# Calca vs DB50X

The clearest difference is rating: DB50X at 5.0 against Calca's 4.5. DB50X also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). Calca's advantage is ratings volume (153 vs 8). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Calca costs $9.99 and DB50X $9.99 up front. Calca sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. DB50X asks for nothing beyond the download.

DB50X holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calca has 153 ratings behind it against 8, 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 DB50X's.

Calca ships an update every 5 months, DB50X every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calca | DB50X |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| Rating | [4.5 (153 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calca/id635757879/reviews) | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/db50x/id6625971367/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **153** | 8 |
| 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


### DB50X

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/db50x/id6625971367)

This scientific calculator offers high-precision computations with arbitrary precision for numbers. It supports advanced functions like complex numbers, matrices, symbolic calculations, and graphing, with a user-friendly interface and extensive built-in help.

**Highlights:** Arbitrary precision calculations, RPN and algebraic operations, Complex numbers, vectors, matrices, Symbolic and numerical solving, Graphing and plotting, Engineering units and constants, Unicode text support

**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 DB50X free?

DB50X costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Calca or DB50X?

DB50X is rated higher. Calca averages 4.5 out of 5 from 153 ratings, while DB50X averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.

### Do Calca or DB50X have ads?

Neither Calca nor DB50X shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Calca or DB50X?

Calca ships an update every 5 months, and DB50X every 3 weeks. Most recently, Calca was updated on September 25, 2026 and DB50X on September 24, 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.*