# Calca vs MathDown

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MathDown at none against Calca's 2. MathDown also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 76%). Calca's advantage is chart position (#193 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Calca ships an update every 5 months, MathDown every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calca | MathDown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| Rating | **[4.5 (153 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calca/id635757879/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **153** | — |
| 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 |
| Best chart rank | **#193** | — |
| Size | 78 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Krueger Systems, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299293363) | [Milestone Made, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476538400) |

## What reviewers say

### Calca

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calca/id635757879)

**Currently charting:** #193 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

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


### MathDown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathdown-markdown-latex-docs/id6757225154)

Create markdown documents with live LaTeX math rendering. Define variables and functions, and enjoy automatic algebraic simplification for beautifully typeset equations. Perfect for math notes, homework, and tutorials.

**Highlights:** Live LaTeX math rendering, Define and reuse variables, Create and evaluate functions, Automatic algebraic simplification, Full LaTeX support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calca free?

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

### Is MathDown free?

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

### Do Calca or MathDown have ads?

Neither Calca nor MathDown shows ads.

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

Calca ships an update every 5 months, and MathDown every 3 weeks. Most recently, Calca was updated on October 17, 2026 and MathDown on October 12, 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.*