Comparison

VetCalc vs VA Ready

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

Head to head
About

VetCalc

This app helps veterans understand how the Department of Veterans Affairs calculates disability percentages and monthly benefit payments. It accurately applies the Bilateral Factor, which is often missed by other calculators, potentially increasing your overall disability rating and monthly compensation.

Highlights
  • Combined disability percentage calculation
  • Monthly benefit payment calculation
  • Accurate Bilateral Factor application
  • Addresses 'VA Math' complexities
  • Provides correct combined disability percentages
Features
Read full description

VetCalc, short for “VETeran Combined Disability CALCulator,” is the solution to all of your questions relating to 1) “How” the Department of Veterans Affairs calculates disability percentages pursuant to the Combined Ratings Table (See 38 CFR 4.25 and 4.26) and 2) “How” the Department of Veterans Affairs calculates your monthly disability benefit payment using the Veterans Affairs Compensation Benefits Rate Table. Often times the process the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to combine these disability percentages and calculate monthly benefit payments is referred to as “Veterans Affairs Math” or “VA Math.” You can rest assured that VetCalc addresses ALL of your questions relating to calculating disability benefit percentages and payments in seconds. During the several years I worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Rating Specialist, I would quite frequently discover that the Bilateral Factor was not properly entered into disabilities that REQUIRED it, pursuant to 38 CFR 4.26. After correcting this error by properly including the Bilateral Factor, the Veteran’s overall disability percentage would, quite frequently, increase to the next higher level! Please check out the “Examples” page above for hypotheticals exposing the effect of this Bilateral Factor error on the overall monthly payment! You may have noticed that several websites offer free calculators that similarly attempt to provide you with solutions to VA Math problems. Although these calculators bear many different names, for instance: “Veterans Affairs Disability Calculator,” “Veteran Combined Calculator” and “Disability Percentage Calculator” they all seem to have 3 things in common: 1) They are not easy to use 2) They do not include Bilateral Factor calculations and 3) THEY DO NOT PROVIDE THE CORRECT COMBINED DISABILITY PERCENTAGES. Trust my experience; don’t expect the Department of Veterans Affairs to correct the problem for you. Double check the VA Math today by purchasing VetCalc and take the necessary steps to force the Department of Veterans Affairs to correct the error in YOUR claim. Isn’t your peace of mind worth 99¢? After all, VetCalc could literally save you THOUSANDS!!!

About

VA Ready

This tool helps veterans understand their potential disability ratings and navigate the claims process. It calculates combined ratings using VA math, provides access to accredited representatives, and offers research to support claims. Features include exposure calculators and detailed filing guides.

Highlights
  • Disability rating calculation with VA math
  • Find accredited VSOs by location
  • Access 2,300+ medical studies for claims
  • Exposure calculator for PACT Act and more
  • Detailed filing guides for conditions
  • Symptom logging and PDF export
Features
Read full description

