Comparison

New Chessnut vs RPN 48

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

New Chessnut

Connect your electronic chessboard to a redesigned mobile interface for enhanced gameplay. Experience improved features and a streamlined user experience for all your chess matches.

Highlights
  • Connect electronic chessboards
  • Redesigned UI
  • Enhanced gameplay features
  • iOS compatibility
Features
Read full description

The new version of the Chessnut app for iOS. The redesigned UI and features allow you to connect your Chessnut electronic chessboard (Air/Air+/Pro/Go, etc.) for gameplay.

About

RPN 48

Features
Read full description

The HP 48 is the calculator of a generation of engineers, physicists and students: the 48SX of 1990 brought RPN, RPL programming, units, symbolic algebra and graphing into one machine, the 48GX of 1993 added the equation library, the solver applications, more memory and a faster processor. Thirty years on, many still keep one on their desk — and this app puts one in your pocket. RPN 48 is not an imitation: it emulates the calculator's hardware — the Saturn processor, the memory controllers, the 131×64 display, the keyboard, the timers — and runs HP's original ROM, so it behaves exactly as the real machine: every function, every menu, every flag, every quirk. THE CALCULATOR • RPN with the four-level stack (and unlimited stack depth), or algebraic entry, at your choice • Symbolic algebra: expressions, simplification, derivatives, integrals, Taylor series, equation solving; exact rational and integer arithmetic • Scientific calculator: complex numbers, vectors and matrices, statistics and regressions, unit conversions with dimensional analysis, base conversions (BIN/OCT/HEX), numeric solver, financial (TVM) calculations, dates and times • Graphing: function, polar, parametric, conic, differential equation, statistics and 3D plots, with zoom and trace • The 48G series' Equation Library with 300 equations of physics and engineering, with units • Programmable in RPL: your programs run as on the real machine THE APP • Both models: the HP 48GX (ROM revisions R and P, the 48G series' 128 KB) and the HP 48SX (ROM revisions J and E), each at its own speed and with its own memory • Your calculator's memory stays: close the app, come back later, it is exactly where you left it • HP's manuals (Quick Start Guide, User's Guide, Advanced User's Reference) can be downloaded into the app and read next to the calculator; the app remembers your page • Hardware keyboard support on iPad and iPhone • Works fully offline, no account, no ads, no tracking ABOUT THE ROM The app contains no HP software. On first launch you pick a model and its ROM image is downloaded from hpcalc.org, the community archive where HP allowed the HP 48 ROMs to be published in 2000, exactly as you would with a browser; the image is then kept on your device. HP, HP 48, HP 48SX and HP 48GX are trademarks of HP Inc. This app is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by HP.

Screenshots

New Chessnut4 screens
RPN 484 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: New Chessnut at Free against RPN 48's $5.99. RPN 48's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

New Chessnut is free to download; RPN 48 costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

New Chessnut ships an update monthly, RPN 48 every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
New Chessnut versus RPN 48: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNew ChessnutRPN 48
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating3.1 (45 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews44.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings45 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size527 MB15 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperXenx Technology LimitedGuglielmo Pasa

In-app purchases

None

New Chessnut

No in-app purchases

None

RPN 48

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is New Chessnut free?
New Chessnut is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RPN 48 free?
RPN 48 costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do New Chessnut or RPN 48 have ads?
Neither New Chessnut nor RPN 48 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, New Chessnut or RPN 48?
New Chessnut ships an update monthly, and RPN 48 every 5 days. Most recently, New Chessnut was updated on October 24, 2026 and RPN 48 on October 29, 2026.

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