# Calca vs Circuit Laboratory

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Calca at 76% against Circuit Laboratory's 0%. Calca also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (157 vs 2). Circuit Laboratory's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and price ($5.99 vs $9.99). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Calca costs $9.99 and Circuit Laboratory $5.99 up front. Calca sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Circuit Laboratory asks for nothing beyond the download.

Calca holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calca has 157 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Calca's written reviews are positive against 0% of Circuit Laboratory's.

Calca ships an update every 5 months, Circuit Laboratory every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calca | Circuit Laboratory |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **$5.99** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (157 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calca/id635757879/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circuit-laboratory/id1042205580/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **157** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **76.5% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 78 MB | 128 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Krueger Systems, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299293363) | [Fabrizio Boco](https://appshunter.io/developer/466239616) |

## What reviewers say

### Calca

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calca/id635757879)

This app is an advanced symbolic calculator and text editor. It solves equations, simplifies expressions, and allows you to explain your work alongside calculations. Calculations update instantly as you type, and all data is stored as plain text for easy sharing and device syncing.

**Highlights:** Symbolic calculation, Equation solving, Expression simplification, Markdown text editor, Real-time updates, Unit and currency conversion, Matrix operations

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6-Month Optional Patronage | $4.99 | one-time |
| 12-Month Optional Patronage | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Unique blend of text editor and calculator
- 📝 Markdown support for documentation
- 🔄 Dynamic recalculation of all values
- ⚙️ Powerful mathematical and algebraic capabilities
- 📊 Unit conversion and unit-aware calculations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Magic Keyboard input bugs on iPad
- ⚠️ Appears abandoned or poorly maintained
- 🐛 Text selection issues with external keyboards
- 📱 iPad landscape mode problems
- 🐛 Cursor jumping and screen jumping during editing

**Reported bugs**

- Magic Keyboard causes number input to overwrite instead of append
- Text selection before numbers triggers increment/decrement instead of selecting
- Cursor jumps forward and backward with external keyboards
- iPad Pro keyboard truncation in portrait mode
- Arrow key (=>) doesn't work in landscape mode

**Requested features**

- Files app and document browser integration
- Dropbox and Google Drive support
- Date calculation functionality
- Looping and iteration support
- User-defined function storage in separate files


### Circuit Laboratory

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circuit-laboratory/id1042205580)

Analyze electronic circuits with DC, AC, multifrequency AC, and transient analysis. Draw circuits graphically, modify component parameters, and view voltage and current graphs. Supports various components and offers video tutorials for each.

**Highlights:** DC, AC, Multifrequency AC, and Transient Analysis, Graphical circuit drawing, Component parameter editing, Voltage and current graphing, Support for diverse electronic components, Circuit saving and sharing, Video tutorials for components

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calca free?

Calca costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Circuit Laboratory free?

Circuit Laboratory costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Calca or Circuit Laboratory?

Calca is rated higher. Calca averages 4.5 out of 5 from 157 ratings, while Circuit Laboratory averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Calca or Circuit Laboratory have ads?

Neither Calca nor Circuit Laboratory shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Calca or Circuit Laboratory?

Calca ships an update every 5 months, and Circuit Laboratory every 12 months. Most recently, Calca was updated on October 26, 2026 and Circuit Laboratory on November 1, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*