# Calca vs Calcal

The clearest difference is price: Calcal at Free against Calca's $9.99. Calcal also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). Calca's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 3.2) and ratings volume (157 vs 5). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Calcal is free to download; Calca costs $9.99 up front. Calca sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Calcal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Calca holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calca has 157 ratings behind it against 5, 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 63% of Calcal's.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calca | Calcal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (157 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calca/id635757879/reviews)** | [3.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calcal-calculator-notepad/id1438929984/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **157** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **76.5% of reviews** | 62.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | — |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 78 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Krueger Systems, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299293363) | [Adam Pietrasiak](https://appshunter.io/developer/1432739727) |

## 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


### Calcal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calcal-calculator-notepad/id1438929984)

This app functions as a calculator integrated with a notepad. Simply type your calculations and see instant results. It also supports unit conversions and the creation of reusable named values for complex calculations.

**Highlights:** Type calculations for instant results, Unit conversion, Create and reuse named values, Copy results to clipboard, Notepad integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calca free?

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

### Is Calcal free?

Calcal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Calca or Calcal?

Calca is rated higher. Calca averages 4.5 out of 5 from 157 ratings, while Calcal averages 3.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do Calca or Calcal have ads?

Neither Calca nor Calcal shows ads.

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