Verdict
The one most people end up owning. Broad, capable, and priced low enough that it is the default recommendation in a lot of classrooms.
Best for
Someone who needs a graphing calculator today and does not want to research it.
Dealbreaker
It looks its age and people say so — the interface draws as many complaints as compliments, and several reviewers say it took real effort before it clicked.
The facts.
Pulled from the App Store, not written by hand.
Price
$5.99 once
In-app purchases
Unknown
Ads
Unknown
Platforms
iPhone, iPad
Rating
4.6★ (12,029)
Version
4.1
Last updated
Feb 26, 2026
Released
Oct 2, 2017
Attributes
Native appOne-time purchaseNo subscription
Category
Education, Utilities
What reviews consistently say.
Themes grouped from 200 App Store reviews. Source feed ›
Praised for
Ease of use and design6 reviews
Value for money5 reviews
Battery and performance2 reviews
Complained about
Confusing interface4 reviews
Too expensive4 reviews
Where this comes from
6 of 200 recent reviews raised: Ease of use and design (positive)App Store reviews ›
5 of 200 recent reviews raised: Value for money (positive)App Store reviews ›
4 of 200 recent reviews raised: Confusing interface (negative)App Store reviews ›
4 of 200 recent reviews raised: Too expensive (negative)App Store reviews ›
Where we recommend it
Calculator apps you buy once ›Scientific and graphing calculators, bought once.
Alternatives with the same rule.
Every app here is a single purchase. None of them can start charging you monthly for what you already bought. Also with a catch.
$12.99 once · 4.9★ (4,037) · Updated Nov 22, 2025
Verdict. The best-liked calculator on the App Store and it earns it. A TI-83 layout you already know, running far faster than the plastic one ever did.
Best for. A student or engineer who thinks in TI keystrokes and wants them without the hardware.
Dealbreaker. It is a graphing calculator and nothing else — no tape, no unit conversion, none of the everyday conveniences — and no exam hall will let you bring a phone, which is where most people actually need a TI-83.
$1.99 once · 4.8★ (2,627) · Updated Nov 28, 2017
Verdict. Throws out the keypad entirely. Numbers sit on an endless canvas, stay connected to each other, and update everything downstream when you change one.
Best for. Anyone doing the kind of arithmetic where you keep changing an input and want to watch the answer move.
Dealbreaker. You have to unlearn a calculator to use it, and a crash reviewers have been reporting since iOS 11 still turns up in recent reviews.
$5.99 once · 4.7★ (6,344) · Updated Mar 12, 2026
Verdict. The scientific counterpart to the one above, from the same developer, and the better buy if you want a calculator rather than a plotter.
Best for. Someone who wants a fuller scientific keypad than the built-in app offers.
Dealbreaker. The Mac version does not take keyboard input, which makes it close to unusable there, and reviewers report updates breaking things that previously worked.