Comparison

Ultimate VA Calculator vs Penciled

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Daily VA Home Loan Rates
  • VA Loan Calculator
  • BAH Calculator
  • Home Sale Net Proceeds Calculator
  • Rent Calculator
  • Expert Education & Insights
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Penciled

Features
Read full description

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

Ultimate VA Calculator4 screens
Penciled4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ultimate VA Calculator ships an update every 3 weeks, Penciled every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Ultimate VA Calculator versus Penciled: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUltimate VA CalculatorPenciled
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB41 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperVeterans Agents Inc.Joseph Wiktorek

In-app purchases

None

Ultimate VA Calculator

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Penciled

Subscriptions1
  • Advisor7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Penciled Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Ultimate VA Calculator free?
Ultimate VA Calculator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Penciled free?
Penciled is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Ultimate VA Calculator or Penciled have ads?
Neither Ultimate VA Calculator nor Penciled shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ultimate VA Calculator or Penciled?
Ultimate VA Calculator ships an update every 3 weeks, and Penciled every 2 days. Most recently, Ultimate VA Calculator was updated on October 25, 2026 and Penciled on October 25, 2026.

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