Comparison

Desmos Test Mode vs Calculate84

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

Head to head
About

Desmos Test Mode

This app provides restricted versions of graphing and scientific calculators designed to meet exam requirements. It allows users to practice for specific state or national assessments by selecting the appropriate test mode. Full, unrestricted calculator features are available in separate applications.

Highlights
  • Exam-compliant calculator modes
  • Graphing capabilities
  • Scientific calculator functions
  • Data tables and statistics
  • Interactive sliders
  • Points of interest on graphs
Read full description

** These are restricted versions of the Desmos Calculators that comply with exam requirements. To prepare for specific state or national assessments, select the corresponding test from the menu in the app. Find out whether Desmos is used for your test at www.desmos.com/testing. If you’d like to use full, unrestricted versions of the calculators, download the Scientific or Graphing Calculator apps or visit www.desmos.com. ** At Desmos, we imagine a world of universal math literacy where math is accessible and enjoyable for all students. To that end, we’ve built simple yet powerful calculators. They’re intuitive, beautiful, and completely free. - - - Graphing Calculator Features: Graphing: Plot polar, Cartesian, and parametric graphs. There’s no limit to how many expressions you can graph at one time—and you don’t even need to enter expressions in y= form! Sliders: Adjust values interactively to build intuition, or animate any parameter to visualize its effect on the graph. Tables: Input and plot data, or create an input-output table for any function. Statistics: Use regressions to find the lines (or other curves!) that best fit your data. Zooming: Scale the axes independently or at the same time with the pinch of two fingers, or edit the window size manually to get the perfect view of your graph. Points of Interest: Touch a curve to show its maximum and minimum values, intercepts, and points of intersection with other curves. Tap any of these points of interest to see their coordinates. Hold and drag along a curve to see the coordinates change under your finger as you trace. - - - Scientific Calculator Features: Variables: Assign values to variables that you can use in other expressions. Since all of your work is held in the expressions list, you can compute a value once and use it in many places simultaneously. Take advantage of the “ans” key, which always stores the value of the previous expression. Arithmetic: Beyond the four basic operations, the scientific calculator also supports exponentiation, radicals, absolute value, logarithms, rounding, and percentages. Trigonometry: Evaluate the fundamental trigonometric functions and their inverses using either radians or degrees for angle measure. Statistics: Compute the mean and standard deviation (sample or population) of a list of data. Combinatorics: Count combinations and permutations and calculate factorials. - - - Four-Function Calculator Features: Simple and Beautiful: Just the basics done right. Add, subtract, multiply, divide, and take square roots. Multiple Expressions: Unlike many four-function calculators, all of your previous work remains visible on the screen. The special “ans” key always holds the value of the previous computation (and updates automatically!), so you never have to remember or copy a result.

About

Calculate84

This app offers a modern graphing calculator experience on your iPhone. It features fast, interactive touch-screen graphing, scrollable windows, and intelligent error messages for a more intuitive user experience. Designed to be a usable alternative to physical graphing calculators.

Highlights
  • Fast, interactive touch-screen graphing
  • Scrollable windows
  • Intelligent error messages
  • Intuitive interface
  • Designed for TI-84 users
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Graphing made for iPhone Calculate84 brings the graphing calculator experience to iPhone with a fast, touch-friendly design. What you can do: • Plot and explore graphs with smooth touch controls • Find familiar calculator functions quickly • Scroll naturally through equations and results • Get clearer, more helpful error messages • Send feedback directly from the app Why we built Calculate84 We relied on graphing calculators ourselves and wanted an app that felt easier to use on a modern phone. Before launch, we worked with students to refine the experience, and we continue improving it based on user feedback. Send feedback Tap the red Feedback button in the app. Terms of Use (EULA): https://calculate84.com/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Desmos Test Mode4 screens
Calculate844 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Calculate84 at 75% against Desmos Test Mode's 17%. Calculate84 also leads on rating (4.8 vs 1.6) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). Desmos Test Mode's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support 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. Calculate84 sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Desmos Test Mode asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Calculate84 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calculate84 has 54K ratings behind it against 370, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Desmos Test Mode's written reviews are positive against 75% of Calculate84's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Desmos Test Mode ships an update every 4 months, Calculate84 fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Desmos Test Mode versus Calculate84: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDesmos Test ModeCalculate84
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.6 (370 ratings)4.8 (54K ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.5% of reviews74.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings37054K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#94 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB71 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDesmosCentury Light LLC

Customer experience

Desmos Test Mode

All ratings370 ratings
Positive14.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative83.2%
Written reviews139 reviews
Positive16.5%
Neutral5.0%
Negative78.4%

Calculate84

All ratings53,397 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews386 reviews
Positive74.6%
Neutral8.8%
Negative16.6%

User reviews

Desmos Test Mode

From 370 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Useful app for tests
  • 🔒 Secure calculator mode
  • 👍 Free alternative to expensive calculators

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable
  • 🔒 Overly restrictive app lock
  • 👎 Poor user interface and usability

Calculate84

From 54K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Identical to TI-84 calculator
  • 🚀 Seamless and intuitive user experience
  • 💰 Affordable alternative to physical calculator
  • 📱 Convenient to have on phone
  • 🔍 Comprehensive functionality matching physical calculator

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • 🔍 Missing some advanced features like regression types
  • 🔒 Previous purchases removed without warning
  • 💰 Subscription model can be expensive
  • 📺 Intrusive ads in free version

Bugs and requests

Desmos Test Mode

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes and freezes during use
  • Unexpected phone behavior and lockouts
  • Compatibility issues across different devices and OS versions

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add customization options for the calculator interface
  • Improve compatibility with older devices
  • Provide more flexible calculator modes during tests

Calculate84

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when using 2-sample T/Z interval functions
  • Incorrect results for inverse trig functions
  • Issues with graphing parabolas and tracing points
  • Regression equation not displayed correctly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add TVM solver functionality
  • Implement more regression types
  • Allow disabling of ads for free users
  • Restore previous purchase benefits
  • Optimize for mobile experience instead of emulating physical calculator

In-app purchases

None

Desmos Test Mode

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Calculate84

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro Subscription3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Annual Pro Subscription7 Days trial$6.991 Year
One-time4
  • Lifetime Subscription$6.99
  • Lifetime Subscription$9.99
  • Lifetime Subscription$12.99
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime Pro Subscription$29.99

Questions

Is Desmos Test Mode free?
Desmos Test Mode is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Calculate84 free?
Calculate84 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Desmos Test Mode or Calculate84?
Calculate84 is rated higher. Desmos Test Mode averages 1.6 out of 5 from 370 ratings, while Calculate84 averages 4.8 from 54K ratings.
Do Desmos Test Mode or Calculate84 have ads?
Calculate84 shows ads; Desmos Test Mode does not.
Which is updated more often, Desmos Test Mode or Calculate84?
Desmos Test Mode ships an update every 4 months, and Calculate84 fortnightly. Most recently, Desmos Test Mode was updated on October 24, 2026 and Calculate84 on October 27, 2026.

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