Basic Calculator vs Solves
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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)
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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.
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.
- Edit expressions without limitations
- Instant results
- Sync calculation history across devices
- Unit conversion (currencies, physical units)
- Fraction support
- Customizable themes
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Basic Calculator | Solves |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (3.2K ratings) | 4.9 (381 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.3% of reviews | 90.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3.2K — better | 381 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 93 MB | 82 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | MobArts | Oleg Barinov |
Customer experience
Basic Calculator
Solves
User reviews
Basic Calculator
From 3.2K App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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 moreShow fewer
- Improve unit conversion experience
In-app purchases
Basic Calculator
- Banner Ad Removal$0.99
Solves
- Tip Option #1$0.99
- Tip Option #2$1.99
- Tip Option #3$4.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Tip Option #4$9.99
- Solves+$9.99
- Tip Option #5$19.99








