Calca vs BoldSign Document Scanner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Symbolic calculation
- Equation solving
- Expression simplification
- Markdown text editor
- Real-time updates
- Unit and currency conversion
- Matrix operations
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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!
BoldSign Document Scanner
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The BoldSign Document Scanner is a free, privacy-first scanner app that works fully offline. Scan documents, receipts, notes, contracts, IDs, forms, and more from your phone or tablet, then save them as PDF, JPG, or PNG files. Your scanned files stay on your device, so you stay in control of your documents. You can create PDFs, save images, or convert existing images into PDF files without an account or ads. Free, offline, and private: • Completely free to use. • Works fully offline. • No account setup required. • Files stay on your device. • No ads. Key features • Scan documents, receipts, notes, forms, contracts, and IDs. • Save scans as PDF, JPG, or PNG files. • Convert images to PDF. • Import images from your device. • Use automatic edge detection or manual capture. • Crop, rotate, adjust, and enhance scanned pages. • Preview and zoom pages before exporting. • Merge multiple pages into one PDF. • Rename, sort, and reorder documents. • Export files to your preferred folder. • Export multiple images together as a ZIP file. • Choose image format and quality. • Print directly from your device. • Use a light, dark, or system theme. Useful for: • Professionals scanning contracts and agreements. • Small businesses managing receipts, bills, and invoices. • Students scanning notes, assignments, and certificates. • Home users scanning IDs, forms, and personal documents. • Anyone who needs a simple offline PDF scanner app. Need to collect signatures? After scanning a document, you can use BoldSign to send it for legally binding eSignatures, track signing progress, and manage signed documents online. BoldSign includes 25 free envelopes every month, so you can start sending documents for signatures at no cost. Why use the BoldSign Document Scanner? The BoldSign Document Scanner is built for users who want a simple, private, and reliable way to scan documents. It works offline, keeps scanned files on your device, and helps you save, print, share, or send documents for eSignature when needed. For product questions or feedback, contact us at: support@boldsign.com Learn more about BoldSign: https://boldsign.com/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: BoldSign Document Scanner at Free against Calca's $9.99. BoldSign Document Scanner also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). On 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
BoldSign Document Scanner is free to download; Calca costs $9.99 up front. Calca sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. BoldSign Document Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.
Calca ships an update every 5 months, BoldSign Document Scanner every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Calca | BoldSign Document Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (153 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 153 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 78 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Krueger Systems, Inc. | Syncfusion Inc. |
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
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- 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
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- 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
BoldSign Document Scanner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Calca
- 6-Month Optional Patronage$4.99
- 12-Month Optional Patronage$7.99
BoldSign Document Scanner
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Calca free?
Is BoldSign Document Scanner free?
Do Calca or BoldSign Document Scanner have ads?
Which is updated more often, Calca or BoldSign Document Scanner?
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