Comparison

A Little Calculus vs Derivative

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

Head to head
About

A Little Calculus

Explore over 70 interactive calculus topics with this educational app. It aids in teaching and learning fundamental calculus concepts through graphical and numerical verification of problems. Ideal as a supplement to textbooks for students and teachers.

Highlights
  • Interactive calculus topics
  • Graphical and numerical verification
  • Precalculus review
  • Differential and integral calculus
  • Sequences and series
  • Customizable topic settings
  • Interactive graphs
Features
Read full description

A LITTLE CALCULUS is a collection of more than 70 interactive topics from a first year calculus course. To be used by both teachers and students, this app is designed to aid in the teaching and learning of calculus and should serve as a nice supplement to any introductory calculus textbook. Can be used to numerically and/or graphically verify computations for a wide variety of problems. Ultimately, the purpose of this app is to interact with and to gain a conceptual understanding of the fundamental topics of calculus. TOPICS: • Graph functions of one variable, as well as parametric and polar curves. • Investigate precalculus topics such as the equation of a line, graphing polynomials, Pythagorean Theorem, trigonometric functions, etc. • Understand the fundamental notion of a limit from a formal or informal point of view. • Study rates of change using the ideas from differential calculus (e.g., secant and tangent lines, derivatives, Mean Value Theorem, Newton's method, etc.) • Calculate the area of a region or surface, length of a curve, and volume of a solid using the techniques of integral calculus. • Interact with parametric and polar curves (e.g., slopes, areas, arc lengths, etc.) • Learn about sequences and series (geometric, harmonic, alternating, etc.) and approximate functions using Taylor polynomials. • Future releases to include more features, topics, and background information on each topic. FEATURES: • Customize each topic by changing any function, variable, and/or interval and by selecting from a variety of options. • Save current settings for each topic under the Options menu for easy retrieval. • Interact with every graph (drag to change the value of a variable or to move/rotate the graph, pinch to zoom, etc.) • Universal App (requires iOS 10 or later running on iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.) • Fully functional, built-in calculator. • No internet required, except for initial download and updates. • No in-app purchases or advertising.

About

Derivative

Features
Read full description

The DerivativeCalculus is a simple but elegant app to find the derivatives of complex multivariable functions. You can find the partial derivatives of a multivariate function and share it with others or save it locally. You can create a beautiful high quality partial derivative tree and share it with others or save it locally. Derivatives are shown in beautifully written mathematical expression It automatically saves your hard work locally on your device so you can come back and pick up from where you left off as your great effort will not be lost. This app also has a Study page to help you learn important differentiation rules like, product rule, chain rule, quotient rule, ect. This app is perfect for students learning calculus. Sharpen you brain by using this app and learning about the calculus. This is an app for all student groups. From high school to college to university students. Be creative. Enjoy the app!

Screenshots

A Little Calculus4 screens
Derivative4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Derivative at Free against A Little Calculus's $0.99. Derivative also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). A Little Calculus's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Derivative is free to download; A Little Calculus costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

A Little Calculus ships an update every 4 months, Derivative monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
A Little Calculus versus Derivative: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterA Little CalculusDerivative
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid LittleOm Prakash Chapagain

In-app purchases

None

A Little Calculus

No in-app purchases

None

Derivative

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is A Little Calculus free?
A Little Calculus costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Derivative free?
Derivative is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do A Little Calculus or Derivative have ads?
Derivative shows ads; A Little Calculus does not.
Which is updated more often, A Little Calculus or Derivative?
A Little Calculus ships an update every 4 months, and Derivative monthly. Most recently, A Little Calculus was updated on October 23, 2026 and Derivative on October 27, 2026.

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