Comparison

Calca vs Shader × Node

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

Head to head
About

Calca

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
Read full description

Calca is a powerful symbolic calculator that gives you instant answers as you type. It solves equations and simplifies complex expressions - it's a computer algebra system in your pocket! It's also a rich Markdown text editor so that you can explain your ideas alongside your calculations. Calca is perfect for professionals and students - anyone who works with numbers and equations. Variables and functions can be created with only a few keystrokes and can be manipulated with a rich library of operators and functions. Calca updates as you type - just like a spreadsheet. You can declare variables, edit their values and watch everything update before your eyes. Since everything is calculated on the device - no network needed - you get answers instantaneously. All calculations are stored as plain text so you can easily share them with other editors and move them from device to device. Calca has been designed to work with iCloud documents so all your devices can access your calculations - you'll always have the latest files ready for viewing and editing. Calca comes with a suite of examples to help you get started covering topics from home mortgages to kinetics. All these examples are fully explained within Calca itself. Are you still using a desktop calculator? Are you using the calculator with the giant buttons that came with your OS? Computers are much more capable than doing simple one-line arithmetic - put your machine to work with Calca! Calculation Features: • Variables `x = 42` • Functions `f(c) = 9/5*c + 32` and even recursive functions • Units `42 mph in kmph` and currency `¥599 in $` • Solves equations (`x + 2x + 4x = 42`, what is x?) • Matrices with inverses so you can solve linear equations • Sum, prod, map, and reduce operations on lists, matrices, and ranges • Trigonometry and complex numbers • Derivatives of functions • Logic operations and if statements • Binary math (& and |) and support for binary and hex number (`0xA9` and `0b1010`) • Keeps track of units (m, s, m/s, m/s^2, etc.) so you can verify your equations as you compute Please visit http://calca.io to see lots of examples. Thank you for looking!

About

Shader × Node

Create stunning visual effects and shaders without coding using a drag-and-drop node editor. Ideal for those interested in graphics, game development, and visual jockeying.

Highlights
  • Drag-and-drop node editor
  • Create shaders without coding
  • Visual scripting system
  • Music visualization
  • Graphics and visual effects creation
Features
Read full description

Shader x Node is a WWDC19 Scholarship Application Project. > Write amazing shaders with your creativity and ingenuity (and without any coding skill because drag'n'drop saves the day!) Hi, are you interested in graphics related stuff, like visual effects in Hollywood, AAA game development and video jockey? If so, then you must be wondering how do people achieve these great effects! The answer is shader, which is a type of computer program that can do literally everything now, from simple graphics to powering autonomous driving. Today we are going to use this app to build a music visualization shader using my shader node editor, which is a visual scripting system I wrote in Swift.

Screenshots

Calca4 screens
Shader × Node4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shader × Node at Free against Calca's $9.99. Shader × Node also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). Calca's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 33%) and ratings volume (153 vs 3). On rating, ads 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Calca holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calca has 153 ratings behind it against 3, 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 33% of Shader × Node's.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Calca versus Shader × Node: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalcaShader × Node
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (153 ratings) — better4.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings153 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKrueger Systems, Inc.昊天 郑

Customer experience

Calca

All ratings153 ratings
Positive87.6%
Neutral4.6%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews170 reviews
Positive76.5%
Neutral7.1%
Negative16.5%

Shader × Node

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Calca

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • 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
Show 7 more
  • App crashes on startup on some devices
  • File saving is temperamental and causes data loss
  • Folders don't persist unless calculations created within them
  • Large number calculations lose precision (10^100 + 1 - 10^100 returns 0 instead of 1)
  • Keyboard focus issues on iPad with Magic Keyboard
  • iOS 13+ button adaptation issues
  • Spinning beach ball on very large calculations

Requested features

15 requests
  • 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
Show 10 more
  • Temperature unit support (Celsius, Fahrenheit)
  • Logarithmic and non-proportional unit definitions
  • Multiple parametric plots simultaneously
  • Landscape mode optimization
  • Tabular data and multi-row markdown table support
  • Dark mode (now implemented)
  • Subscription model option for ongoing development
  • Decimal place formatting control
  • Charting and financial functions
  • Better document management interface

Shader × Node

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Calca

One-time2
  • 6-Month Optional Patronage$4.99
  • 12-Month Optional Patronage$7.99
None

Shader × Node

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Calca free?
Calca costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Shader × Node free?
Shader × Node is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Calca or Shader × Node?
Calca is rated higher. Calca averages 4.5 out of 5 from 153 ratings, while Shader × Node averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Calca or Shader × Node have ads?
Neither Calca nor Shader × Node shows ads.

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