# PCalc review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Scientific calculator for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. PCalc is a scientific calculator with hexadecimal, octal and binary modes, an RPN mode, programmable functions and a large set of unit conversions. The Mac and iPhone/iPad/Watch versions are separate purchases, and a free PCalc Lite app offers a smaller version with in-app purchases for the extra features. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** TLA Systems Ltd. - **Website:** https://pcalc.com/ - **Runs on:** macOS, iOS - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you use Windows or Android, as there is no version for either. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, PCalc has a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99 one-time. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** PCalc Lite: a free version for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch; the extra features of the full app can be bought inside it, individually or all at once. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | PCalc Lite | $0 | Free app for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch with in-app purchases for the full app's features. | | PCalc for iPhone, iPad and Watch | $9.99 one-time, US price; covers iPad, iPhone, Vision Pro and Watch | Full app sold through the App Store; prices vary by country. | | PCalc for Mac | $9.99 one-time, US price; separate from the iOS purchase | Mac App Store purchase with a menu bar widget, multiple calculators and a button layout editor. | Read from https://pcalc.com/mac/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with PCalc before buying. ## Key features - **Programmer modes:** Hexadecimal, octal and binary modes with bitwise operators. - **RPN mode:** Optional reverse Polish notation with one-button access to the stack. - **Conversions and functions:** A large set of unit conversions, plus editable user conversions, functions and constants that sync across devices. - **Button layout editor:** On the Mac, build your own calculator layout and sync it with iPhone and iPad. - **Menu bar widget:** The Mac version has a menu bar widget for quick calculations. - **Handoff and scripting:** Hands off in-progress calculations between Mac, iOS, visionOS and watchOS; the Mac app supports AppleScript and Shortcuts. ## Good for - Students, engineers and programmers who want a scientific or RPN calculator - Apple users who want one calculator on every device - People who prefer a one-time price to a subscription ## Worth knowing - Apple platforms only; there is no Windows, Android or web version. - The Mac and iPhone/iPad purchases are separate. - The vendor's pages give different minimum macOS versions (macOS 12 on one page, OS X 10.13 on another), so check the App Store listing. - The developer notes the App Store has no demos, which is why the Lite version exists. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. PCalc is a scientific calculator with hex, octal, binary and RPN modes, plus unit conversions, and it runs on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Watch. The Mac and iOS versions are separate $9.99 purchases, and there is no Windows or Android version. - **Value for money: A.** $9.99 once for Mac and $9.99 once for iPhone, iPad and Watch, each under a year of this category's middle subscription. Prices vary by country. - **Free plan and trial: C.** PCalc Lite is free on iPhone, iPad and Watch with in-app purchases, but the Mac app has no free version. - **Features: B.** Programmer modes, RPN, conversions, a button layout editor, a menu bar widget, Handoff and scripting. The listing names no gap in the core job. - **Ease of use: B.** No store rating is on record, but you open it and press keys with nothing to set up. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch and Vision Pro, with Shortcuts and AppleScript. No Windows, Android or web. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from TLA Systems Ltd.'s own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among desktop utilities - PCalc's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 154 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 27. - It stands best on value for money (A, above 55 of 186) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 8). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/utilities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** The plain part of PCalc you could make: calculator. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 154 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade. It costs $9.99, paid once. - You could make: Calculator: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: A native app living in the menu bar. - You could not: Apps for macOS and iOS that stay in step with each other. - You could not: Hooks into the device itself: an Apple Watch app and widgets. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## What people say - **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.7 out of 5 from 779 ratings in the United States, read Nov 13, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id284666222 ## Works with Shortcuts, AppleScript **Tags:** Calculator, One-time purchase, Menu bar app ## Alternatives - [Numi](https://toolgpa.com/tools/numi): Text-based calculator for Mac with unit and currency conversion. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/numi-vs-pcalc) - [Soulver](https://toolgpa.com/tools/soulver): Notepad calculator for Mac, iPad and iPhone with an answer column. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/pcalc-vs-soulver) - [Raycast](https://toolgpa.com/tools/raycast): Keyboard launcher with extensions, clipboard history and AI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/pcalc-vs-raycast) - [Alfred](https://toolgpa.com/tools/alfred): Mac launcher with hotkeys, snippets and custom workflows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/alfred-vs-pcalc) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://pcalc.com/ - https://pcalc.com/mac/ - https://pcalc.com/ios/index.html Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/pcalc Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).