# Calca vs Jotsum

The clearest difference is price: Jotsum at Free against Calca's $9.99. Jotsum also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 months). Calca's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Jotsum is free to download; Calca costs $9.99 up front. Calca sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Jotsum sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Calca ships an update every 5 months, Jotsum every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calca | Jotsum |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (153 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calca/id635757879/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **153** | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 78 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Krueger Systems, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299293363) | [Hrvoje Matosic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1805673692) |

## 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


### Jotsum

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jotsum-calculator-notepad/id6785305380)

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Jotsum Pro | $0.99 | per month |
| Jotsum Pro | $29.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calca free?

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

### Is Jotsum free?

Jotsum is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Calca or Jotsum have ads?

Neither Calca nor Jotsum shows ads.

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

Calca ships an update every 5 months, and Jotsum every 4 days. Most recently, Calca was updated on October 13, 2026 and Jotsum on October 1, 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.*