Sidekick Platform vs VA Compensation Calculator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sidekick Platform
Access AI-powered channels curated by trusted experts and organizations. Get verified answers grounded in approved content, with source attribution. Your personal AI guide is available 24/7 to help you discover resources and opportunities.
- AI-powered expert channels
- Verified answers with source attribution
- Personal AI guide available 24/7
- Content approved by experts and organizations
- Private and secure conversations
- Discovers channel resources and benefits
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Ask questions. Get answers grounded in expert-approved content, with sources you can check. The Sidekick Platform app connects you with AI channels built from material the organizations, experts, and creators you trust have approved. Whether you're looking for guidance, support, or a faster way into expertise, your Sidekicks are always here. YOUR PERSONAL SIDEKICK • A dedicated AI guide assigned to you, available 24/7 • Remembers your conversations and gets to know your needs over time • Helps you discover the resources, benefits, and opportunities your channels offer EXPERT SIDEKICKS • Every channel is built by a real organization, expert, or creator from content they approved • Answers stay grounded in that content, with source attribution. If a question goes beyond it, your Sidekick says so instead of guessing • Topics range from education, career, and benefits to health resources, research, and coaching PRIVATE AND SECURE • Your conversations stay between you and your Sidekicks, as described in our privacy policy • Your data is not used to train shared AI models Download Sidekick and get answers you can verify, from sources you trust.
VA Compensation Calculator
Calculate your VA disability rating and compensation accurately using official VA math. This tool helps estimate monthly pay, retroactive backpay, and identify potential benefits. Track claims, explore rating increases, and access diagnostic code references.
- Official VA combined ratings calculator
- Backpay and Special Monthly Compensation calculation
- Eligibility screeners for SMC and TDIU
- Claim finder and military job lookup
- Symptom logging and claim tracking
- Widgets for home and lock screens
- Exportable PDF reports
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Accurately calculate your VA combined disability rating, estimated monthly compensation, and retroactive backpay using the official VA math from 38 CFR 4.25, 4.26, and 3.31. WHAT IT DOES Enter your service-connected disabilities and their ratings. The app combines them using the same method the VA uses — not simple addition — and shows your official combined rating, exactly how it was rounded, and your estimated monthly compensation. Track your claims and what they could mean for your rating, calculate backpay, find what else you may be able to claim, and see which condition's next rating step is worth pursuing. KEY FEATURES - VA Combined Ratings Calculator using the official formula, with a "see why" rounding explainer and Rating & Pay: every step and your pay, line by line - Bilateral Factor support for disabilities affecting both sides of the body (left knee + right knee, etc.) - Backpay Calculator — retroactive pay across rating changes and life events, with COLA boundaries per 38 CFR 3.31 and an "already being paid at" offset - Special Monthly Compensation — the full ladder: K, S, L, L½, M, M½, N, N½, O/P, R1, R2, and T, with correct stacking rules - SMC Eligibility Screener and TDIU Eligibility Check — plain-language screening for often-missed benefits - Claim Finder — conditions often claimed with yours, those VA presumes after certain service (Agent Orange, PACT Act, Gulf War, Camp Lejeune), and those linked to what you did - Military Job Lookup — your DD 214 job code (MOS, rating, or AFSC, current or decades old): what the job was, what it became, and the conditions linked to its duties - My Profile — dependents (spouse, children, parents, Aid & Attendance), SMC, TDIU, and your military service in one place - Increase Finder — for each rated condition, what the next rating step requires under 38 CFR and what it would do to your combined rating and pay - 38 CFR Diagnostic Codes reference — 700+ codes with rating criteria; attach a code to any disability - Symptom Log — record episodes over time and export a summary in VA rating-criteria language for your VSO or provider - Claim Tracker — C&P exams, hearings, deadlines, and decisions, with optional reminders - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets — your rating, pay, next pay date, and next Claim Tracker event (a lock instead when App Lock is on) - Track rated, pending, and denied claims, and the ones you might file, with notes on each - Projected Rating and What-If Scenario calculators - Compensation rate tables for 2018 through 2027 with annual COLA adjustments; new tables arrive without an app update - Pay Date Predictor, Future COLA Estimator, Healthcare Priority Group, CRDP/CRSC calculator, and the Combined Ratings Table - News: COLA updates, VA changes, and app news, right in the app - Share or save Rating & Pay and your backpay as a PDF, with names redacted if you like - Backup & Restore — export everything to one file you keep, and restore it on a new phone - Optional Face ID / Touch ID lock and Dark Mode BUILT FOR VETERANS - 100% free — no ads, no accounts, no subscriptions, and no third-party trackers - Your VA data — disabilities, ratings, dependents, notes, and symptom log — stays on your device and is never uploaded - Designed for iPhone and iPad, with a two-column layout on iPad - Accurate to VA regulations (38 CFR 4.25, 4.26, and 3.31) WHO IS THIS FOR? - Veterans exploring what their combined rating could be - Veterans getting ready to file a claim - Veterans tracking pending claims and what-if scenarios - Veterans deciding which condition to file an increase on - Veterans estimating backpay from a recent decision - Veterans receiving or considering Special Monthly Compensation - Anyone helping a veteran understand their disability compensation DISCLAIMER This app is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It is an independent tool for estimation purposes only. Always verify your rating and compensation with the VA directly.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sidekick Platform at none against VA Compensation Calculator's 4. VA Compensation Calculator's advantage is ratings volume (69 vs 10). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. VA Compensation Calculator sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Sidekick Platform asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Sidekick Platform against 4.9 for VA Compensation Calculator. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VA Compensation Calculator has 69 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Sidekick Platform ships an update every 10 days, VA Compensation Calculator fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sidekick Platform | VA Compensation Calculator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (10 ratings) — better | 4.9 (69 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 10 | 69 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 109 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sidekick Wellness Inc. | Ian Marrero Falcon |
Customer experience
Sidekick Platform
VA Compensation Calculator
In-app purchases
Sidekick Platform
No in-app purchases
VA Compensation Calculator
- Small Tip$1.99
- Coffee$4.99
- Lunch$9.99
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- Dinner$19.99
Questions
Is Sidekick Platform free?
Is VA Compensation Calculator free?
Which has better reviews, Sidekick Platform or VA Compensation Calculator?
Do Sidekick Platform or VA Compensation Calculator have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sidekick Platform or VA Compensation Calculator?
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