The best notepad calculators, compared
Compared on by Adrian Viziteu, who makes Ratio. Details for the other apps come from their own sites and the App Store; check them for current prices.
A notepad calculator is a text editor that calculates as you type. These are the ones most people choose between. I make Ratio, so weigh what I say about it accordingly; I have tried to be fair to the others.
| Ratio | Soulver | Numi | Calca | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, Linux | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Mac, Windows, Linux | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows |
| Price | $9.99 once, 7-day trial | $59 once, or with Setapp; 60-day trial | See numi.app | See the App Store |
| Live currencies | Yes, 160+ plus crypto | Yes | Yes | No |
| Dates and time zones | Yes, plus working days | Yes | Yes | Not its focus |
| VAT, loans, working days in words | Yes | See soulver.app | See numi.app | Write your own formulas |
| Best at | Money, tax and deadlines | Polish and sync across Apple devices | A simple, clean design | Algebra, functions and matrices |
| Command line | Mac, plus Raycast | Yes | Yes | No |
Soulver
The most polished and the best known, with sync between Mac, iPhone and iPad, stock prices and an optional Wolfram|Alpha link. The price is the highest of the four, and it has no Windows or Linux version. Ratio vs Soulver.
Numi
A clean, simple design on all three desktop platforms, with an interface in more languages, including Russian, Chinese and Korean. Ratio vs Numi.
Calca
The one for algebra: define functions, solve for their parameters, work with matrices. It is fully offline and has no live exchange rates. Ratio vs Calca.
Ratio
Built for money and time: live currencies, VAT by country, loans and interest in plain words, working days with public holidays, and calculations written in six languages. It is the cheapest of the four and runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. There is no iPhone app.
| 1000 + VAT | 1,190 |
| 10k at 4% for 5 years | 12,166.529 |
| 1 mar 2027 + 10 working days | Mon, 15 Mar 2027 |
| solve x^2 - 5x + 6 = 0 | x = 2 or x = 3 |
Not a notepad calculator, but worth knowing
- PCalc: a keypad calculator with RPN for Apple devices. Ratio vs PCalc.
- SpeedCrunch and Qalculate: free, open-source calculators that work one expression at a time. Compared with Ratio.
- A spreadsheet: better for large tables of data. When to use which.
Which one to pick
- You live on iPhone and iPad as well as the Mac: Soulver.
- You do algebra and want functions and matrices: Calca.
- You want the interface in Russian, Chinese or Korean: Numi.
- Your sums are about money, tax and deadlines, or you use Windows or Linux: Ratio.
Try Ratio free for 7 days · $9.99 once, on Mac, Windows and Linux
Questions
What is the best notepad calculator for Mac? It depends on the work. Soulver is the most polished and syncs with iPhone and iPad; Calca is best for algebra; Ratio is the cheapest and strongest for currencies, VAT, loans and working days.
Which notepad calculator works on Windows and Linux? Ratio and Numi run on Mac, Windows and Linux. Calca has a Windows version. Soulver is Apple-only.
Is there a free notepad calculator? Ratio has a 7-day free trial and Soulver a 60-day trial. SpeedCrunch and Qalculate are free and open source, but they work one expression at a time rather than as a notepad.