VA Ready is the place to keep your whole VA disability claim, from first record to final decision. Built by a veteran, for veterans and service members still in uniform. KNOW YOUR RATING See your combined rating with real VA math, including the bilateral factor, and your estimated monthly pay. Each of 765 conditions carries its full 38 CFR rating criteria, so you know what the examiner measures. TDIU and SMC calculators show what each would change. KEEP YOUR CLAIM IN ONE PLACE Scan, photograph or import every document into your Claim File. Each gets a label matching the VA's document types, a date and the condition it supports, and your evidence checklist ticks itself. Files saved to the VA Ready Documents folder import on their own. On Mac, drag and drop. READY FOR VA One tap builds a dated folder for each condition: your records, signed buddy statements, symptom logs and an optional claim journal. Every file is named with the document type to pick on VA.gov, plus an upload checklist. SEND IT TO THE RIGHT PERSON The Export Center makes one clean PDF for your VSO, your C&P examiner, a doctor writing a nexus letter, or yourself. Cover page and index included. GET READY FOR YOUR C&P EXAM A C&P/DBQ Guideline for each condition, an exam questionnaire you answer in your own words, and peer-reviewed studies mapped to your diagnostic codes, all exportable to PDF. TRACK IT OVER TIME A daily Symptom Tracker builds the frequency and severity record examiners look for. The Claim Journal keeps a dated timeline of every call, letter and decision. FIND WHAT YOU MAY BE MISSING Claim Intel shows the conditions commonly claimed for your MOS, AFSC or rating, plus PACT Act presumptives from the bases you served at and the aircraft you worked on. Secondary conditions commonly granted alongside yours are suggested for each claim. SEE WHAT IT WOULD TAKE What-If shows the claims your profile points to and the rating each would need to reach your next combined level. NEVER MISS A VA DATE One Upcoming list for your Intent to File expiration, VA evidence requests, decision review windows, C&P exams and VSO visits. Reminders never show your condition on the lock screen unless you choose. Print the schedule for the fridge. STILL SERVING A runway built around your separation date, a BDD screener, and a Reserve and Guard duty-status check. FIND FREE HELP Search 8,949 accredited VSO offices, read ratings from other veterans, track visits, and hand your rep a VSO Packet. BUDDY STATEMENTS DONE RIGHT A how-to guide, five templates and examples modeled on statements the Board of Veterans' Appeals credited. Export to PDF or Word. BENEFITS AND BACK PAY Federal and state benefits at your rating, the pay rate chart, and a back pay estimate from your effective date. Guides cover appeals, proposed reductions, protected ratings and more. WHAT IS INSIDE 765 conditions with full 38 CFR criteria. 2,403 peer-reviewed studies. 1,098 military job codes. 8,949 VSO offices. 827 bases and 148 aircraft mapped for exposure. 56 toxic exposures. 644 state benefit entries. 60 filing guides. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. Your claim stays on your device, backed up to your own iCloud Drive or files, documents included. iPhone, iPad and Mac. FREE No login. Your combined rating, the Claim File, the free share pages and Texas state benefits. PRO Full rating criteria, all 50 states, Claim Intel, and sharing or exporting your documents and packets. $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year, auto-renewing. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at purchase and renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in Apple settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.vareadyapp.com/privacy.html VA Ready is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. Estimates are not VA decisions.

Screenshots

VetCalc2 screens
VA Ready4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: VetCalc at none against VA Ready's 3. VetCalc also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). VA Ready's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 9 months) and chart position (#160 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. VA Ready sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. VetCalc asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for VetCalc against 4.8 for VA Ready. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 976 and 726 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of VetCalc's written reviews are positive against 77% of VA Ready's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VetCalc ships an update every 9 months, VA Ready weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
VetCalc versus VA Ready: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVetCalcVA Ready
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (976 ratings)4.8 (726 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.0% of reviews — better76.9% of reviews
Number of ratings976 — better726
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank—#160 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDBQ Solutions, LLCJDL Software LLC

Customer experience

VetCalc

All ratings923 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive82.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative11.7%

VA Ready

All ratings724 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative15.4%

Bugs and requests

VetCalc

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes for some users
  • Calculations do not match actual VA ratings
  • Inability to navigate beyond certain screens

Requested features

4 requests
  • Update app with latest VA compensation rates
  • Add support for special monthly compensation (SMC) calculations
  • Improve user interface and allow editing of inputs
  • Integrate with user's medical records for more personalized estimates

VA Ready

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

VetCalc

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

VA Ready

Subscriptions2
  • VA Ready Pro$4.991 Month
  • VA Ready Pro Annual$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is VetCalc free?
VetCalc is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VA Ready free?
VA Ready is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, VetCalc or VA Ready?
VA Ready is rated higher. VetCalc averages 4.6 out of 5 from 976 ratings, while VA Ready averages 4.8 from 726 ratings.
Do VetCalc or VA Ready have ads?
Neither VetCalc nor VA Ready shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VetCalc or VA Ready?
VetCalc ships an update every 9 months, and VA Ready weekly. Most recently, VetCalc was updated on October 24, 2026 and VA Ready on October 25, 2026.

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