# Digits Tape Calculator vs CalcMate

The clearest difference is price: CalcMate at Free against Digits Tape Calculator's $1.99. CalcMate also leads on review sentiment (96% vs 87%). Digits Tape Calculator's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 95). On rating, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

CalcMate is free to download; Digits Tape Calculator costs $1.99 up front. Digits Tape Calculator sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and CalcMate sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Digits Tape Calculator against 4.9 for CalcMate. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Digits Tape Calculator has 1.1K ratings behind it against 95, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Digits Tape Calculator's written reviews are positive against 96% of CalcMate's.

Digits Tape Calculator ships an update every 4 weeks, CalcMate every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Digits Tape Calculator | CalcMate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digits-tape-calculator/id364500115/reviews) | **[4.9 (95 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calcmate-notes-calculator/id6449422062/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 95 |
| Positive reviews | 86.8% of reviews | **95.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 30 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.3** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shift](https://appshunter.io/developer/364500118) | [Elsayed Hussein](https://appshunter.io/developer/1332815700) |

## What reviewers say

### Digits Tape Calculator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digits-tape-calculator/id364500115)

This app offers a calculator with an editable, line-by-line tape history, combining spreadsheet-like functionality with calculator simplicity. Easily correct mistakes, add comments, and share or print your calculations.

**Highlights:** Editable line-by-line tape history, Correct and insert entries, Add labels and comments, Email or print tapes, Store tapes as documents, Dark Mode and customization

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Export and Sharing | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pro Design | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Best tape calculator
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💡 Editable and commentable saved tapes
- 🚀 Resizes well on iPad
- 👍 Customizable color scheme

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bug with iOS 26 where number pad doesn't return after adding comments
- 🐛 Slow to load and unresponsive on some devices
- 👎 Lack of iCloud sync between devices

**Reported bugs**

- Number pad disappears after adding comments on iOS 26
- App crashes on startup for some users after iOS updates

**Requested features**

- Add scientific calculator functions
- Ability to import/export CSV files
- Option to change font size of tape section
- Add date/time stamp for calculations


### CalcMate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calcmate-notes-calculator/id6449422062)

This app combines note-taking with a powerful calculator, allowing you to perform calculations directly within your text. It handles math, currency, unit conversions, and date calculations, offering a streamlined alternative to spreadsheets and traditional calculators.

**Highlights:** Calculate math within text, Currency and unit conversions, Date calculations, Organize notes with folders, iCloud syncing, Custom number keyboard

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy me a coffee | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy me 2 coffees | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy Me a burger | $4.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $5.99 | one-time |
| Buy Me a pizza | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Digits Tape Calculator free?

Digits Tape Calculator costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is CalcMate free?

CalcMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Digits Tape Calculator or CalcMate?

CalcMate is rated higher. Digits Tape Calculator averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while CalcMate averages 4.9 from 95 ratings.

### Do Digits Tape Calculator or CalcMate have ads?

CalcMate shows ads; Digits Tape Calculator does not.

### Which is updated more often, Digits Tape Calculator or CalcMate?

Digits Tape Calculator ships an update every 4 weeks, and CalcMate every 2 weeks. Most recently, Digits Tape Calculator was updated on November 1, 2026 and CalcMate on October 30, 2026.

---

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