can also quickly filter your Ink'd list with one tap of the filter button. LIBRARY The pen and ink libraries allow you to quickly add, edit, and view key details about your collections and find the right pen or ink at a glance. It even keeps track of how many times you’ve inked up a particular pen or ink. For pens you can store information like the nib size, material, and purchase date. For your ink collection, you can catalog information such as dry time, level of sheen, saturation, and shading. You can even use the color picker to save the exact color of your ink from a picture or screenshot! WISHLIST Keep a running list of pens and inks that you are interested in trying out! Mark them with a star rating and a specific date to more easily keep track of your grail pens and inks. PEN SHOWS An international lis of pen shows with details for each show, by year. You can also keep track of a per-show todo list and budget tracker. And of course, you can see a running list of shows visited over the years from the Stats tab. STATS & HISTORY The Stats tab allows you to view basic metrics about your collection. It also contains a historical list of all the pen and ink combinations that you have inked up in the past. PRO FEATURES With a subscription purchase you can unlock the following pro features. - Unlimited ink library entries - Unlimited nib entries - Fun alternate icons - A notes field for your pen, ink, and Ink'd entries - A wishlist to keep track of items your interested in trying out Penedex Pro is an optional subscription that unlocks additional features. If you choose to purchase Penedex Pro, payment will be charged to your iTunes account, and your account will be charged for renewal 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto-renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your settings in the App Store after purchase. Current price for Penedex Pro is $0.99 USD per month or $9.99 USD per year and my vary from country to country. Privacy Policy: https://penedex.com/privacypolicy/ Terms of Service: https://penedex.com/termsofservice/

Screenshots

Free423 screens
Penedex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Free42 at 4.8 against Penedex's 4.3. Free42 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and review sentiment (94% vs 75%). On price, 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. Penedex sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Free42 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Free42 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Free42 has 287 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Free42's written reviews are positive against 75% of Penedex's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Free42 ships an update every 9 days, Penedex every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Free42 versus Penedex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFree42Penedex
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (287 ratings) — better4.3 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews94.4% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings287 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas OkkenConnor Rose

Customer experience

Free42

All ratings287 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews178 reviews
Positive94.4%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.9%

Penedex

All ratings16 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral6.3%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative8.3%

Bugs and requests

Free42

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional issues with Solver function
  • Store and Recall functions not working properly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Display all registers (X, Y, Z, T, Last X) simultaneously
  • Ability to share/transfer programs between devices
  • Improved use of screen real estate on larger displays

Penedex

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Free42

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Penedex

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Access14 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Pro Access14 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time3
  • Alternate Icon Unlock - King$3.00
  • Ice Out Icon$3.00
  • Alternate Icon MN$3.00

Questions

Is Free42 free?
Free42 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Penedex free?
Penedex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Free42 or Penedex?
Free42 is rated higher. Free42 averages 4.8 out of 5 from 287 ratings, while Penedex averages 4.3 from 16 ratings.
Do Free42 or Penedex have ads?
Neither Free42 nor Penedex shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Free42 or Penedex?
Free42 ships an update every 9 days, and Penedex every 5 weeks. Most recently, Free42 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Penedex on October 24, 2026.

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