Ultimate VA Calculator vs Penciled
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ultimate VA Calculator
This app assists military personnel and veterans with real estate transactions. It offers tools for calculating VA home loan rates, mortgage payments, BAH, home sale proceeds, and rent vs. buy comparisons. It also provides expert insights for informed decision-making.
- Daily VA Home Loan Rates
- VA Loan Calculator
- BAH Calculator
- Home Sale Net Proceeds Calculator
- Rent Calculator
- Expert Education & Insights
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Ultimate VA Calculator is an all-in-one military real estate app for veterans, active-duty service members and military families navigating a home purchase, PCS move, sale, rental decision or repeat use of VA financing. Use one app to estimate VA mortgage payments, compare BAH, organize a home-buying budget, estimate home-sale proceeds, review rent costs over time and estimate remaining VA entitlement. VA MORTGAGE CALCULATOR Estimate a VA mortgage payment and important loan costs using inputs such as purchase price, down payment, interest rate, term, property taxes, homeowners insurance, VA disability status and VA Funding Fee treatment. The app can also help estimate buyer closing costs, rate buydown costs and cash needed to close based on the information entered. BAH CALCULATOR Research Basic Allowance for Housing using duty location, pay grade or rank, and with- or without-dependent status. Compare BAH with an estimated mortgage payment or other housing costs when preparing for a PCS. VA LOAN LIMIT & REMAINING ENTITLEMENT Already have a VA-financed property? Estimate remaining VA entitlement and whether another VA purchase could potentially require a down payment when entitlement is still tied to an existing loan. This tool is useful for repeat-use VA borrowers and military families deciding whether to keep a current home after a PCS. HOME SALE PROCEEDS Estimate selling expenses and potential net proceeds to better understand how much you may walk away with after a home sale. RENT CALCULATOR See how rent can add up over approximately one to five years and use the result as part of a rent-versus-buy or keep-versus-sell decision. BUDGET & DTI Enter income and recurring debts to estimate debt-to-income ratio and organize a preliminary home-buying budget before speaking with a mortgage professional. VA RATE INFORMATION & EDUCATION Follow current national average VA mortgage-rate information and broader rate trends. Access VA loan education, PCS resources, military real estate information, videos, classes, Vetted Pros and Instant VA Support. Built for military home decisions: buying, selling, renting, investing, relocating through PCS or using VA financing again. Ultimate VA Calculator is an unofficial educational application from Veterans Agents Inc. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Calculator results are estimates and are not loan approval, a personalized rate quote, an appraisal, legal advice, tax advice or financial advice. Confirm eligibility, entitlement, BAH, rates, costs and loan terms with the appropriate official source or qualified professional.
Penciled
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The honest loan calculator. 17 tools. One $4.99 purchase. No ads, no tracking, no login. Ever. Built by one developer who got tired of the alternatives. Most loan calculators are storefronts dressed up as utilities. They want your email, your data, or your attention so they can sell it. Penciled wants $4.99, once, and then leaves you alone. Penciled is 17 calculators that cover the loans you actually take out: mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, student loans, HELOCs, construction loans, business loans, and more. Every calculation runs on your phone. Nothing leaves the device. Export full amortization schedules to PDF, Excel, or CSV when you need to show your work. WHAT'S INCLUDED Mortgage and Real Estate - Mortgage payment with PMI, taxes, insurance - Refinance break-even - ARM (adjustable-rate) projection - Affordability (how much house) - Rent vs. buy - HELOC draw and repay - Construction loan - Home equity (invest vs. pay down) Auto and Equipment - Auto loan - Boat and RV - Equipment financing Debt and Credit - Credit card payoff (three strategies) - Personal loan - Student loan - Debt consolidation - Debt strategy (snowball vs. avalanche) PRIVACY No accounts. No sign-up. No email. No analytics SDK. No ad network. No data broker pipeline. The app does not have network permissions for calculation data because it does not need them. If your iPhone is in airplane mode, Penciled works exactly the same. PRICE $4.99, one time, lifetime. Unlocks all 17 calculators and all export formats. If you buy a new iPhone, tap Restore Purchases and it comes back. ADVISOR MODE (OPTIONAL) $19.99/year for licensed mortgage brokers who want branded PDF exports — your logo, NMLS #, brand color, and "Prepared by" footer on every page. 7-day free trial. Completely optional. The core $4.99 Pro tier has everything a consumer needs and always will. EXPORTS Every schedule exports to PDF (formatted for printing or sharing with a lender), Excel (.xlsx with formulas intact), and CSV (for your own spreadsheet work). Useful when a loan officer asks you to show how you got there. WHO THIS IS FOR Homebuyers running scenarios before they talk to a lender. Refinancers checking whether the break-even math actually works. People paying down credit-card debt who want to see the avalanche method in numbers. Small-business owners pricing equipment loans. Anyone who wants the answer without handing over their data. CONTACT joe@equityleveloperations.com I read every email. If a calculator gives you a result you think is wrong, tell me and I will fix it. TERMS & PRIVACY Terms of Use (EULA): https://penciled.dev/terms Privacy Policy: https://penciled.dev/privacy ADVISOR SUBSCRIPTION (OPTIONAL) Advisor is an auto-renewable annual subscription for licensed mortgage brokers that adds branded PDF export (logo, NMLS, brand color, "Prepared by" footer, compliance disclaimer). $19.99 per year. 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime in Settings. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://penciled.dev/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ultimate VA Calculator at none against Penciled's 2. Penciled's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Penciled sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Ultimate VA Calculator asks for nothing beyond the download.
Ultimate VA Calculator ships an update every 3 weeks, Penciled every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Ultimate VA Calculator | Penciled |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Veterans Agents Inc. | Joseph Wiktorek |
In-app purchases
Ultimate VA Calculator
No in-app purchases
Penciled
- Advisor7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Penciled Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Ultimate VA Calculator free?
Is Penciled free?
Do Ultimate VA Calculator or Penciled have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ultimate VA Calculator or Penciled?
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