Vintage vs DB40X
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Vintage
This app meticulously recreates the functionality and appearance of a 1973 scientific calculator. It offers a photo-realistic interface with animated keys and includes all original functions, plus a "secret" stopwatch. Users can choose between full-speed or simulated original processing speeds.
- Photo-realistic HP-45 design
- Animated keys with sound feedback
- Full HP-45 function implementation
- Includes "secret" stopwatch
- Simulated or full-speed operation
- Cut/copy/paste display value
- Display stack and memory register view
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Vintage-45 is a complete simulation of Hewlett-Packard's scientific hand-held calculator HP-45 from 1973. Processing times and behavior have been carefully modelled after the original. Even the "secret" stopwatch may be activated. Features: • Photo-realistic look based on an existing device • Animated keys with adjustable click sound and visual feedback • All functions and operations of the HP-45 fully implemented • Includes "secret" stopwatch • Full-speed or simulated speed of real calculator • Correct wrong number entries by swiping left across the display • Cut/copy/paste display value • Tap display to show stack and all memory registers • Additional conversions (optional): Celsius vs. Fahrenheit, liters per 100km vs. mpg (US and UK), m/ft, g/oz, g/ozt Double-tap the display for some basic hints. For more information and a short manual visit the homepage: cuveesoft.ch
DB40X
A high-precision scientific calculator inspired by the HP48 series, offering arbitrary precision computations, complex numbers, vectors, matrices, and graphing. It supports RPN and algebraic operations, with over 1000 built-in functions and a hyperlinked help system.
- Arbitrary precision computations
- RPN and algebraic operations
- Complex numbers, vectors, and matrices
- Graphing and plotting
- Engineering units and conversions
- Hyperlinked help system
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DB40X is a high-precision scientific calculator compatible with DB48X and inspired by the legendary HP48 series from Hewlett-Packard. It is not an emulator, but a redesign from scratch, which is faster, and delivers never seen before capabilities like computations in arbitrary precision. Like the original HP48, DB40X supports an unlimited stack, RPN and algebraic operations, complex numbers, based numbers, vectors, matrices, text, symbolic computations, numerical solving and integration, graphing and plotting, statistics, engineering units, and well over 1000 built-in functions. DB40X adds several HP50G capabilities, including a library of equations and constants covering mathematics, physics or chemistry. Using modern technologies, DB40X goes well beyond the original HP48 in many ways: - It is significantly faster, uses less memory, and features a higher-resolution 240x400 pixels graphical display. - Integer and decimal values can have an arbitrarily large number of digits, so you can compute log(pi) with 200 digits in a few keystrokes. - The six function keys feature up to three function per key, giving quick access to up to 18 related functions at a time. - Complex numbers can mix and match polar and rectangular form. - Symbolic operations extend to complex numbers, vectors and matrices. - Based numbers can be in any base from 2 to 36, and support any number of bits, making it easy to emulate a 23-bit or 512-bit processor. - Text is represented using Unicode instead of the proprietary HP encoding, facilitating data exchange with the rest of the world. - Multiple graphs can be distinguished using bitmap patterns. - Engineering units include all the modern evolutions of the SI system, and can be configured by the user, e.g. to integrate currency units with the exchange rate du jour. Converting between USD/hour and EUR/day has never been so easy! - A built-in hyperlinked help system documents functions simply by holding the corresponding key, and combine a quick start guide, a user manual and a reference manual. DB40X will run many user RPL programs as is. However, since it is not an emulator, it will not run any HP binary object, and notably will not run HP48 games or anything involving system RPL. Version 0.7.14 is an early-access release. Please consult https://github.com/c3d/db48x/blob/stable/doc/5-Unimplemented.md for a list of HP48 commands that are not yet implemented. DB40X is part of a family of compatible RPL calculators that include DB48X and DB50X. DB40X lacks the ability to write programs or data to disk, and RPL programs are limited to 40K.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: DB40X at Free against Vintage's $0.99. DB40X also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). Vintage's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
DB40X is free to download; Vintage costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Vintage against 4.7 for DB40X. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 7 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Vintage's written reviews are positive against 78% of DB40X's.
Vintage ships an update every 5 months, DB40X every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 4, 2026.
| Parameter | Vintage | DB40X |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (19 ratings) — better | 4.7 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 77.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 19 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CuVee Software | Christophe de Dinechin |
Customer experience
Vintage
DB40X
In-app purchases
Vintage
No in-app purchases
DB40X
No in-app purchases








