MathBoard Addition vs RPN 50g
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MathBoard Addition
This app helps learners of all ages master addition skills through interactive exercises and customizable difficulty. It offers a step-by-step problem solver, scratchboard for working out problems, and engaging learning activities. The app adapts to individual skill levels, promoting true comprehension rather than memorization.
- Customizable number ranges and digit formats
- Step-by-step Problem Solver
- Algebra-style equation support
- Multiple answer formats
- Built-in scratchboard
- Support for multiple student profiles
- iCloud Syncing
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The perfect starting point for mastering addition—now with iCloud Sync, Apple Pencil, speech input, and support for iPadOS 26’s new windowing system. MathBoard® Addition is the FREE “addition only” version of the award-winning MathBoard app, designed to help students of all ages learn to solve math problems—not just memorize answers. This highly configurable app adapts to each student’s skill level, from early learners beginning with single-digit addition to more advanced students tackling algebra-style equations. Whether at home or in the classroom, MathBoard Addition provides a supportive, hands-on learning environment that promotes true comprehension. Students can solve problems using a built-in scratchboard, get help through the step-by-step Problem Solver, and engage with learning activities like Find the Sign, Equality/Inequality, and Match Math (a memory game). Best of all, the app grows with your learner—difficulty settings, question styles, and number ranges are all customizable. Key Features • Configurable number ranges and digit formats (e.g., two-digit over one-digit) • Smart “wrong answer” generation to reduce guessing • Algebra-style equation support (e.g., 6 + x = 12) • Multiple answer formats: multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank • Built-in Problem Solver teaches step-by-step solutions • Built-in scratchboard for working out problems • Quick reference tables for counting and addition • Timed activities with countdown or stopwatch options • Save and share equation settings or student results • Support for multiple student profiles Optimized for the Latest Apple Tech • iCloud Syncing across devices • Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard support • Speech Input and Text to Speech • iPadOS 26 windowing for multitasking Whether you’re teaching in the classroom or practicing at the kitchen table, MathBoard Addition offers a focused and engaging way to build math confidence—one equation at a time.
RPN 50g
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The HP 50g is the last and most powerful of a legendary line: HP 48S, 48G, 49G, 49g+ and finally the 50g — a quarter century of RPN and RPL calculators that engineers, physicists and mathematicians never really let go of. Discontinued in 2015, it remains the reference, and many consider it the best calculator ever made. RPN 50g brings that machine to your iPhone and iPad — not an imitation, the real thing. The app emulates the calculator's hardware (its 75 MHz ARM processor, 512 KB of RAM, 2 MB of flash, the 131×80 display, the keyboard and the SD card slot) and runs HP's original firmware, so it behaves exactly as the calculator on your desk: every function, every mode, every flag, every quirk, key click included. THE CALCULATOR • An advanced computer algebra system: exact rational and arbitrary-precision integer arithmetic, symbolic simplification, factoring, polynomials, derivatives, integrals, limits, Taylor series, equation and system solving, linear algebra • An advanced scientific calculator: complex numbers, vectors and matrices, statistics and regressions, unit conversions with dimensional analysis, base conversions (BIN/OCT/HEX) and bit operations, numeric solver, financial (TVM) calculations, date and time arithmetic • Graphing: 2D function, polar, parametric, conic, slope field, differential equations, statistics and 3D wireframe/surface plots, with zoom, trace and analysis • The Equation Library with over 300 equations of physics and engineering, with units • RPN with the four-level or unlimited stack, or algebraic entry with the equation writer, at your choice • Programmable in RPL (UserRPL and SysRPL): your programs and libraries run as on the real machine THE APP • Firmware versions 2.15 (2009, with the 2 MB fix), 2.10 and 2.09 — switch between them, each keeps its own memory • Your calculator's memory stays: close the app, come back later, it is exactly where you left it • SD card: put files in the app's folder in Files and they appear on the calculator's card; what the calculator writes to the card lands in Files. Install libraries as on the real machine • HP's manuals (User's Guide, Advanced User's Reference…) can be downloaded into the app and read next to the calculator; the app remembers your page • Paste: type text from the clipboard onto the calculator • Hardware keyboard support on iPad and iPhone • The beeper, so BEEP and key clicks sound like the calculator • Works fully offline, no account, no ads, no tracking ABOUT THE FIRMWARE The app contains no HP software. On first launch you pick a firmware version and it is downloaded from hpcalc.org, the community archive that has hosted HP's own update packages for decades, exactly as you would with a browser; the image is then kept on your device. HP, HP 48, HP 49g+ and HP 50g are trademarks of HP Inc. This app is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by HP.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: MathBoard Addition at Free against RPN 50g's $5.99. MathBoard Addition also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). RPN 50g's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases 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
MathBoard Addition is free to download; RPN 50g costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MathBoard Addition ships an update every 2 months, RPN 50g every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MathBoard Addition | RPN 50g |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (118 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 118 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | PalaSoftware Inc. | Guglielmo Pasa |
In-app purchases
MathBoard Addition
No in-app purchases
RPN 50g
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is MathBoard Addition free?
Is RPN 50g free?
Do MathBoard Addition or RPN 50g have ads?
Which is updated more often, MathBoard Addition or RPN 50g?
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