CalcBoard / Soulver Alternative
CalcBoard vs. Soulver
These are not really competitors — they are different tools that both replace a calculator. Here is how to tell which one you want.
Download CalcBoard FreeSoulver is a notepad calculator: you write lines in plain language (“rent 1200, utilities 180, 30% of that”) and answers appear beside each line, updating as you edit. CalcBoard is a multi-panel keypad calculator: several independent calculators on one screen, each with buttons, modes, and its own running result.
If you are choosing between them, the honest answer is that they suit different kinds of thinking, and the price gap is substantial.
| CalcBoard | Soulver 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (iPhone) | Free; $2.99 one-time unlock | Free download; $15 one-time unlock |
| Subscription | None | Optional $26/year for AI, stocks and weather data |
| Minimum iOS | iOS 16.0 | iOS 17.6 |
| Input style | Keypad and expressions | Natural-language text lines |
| Simultaneous calculators | Up to 8 panels | One sheet (multiple documents) |
| Currency conversion | No | Yes |
| Units inside expressions | No — separate converter mode | Yes |
| Programmer mode | Yes (4 bases, bitwise) | Not a focus |
| Exact decimal arithmetic | Yes | Not stated |
Soulver details from its public App Store listing on September 1, 2026 (version 4.0.2; iPhone unlock $15, Mac $59, optional $26/year data subscription). Prices and tiers change — check the listing.
Where CalcBoard comes out ahead
- Price, by a wide margin. $2.99 once against $15 for Soulver's iPhone unlock — and no $26/year subscription anywhere in the picture.
- Parallel comparison. Soulver gives you one sheet at a time; CalcBoard gives you up to eight live calculators side by side, which is the right shape for “which of these two is cheaper”.
- Keypad speed. For rapid arithmetic, buttons beat typing sentences.
- Programmer mode. Four bases simultaneously with bitwise operations — not something Soulver targets.
- Runs on more iPhones. iOS 16 against Soulver's iOS 17.6.
- Exact decimal arithmetic for money that has to reconcile to the cent.
- Free to try properly — two working panels, no time limit.
Where Soulver may suit you better
Soulver is an excellent app doing a genuinely different job, and it is worth knowing which job.
It thinks in prose: budgets and estimates read better as labelled lines than as a stack of
anonymous numbers, and editing line 2 recalculates everything below it. It also handles units and
currency inside expressions — 5 ft + 3 in or
200 USD in EUR — which CalcBoard does not offer. And it is a first-class
Mac application, where CalcBoard arrives via iPad app compatibility.
If those are what you need, Soulver earns its price. They are also a different product category from a keypad calculator.
A reasonable way to choose
If your calculations come with labels — a budget, a quote, a plan you will revisit and edit — that is notepad-calculator territory. If they come in pairs — comparing options, checking one figure against another, converting and then computing — that is what multi-panel is for, at a fifth of the price.
CalcBoard's free tier is a working two-panel calculator, so you can settle it in a minute without paying anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CalcBoard a Soulver alternative?
How much cheaper is CalcBoard than Soulver?
Can CalcBoard convert currency like Soulver?
Can I write calculations in plain English in CalcBoard?
A fifth of the price, twice the calculators
Free to try with two panels. No subscription, no ads.
Download Free on App Store