11 Best iPad Calculator Apps to Solve All Your Math Problems

Apple doesn’t include a calculator on the iPad and never has. One almost appeared over 12 years ago, but was nothing more than a larger version of the iPhone app. Since then, the company still hasn’t released an iPad-optimized calculator, and there’s no shortage of third-party alternatives to fill the gap. It may happen one day, but these are the best calculator apps for your iPad right now.

Before diving into third-party calculator apps, know that iPadOS has a built-in calculator—it’s just not the same app that comes preinstalled on iOS and macOS. Instead, Spotlight Search, Siri, and even shortcuts can help with most of your math needs. They take some getting used to, but they can be powerful tools that can solve just about any problem you put in front of them.

Still, third-party applications are more convenient, especially when multitasking. For example, to calculate next month’s budget, you can use split view to view your finances and calculator at the same time. In another example, having Notes next to a video lecture in Split View with a calculator in SlideOver makes it easier to complete math homework.

All of the apps below are available on the App Store for free or for a small, one-time in-app purchase. My favorites are Calcbot 2 and Intuitive Calculator, but all of the apps mentioned have their pros and cons, which I’ve outlined below.

Go to application:

1. Kalkbot 2
2. Pcalc
3. Simple Calculator
4. Kaltan
5. Graphing Calculator X84
6. Calculate84
7. Universal Calculator
8. Calculator – Pad Edition
9. Calculator
10. Calculator Pro+ for iPad
11. Intuitive Calculator

Applications not included

One popular calculator not included in this list is App Tower Inc.’s Calculator, the second most popular free freezing utility in the App Store at the time of this writing. It seems very outdated, has few features, and ads are too intrusive. With $2.99 ​​In-App Purchase (IAP), you’d better use one of the apps below.

Another one overlooked is Calculator Air, which currently ranks sixth on the App Store’s list of popular free utilities. It’s a great tool as long as you don’t need to calculate anything other than basic math. While many of its competitors include complex features for free, Calculator Air uses a subscription-based model to access advanced tools for $4.99 per week, $9.99 per month, or $69.99 per year. That’s a lot for a calculator.

Calcbot 2

Calcbot 2 by Tapbots is my favorite calculator not only for iPadOS but also for iOS, watchOS and macOS. Like the Apple Calculator app for iOS, it has scientific calculator options like exponents and tangent functions. Calcbot also has conversions—for example, Fahrenheit to Celsius, pounds to ounces, and feet to yards—historical feed, themes, constants, and more.

Calcbot is not updated regularly. However, this is an application that has almost no bugs, if any. While Calcbot is free to use, some features require the pro version, such as the entire history and conversion feed, which costs $1.99 for a one-time IAP.

Pros:

• All the features you need (history feed, Apple Watch app, scientific features, etc.)
• Most of the features are completely free to use
• No ads, even without IAP
• Many conversions (IAP only)
• 12 different themes

Minuses:

• History tape short without IAP
• Can’t use conversions without IAP
• No widgets on home screen

PCalc

PCalc by TLA Systems Ltd. is a great app for anyone who needs a multifunctional calculator. However, PCalc Lite has very few features, as its name suggests. The Lite version is handy if you want to test the user interface and the main features of the app. Both versions have many conversions and enough features for most people.

If you choose the paid version, which costs $9.99, you get more scientific functions, engineering functions, accounting functions, fractions, constants, and all the conversions you could ever need.

Like many apps on this list, PCalc doesn’t get updated very often, but is very stable. The lite version of the app is free to use but has in-app purchases to make the app better for specific needs like development and programming, and these prices range from $0.99 to $2.99. You can also switch to the full version of the application using the IAP and give advice to the developers.

TLA Systems Ltd. there is also a beta version of the PCalc app available through TestFlight which provides many of the features of the pro version for free and you will help improve the app by providing feedback.

(1) PCalc Lite, (2) PCalc

Pros:

• The lite version has inexpensive packages that give you certain features.
• Apple Watch app in both versions
• Lots of app icons in both versions
• Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) mode in both versions
• Lots of transformations to use in both versions

Minuses:

• The paid version is much more expensive than its competitors
• There are no widgets on the home screen, but there is support for old widgets only in the full version.
• Free features are minimal

Simple Calculator

Tasser Gyati Simple Calculator is a great app if you are looking for a very simple calculator. It has a ton of themes and performs tax and business functions. The app description is intended for professionals and small business owners, but it can be useful for everyone.

Simple Calculator seems to be updated irregularly with bug fixes and new features added. The app is completely free to use with ads, but you can remove ads for a week by watching a 30-second video. You can even spend weeks of ad-free computing by watching multiple videos in a row. Another option is to purchase Simple Calculator+, the ad-free version of the app, for $1.99.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Good if you only need basic features
• You can remove ads for seven days in the free version

Minuses:

• Advertising in the free version
• Doesn’t have many “complex”features
• No Apple Watch app.
• No widget on home screen
• The plus (+) version only gets rid of ads

Kaltan

Calctan, created by Jorge Losada, is an easy to use yet powerful application. It has the ability to customize the theme to your liking with any color and has almost all the usual calculator features you need. You can scroll the left column and select the operation you need to use these features.

The app doesn’t get updated very often, but it seems pretty stable and easy to use. It’s also completely free with no in-app purchases. One big caveat with this app is that it has ads that you can’t avoid or remove.

