Comparison

Basic Calculator vs Solves

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

Head to head
About

Basic Calculator

A free, classic calculator app with large, easy-to-press buttons and customizable skins. It supports basic arithmetic, memory functions, and can handle very large numbers without using scientific notation. Multitasking is also supported on compatible devices.

Highlights
  • Large, easy-to-press buttons
  • Multiple beautiful skins
  • Basic arithmetic operations
  • Standard memory functions
  • Supports large numbers (up to 60 digits)
  • Multitasking support (Split View, Slide Over)
Read full description

Calculator Free is a great free calculator with beautiful HD graphics and multiple skins! Features: - Supports multitasking on iPad devices - Split View and Slide Over features - Multiple beautiful skins - General calculations: adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, square-rooting - Standard memory functions: Memory Addition, Memory Subtraction, Memory Recall, Memory Clear - Thousands separators option - Can handle very large numbers - up to 60 digits! (never displays in scientific notation) - Large, easy to press buttons - Copy / Paste buttons - Key click sound effect The user interface is translated in the following languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Korean, Turkish, Indonesian, Finnish, Swedish, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Slovak, Bulgarian.

About

Solves

A powerful and versatile calculator for all your Apple devices. Edit complex expressions, sync history across devices, and enjoy a clean, ad-free experience. Unlock advanced features like unit conversion and fraction support with an optional upgrade.

Highlights
  • Edit expressions without limitations
  • Instant results
  • Sync calculation history across devices
  • Unit conversion (currencies, physical units)
  • Fraction support
  • Customizable themes
Features
Read full description

Solves is a well-made calculator app for your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. It allows you to edit expressions without limitations and get instant results. It keeps your calculation history in sync on all devices and lets you to easily interact with it. All this for free and without ads! By purchasing Solves+ you also get: • Unit Conversions: currencies (with crypto, metals & energy), physical units, and your own! • History Tools: comment, bookmark, export, auto clear, and more • Fractions • More Themes • Advanced Settings Hand-typed code. No generative AI was used during the development or by the app itself. Solves+ requires one payment only. You will own it forever on all devices.

Screenshots

Basic Calculator4 screens
Solves4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Solves at none against Basic Calculator's shown. Solves also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 74%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Basic Calculator's advantage is ratings volume (3.2K vs 381). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Basic Calculator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Solves sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Basic Calculator against 4.9 for Solves. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Basic Calculator has 3.2K ratings behind it against 381, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Basic Calculator's written reviews are positive against 91% of Solves's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basic Calculator ships an update every 2 months, Solves every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Basic Calculator versus Solves: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasic CalculatorSolves
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (3.2K ratings)4.9 (381 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.3% of reviews90.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.2K — better381
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.015
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB82 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperMobArtsOleg Barinov

Customer experience

Basic Calculator

All ratings3,192 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral2.5%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive74.3%
Neutral1.4%
Negative24.3%

Solves

All ratings381 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews480 reviews
Positive90.6%
Neutral3.8%
Negative5.6%

User reviews

Basic Calculator

From 3.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 💡 Useful copy and paste functions
  • 👍 Clear and large display
  • 👍 Variety of skins/themes
  • 👍 Responsive and fast

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with iOS updates
  • 🐛 Inaccurate calculations with larger numbers
  • 🔋 Slow load times
  • 🔍 Intrusive ads

Solves

From 381 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent calculator app
  • 🚀 Smooth and responsive
  • 🔒 No ads or data collection
  • 💡 Useful features like history, comments, and unit conversions
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive design

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs after updates
  • 🐛 Issues with certain mathematical operations
  • 🐛 Family sharing not working properly
  • 🐛 Lag or performance issues on some devices
  • 💡 Desire for more advanced features like fractions, base conversions

Bugs and requests

Basic Calculator

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes or freezes after iOS updates
  • Percent key not functioning correctly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Reinstate iPhone version
  • Add scientific calculator functions
  • Improve memory retention

Solves

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when pressing certain buttons
  • Issues with parsing complex expressions
  • Incorrect results for some calculations
  • Problems with history clearing or syncing

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add support for fractions and mixed numbers
  • Implement a widget for quick access
  • Allow resizing the app window on Mac
  • Provide more customization options
  • Add support for Apple Watch
Show 1 more
  • Improve unit conversion experience

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Basic Calculator

One-time1
  • Banner Ad Removal$0.99
6 purchases

Solves

One-time6
  • Tip Option #1$0.99
  • Tip Option #2$1.99
  • Tip Option #3$4.99
Show 3 more
  • Tip Option #4$9.99
  • Solves+$9.99
  • Tip Option #5$19.99

Questions

Is Basic Calculator free?
Basic Calculator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Solves free?
Solves is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Basic Calculator or Solves?
Solves is rated higher. Basic Calculator averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.2K ratings, while Solves averages 4.9 from 381 ratings.
Do Basic Calculator or Solves have ads?
Basic Calculator shows ads; Solves does not.
Which is updated more often, Basic Calculator or Solves?
Basic Calculator ships an update every 2 months, and Solves every 3 weeks. Most recently, Basic Calculator was updated on September 23, 2026 and Solves on September 19, 2026.

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