Comparison

Calca vs Ersa TRACE

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

Ersa TRACE

This app enables smart operation of an IoT soldering station via smartphone or web application. It provides real-time temperature display, parameter control for single or multiple stations, and extensive traceability functions.

Highlights
  • Real-time temperature display
  • Target temperature setting
  • Soldering parameter control
  • Multi-station management
  • Web application integration
  • Traceability functions
Read full description

Being the world’s first IoT soldering station, the Ersa i-CON TRACE revolutionizes the high-end soldering station market. With i-CON TRACE, Ersa relies on smart operation via both smartphone app and web application that can be installed on a customer server. If the i-CON TRACE is to be operated like a conventional soldering station, the smartphone/tablet replaces the built-in display and the temperature is shown on a smartphone or tablet, as are familiar controls for temperature setting, etc.. For users, this opens up the possibility of smart operation in line with their needs. Using the web application "Ersa TRACE Cockpit" and the associated extensive traceability functions, a soldering station can be integrated into a WLAN network with the help of the smartphone app and then controlled via the web application. FEATURES: • Real-time temperature display via graphical user interface • Setting the target temperature, for one or several soldering stations • Setting of all other soldering parameters, also for multiple soldering stations • Menu navigation in different languages

Screenshots

Calca4 screens
Ersa TRACE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ersa TRACE at Free against Calca's $9.99. Ersa TRACE also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On review sentiment, update cadence, 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

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Calca versus Ersa TRACE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalcaErsa TRACE
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (153 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings153 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKrueger Systems, Inc.Ersa GmbH

Customer experience

Calca

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

Ersa TRACE

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

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

Ersa TRACE

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

Ersa TRACE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Calca free?
Calca costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Ersa TRACE free?
Ersa TRACE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Calca or Ersa TRACE have ads?
Neither Calca nor Ersa TRACE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Calca or Ersa TRACE?
Calca ships an update every 5 months, and Ersa TRACE every 5 months. Most recently, Calca was updated on October 8, 2026 and Ersa TRACE on October 2, 2026.

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