Free42 vs aView
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- HP-42S calculator simulation
- HP-82240 printer simulation
- Open source project
- No HP ROM required
- Complete rewrite
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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.
aView
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aView is a collection of small utilities to calculate various things about angles, speed, altitudes, horizon, areas, ranges, orbits and time. Functions: Triangle area using Heron´s formula, three knows sides. Triangle area using trigonometric sine function, two known sides and angle berween. Distance to horizon or to tower behind horizon. Altitude needed to see a certain distance to the horizon. Depth of a straight tunnel below the earth surface. Projectile parabola. Altitude, distance and time. Turning radius and g-force for given speed and banking. Speed and time in orbit around the earth. Gravitation from a body at certain distances. Calculate your glasses dioptre. Convert angles format. Triangle angles and length. Calculate roots in quadratic equation.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Free42 at Free against aView's $0.99. Free42 also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 15 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Free42 is free to download; aView costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Free42 ships an update every 9 days, aView every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Free42 | aView |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (287 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 94.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 287 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 15 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thomas Okken | domesticusdevelop |
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
aView
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Free42
No in-app purchases
aView
No in-app purchases