Pros:

• 100 preset themes
• Themes are fully customizable
• Most basic and scientific functions

Minuses:

• Can’t change history bar color
• Ads are permanent without IAP to remove them
• Complex interface

Graphing Calculator X84

The X84 Graphing Calculator is one of the more complex apps on this list as its main focus is on the Graphing Calculator. The advantage of the application is that it has a user manual built into it, so you can learn how to use everything. Just tap the question mark (?) in the bottom left corner to enter the guide.

The app is not updated very often by its developer, Incpt.Mobis, but seems to be quite stable. The app is free but contains random pop-up ads. However, you can purchase the premium version of Graphing Calculator Plus for $4.99 to remove ads.

Pros:

• Great alternative to a graphing calculator
• Hardware keyboard support
• History Tape
• Dark/Light modes

Minuses:

• Can be difficult to use
• Random ad pop-ups
• The premium app costs $1-$3 more than the competition.
• No custom theme options

Calculate84

Calculate84 is another very complex app, which makes it a great alternative to a graphing calculator. It doesn’t have much settings, but it still allows you to switch between dark, light, and automatic appearance. The app also lets you resize numbers, and you can turn on “Auto Solve”which calculates as you type. The developer, Century Light LLC, has a feedback button that you can use to help make the app even better.

The app is updated fairly regularly and is completely free. There are no ads or pop-ups. However, the developer says that this may change in the future:

For those who use it now, it will always be free. However, it will eventually be monetized to ensure its sustainability for developers.

Pros:

• Completely free (for now)
• Works just like a graphing calculator
• There is a search if you can’t find a function

Minuses:

• Only dark/light themes
• Complex features can spoil the impression
• Missing regressions

Universal Calculator

All-in-one Calculator, created by Tasser Gyati, the same developer behind Simple Calculator, is exactly what it sounds like. It has a minimal calculator, a scientific calculator, and calculators for finance, general math, date and time, construction, health, and unit conversions.

The calculator app is rarely updated but seems to be pretty stable. It’s free, but there are ads. Just like a simple calculator, you can watch the video to earn seven days without ads. If you want to work without ads, you can download All-in-one Calculator Pro for $3.99.

Pros:

• Has almost all possible transformations
• You can remove ads for seven days in the free version
• Advanced mode with memory keys and other functions
• VAT calculator

Minuses:

• Only three themes
• Intrusive pop-up ads in the free version
• The Pro version only gets rid of ads

Calculator – Tablet Version

Ratha Sou Calculator – Pad Edition is a great app for just about everyone. It has many features including conversions, a tip calculator, and scientific operations. Themes are also affordable.

The application is updated more often than others, but still not so often. It’s free to use, but it has ads, and it costs $4.99 to install themes and remove ads in the app.

Pros:

• Simple Fraction Calculations
• Many different scientific calculator functions
• Tape with useful history
• Lots of conversion options
• Tip calculator
• Many different user interface settings

Minuses:

• The full version is more expensive than the competition
• Ads in the free version are quite intrusive
• Themes are part of the paid full version
• No widgets (only support for old widgets)

Calculator

The Calculator app has been around since 2000, and according to Impala Studios (the developer), it has been downloaded over 210 million times. It has tons of themes, conversions, a fraction calculator, scientific features, voice dictations, Apple Watch support, and more.

This calculator app is updated quite regularly. It is also free to download and use. However, currency conversion and fraction calculation are limited. In addition, pop-ups and banner ads are annoying.

You can remove ads, get unlimited fraction calculations, and unlock all currency conversions for $0.99 per month, $3.99 for six months, or $5.99 per year. The good news is that there’s a free 3-day trial to test out the professional features, and there’s also a one- and six-month IAP if you don’t like the subscriptions and only need them for a limited time.

Pros:

• Apple Watch app
• History Tape
• Many basic and scientific features are free
• Lots of (free) themes
• Voice dictation

Minuses:

• Premium version by subscription
• Pop-ups and banner ads
• Bugs that cause you to buy the premium version every time you open the app.
• Only three free currency conversions
• Only three calculations of free fractions
• No widgets

Calculator Pro+ for iPad

Pro+ Calculator for iPad by Apalon Apps is a decent app if you are looking for simplicity and clear functionality. The app has basic calculator functions, scientific functions, several different conversions, themes, a history panel, and more.

The app used to be updated regularly, but the last update was in November 2021. The Pro+ Calculator for iPad is free to use, but it comes with intrusive ads. However, getting rid of the ads and getting all the themes costs just $0.99 in the app, which is cheaper than the competition. There is a premium version for $2.99, but it hasn’t been updated since 2019 if the developer switched to updating the IAP instead of the standalone app.

Pros:

• The full version is relatively cheap compared to the competition ($0.99).
• Has many different conversions
• Can convert currencies
• You can unlock topics by watching ads
• Easy to use history panel
• Voiceover support

Minuses:

• Scientific features not available in portrait orientation
• Pop-up ads and banners in the free version are intrusive
• Themes are pretty boring compared to the competition
• Has a schematic privacy policy
• iPad only (no iPhone or Apple Watch apps)
• Support for old widgets only

Intuitive Calculator

I’m going to end this list with one of my favorites. Evgeny Bykov’s Intuitive Calculator is a relatively new app released in December 2021. Although it is now a little-known application, it seems to be intuitive from the name. It has all standard calculator functions, scientific functions, fraction calculator and can generate random numbers.

Since the release, the application has not been updated, but I did not find any bugs. If you find bugs, you can report them on the developer’s GitHub. The best thing is that there are no ads here and all the features are completely free.

Pros:

• Completely free
• Without advertising
• Three different calculator settings
• Very easy to use
• History stack
• You can change the thousands separator and decimal point

Minuses:

• No topics
• No Apple Watch app.
• No widgets
• No conversions