Comparison

Free42 vs Puzzle Pace

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

Puzzle Pace

Features
Read full description

Time your puzzles. Track your progress. Puzzle Pace is a purpose-built timer for puzzlers. Stop using your phone's stopwatch and start tracking sessions the right way, organized by puzzle, with a full history of every session you've ever timed. HOW IT WORKS Add a puzzle (e.g., "Ravensburger 1000pc Starry Night"). Tap start when you sit down to puzzle. Pause when you take a break, resume when you're back. Stop when you're done for the day, and save your session. That's it. Simple, focused, no distractions. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF Big puzzles take days or weeks. Puzzle Pace keeps a complete history of every session, grouped by time period, so you always know how much time you've invested, and how much progress you've made. Filter by puzzle to see just the sessions that matter. Tap any past session to jump right back into timing that puzzle. MANAGE YOUR COLLECTION Create puzzles, rename them, and mark them as completed when you place that final piece. Your completed puzzles are archived so your active list stays clean. UNLOCK STATISTICS (PREMIUM) Upgrade once (no subscription!) to unlock detailed stats across all your puzzles: Total time spent puzzling. Session count and averages. Per-puzzle breakdowns: total time, average session length, longest session. Active vs. completed puzzle tracking. BUILT FOR PUZZLERS Precise timer with tenths-of-second display. Pause and resume freely with no time lost. Discard a session if you started by accident. Manual session entry for times you forgot to start the timer. Clean, warm interface inspired by the puzzle table. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS No account required. No data leaves your device. Your puzzle history is stored locally and stays completely private. Free to use with your last 15 sessions saved. Upgrade once to unlock unlimited history and statistics — no subscription!

Screenshots

Free423 screens
Puzzle Pace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Free42 at none against Puzzle Pace's 1. Free42 also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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. Puzzle Pace sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Free42 asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Free42 ships an update weekly, Puzzle Pace every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Free42 versus Puzzle Pace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFree42Puzzle Pace
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (283 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews93.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings283 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas OkkenRobust Echo ApS

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

Puzzle Pace

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Free42

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Puzzle Pace

One-time1
  • Puzzle Pace Premium$2.99

Questions

Is Free42 free?
Free42 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Puzzle Pace free?
Puzzle Pace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Free42 or Puzzle Pace have ads?
Neither Free42 nor Puzzle Pace shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Free42 or Puzzle Pace?
Free42 ships an update weekly, and Puzzle Pace every 3 weeks. Most recently, Free42 was updated on September 26, 2026 and Puzzle Pace on September 17, 2026.

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