# Calca vs DB48X

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DB48X at none against Calca's 2. DB48X also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 76%). Calca's advantage is ratings volume (153 vs 4). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Calca costs $9.99 and DB48X $4.99 up front. Calca sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. DB48X asks for nothing beyond the download.

DB48X holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calca has 153 ratings behind it against 4, 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 100% of DB48X's.

Calca ships an update every 5 months, DB48X every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calca | DB48X |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **$4.99** |
| Rating | [4.5 (153 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calca/id635757879/reviews) | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/db48x/id6615086535/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **153** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 76.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 78 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Krueger Systems, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299293363) | [Christophe de Dinechin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1761608161) |

## 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


### DB48X

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/db48x/id6615086535)

This advanced scientific calculator offers arbitrary precision computations, RPN and algebraic operations, and extensive graphing capabilities. It supports complex numbers, matrices, symbolic calculations, and over 1000 built-in functions, inspired by the HP48 series.

**Highlights:** Arbitrary precision computations, RPN and algebraic operations, Complex numbers, vectors, and matrices, Symbolic computations and numerical solving, Graphing and plotting, Engineering units and currency conversion, Built-in hyperlinked help system

**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 DB48X free?

DB48X costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Calca or DB48X?

DB48X is rated higher. Calca averages 4.5 out of 5 from 153 ratings, while DB48X averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do Calca or DB48X have ads?

Neither Calca nor DB48X shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Calca or DB48X?

Calca ships an update every 5 months, and DB48X every 3 weeks. Most recently, Calca was updated on September 25, 2026 and DB48X on September 28, 2026.

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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.*