Comparison

RPN vs DB48X

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

Head to head
About

RPN

This app is a faithful simulation of a legendary 1970s programmable calculator, offering advanced features for scientists and engineers. It allows users to run existing programs, manage virtual program cards, and even print listings, all on their iPad.

Highlights
  • Virtual program and data cards
  • Virtual paper tape printer
  • Database-driven card manager
  • Save card collections to Mac/PC
  • Formatted program listings
  • Print listings via AirPrint
  • Live display of stack and registers
Features
Read full description

A dream calculator of the 70's, priced at $1,900 in today's dollars, now on your iPad! RPN-67 Pro is the first complete simulation of Hewlett-Packard's legendary HP-67 programmable calculator for iOS. Produced from 1976 to 1982, the HP-67's features coupled with its capability to store programs on magnetic cards made it a huge success among scientists, engineers and other professionals. Thousands of programs were written for it. Now you can run them right on your iPad, with more ease and faster than ever before. To get you started quickly, download hundreds of program cards from our website for free. What users said: "I am a collector of HP emulators on my iPad. The HP-67 is beyond spectacular!" "What an application! Perfect visual experience, perfect emulation, even the clicks are pleasant." "In many ways, the app is even better than the original - much faster, better and easier programming". RPN-67 Pro is fully compatible with RPN-97 Pro, its companion simulator of the HP-97 calculator. Features: • Virtual program and data cards • Virtual paper tape printer supports all HP-97 printer modes • Powerful database-driven card manager • Create, label, and organize a virtually unlimited number of cards • Use iTunes to effortlessly save entire card collections on your Mac/PC • Sharing: e-mail, AirDrop, Dropbox, copy, paste, print • Formatted listing clearly showing labels and targets of branches • E-mail listings and let the recipient paste the text right into RPN-67 • Print listings on any AirPrint-compatible printer • Program listing on paper tape shows subroutine nesting • Edit paper tape • E-mail paper tape, or print it via AirPrint • Cut/copy/paste displayed value or program steps • Paste existing HP-67 or HP-97 listings into RPN-67 and run them • "Live" display of stack, memory registers, program counter, flags • Show program usage notes • 30 selectable background images, even add your own • Fast: 0.8 secs vs. 6 mins (iPad Pro vs. HP-67, determinant of 5x5 matrix) • Low-battery indicator (iPad charge 10% or less) • Compatible with RPN-67 SD and RPN-97 Pro, CuVee Software's HP-97 simulation • Supports external hardware keyboard While RPN-67 Pro works like a real HP-67, changing a simple setting will turn the app into a super-charged HP-67: • Up to 999 program steps, 8 subroutine levels, 6 additional flags (F4...F9) • 100 additional registers • 100 additional labels • 100 built-in constants and conversions • More than 150 additional powerful operations and functions Plus: • 15 commands to print and manipulate any range of extended registers • Unrestricted register arithmetic • Exchange x with any register • Complex numbers, hyperbolic functions • Non-volatile memory - stack, registers, program, flags, paper tape • Status indicators for prefix keys (f, g, h, STO, RCL, etc.) • Display showing thousands separators (optional) • Text output on paper tape in 10 colors, even simple plotting • Stack-of-stack: push/pop the entire stack on internal stack (4 levels) • Single-step into subroutines (optional) • Powerful debugging aids, including 10 breakpoints with counters • Keycodes translated to command name while entering or single-stepping a program • Change the duration of the PAUSE command • Cancel SST or BST operation by simply sliding your finger off the depressed key • Compress constants in programs into a single step (reversible) • Use existing programs in text format by a simple paste operation RPN-67 Pro comes with more than 130 programs pre-installed, including HP Standard Pac, HP Business Decisions Pac, HP Math Pac I, HP Stat Pac I, and HP Surveying Pac I. The simulator has been verified to correctly run the examples given in HP Civil Engineering Pac I, HP Clinical Lab Pac, HP E.E. Pac I, HP Games Pac I, HP M.E. Pac I, HP Navigation Pac I, as well as large number of programs published in Users' Library Solutions. For more information and free program downloads visit the RPN-67 website: cuveesoft.ch/rpn67

About

DB48X

This advanced scientific calculator offers arbitrary precision computations, RPN and algebraic operations, and extensive graphing capabilities. It supports complex numbers, matrices, symbolic calculations, and over 1000 built-in functions, inspired by the HP48 series.

Highlights
  • Arbitrary precision computations
  • RPN and algebraic operations
  • Complex numbers, vectors, and matrices
  • Symbolic computations and numerical solving
  • Graphing and plotting
  • Engineering units and currency conversion
  • Built-in hyperlinked help system
Features
Read full description

DB48X is a new high-precision scientific calculator 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, DB48X 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. DB48X adds several HP50G capabilities, including a library of equations and constants covering mathematics, physics or chemistry. Using modern technologies, DB48X 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 (DB50X adds the ability to use colors) - 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. DB48X 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. DB48X is part of a family of compatible RPL calculators that include the free DB40X and the color DB50X.

Screenshots

DB48X3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DB48X at 4.8 against RPN's 4.3. DB48X also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 90%). RPN's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

RPN costs $4.99 and DB48X $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DB48X holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of RPN's written reviews are positive against 100% of DB48X's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RPN ships an update every 3 months, DB48X every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
RPN versus DB48X: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRPNDB48X
Price$4.99$4.99
Rating4.3 (6 ratings)4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCuVee SoftwareChristophe de Dinechin

Customer experience

RPN

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%

DB48X

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

RPN

No in-app purchases

None

DB48X

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RPN free?
RPN costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DB48X free?
DB48X costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RPN or DB48X?
DB48X is rated higher. RPN averages 4.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while DB48X averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.
Do RPN or DB48X have ads?
Neither RPN nor DB48X shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RPN or DB48X?
RPN ships an update every 3 months, and DB48X every 3 weeks. Most recently, RPN was updated on September 21, 2026 and DB48X on September 10, 2026.

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