OT Query: Who knows of a good macOS calculator?—SOLVED

[Rick Cornish]

Since Apple ruined their own calculator app by removing the paper tape feature, I'm looking for a good one.

Tried PCalc… works great but it's Fugly… actually the ugliest software I've ever seen.

Downloaded one called Numi, which is unusual, but works great and appears as though someone competent helped with the UI design… but they want $30 for it… which seems like a lot for a simple calculator.

Any others?

[stubbsonic]

Wow, it's kind of dumb because you CAN turn on "Show History" which will at least in some respects show you a list of calculations but then you can't do ANYTHING with it-- except paste one calculation at a time--sort of. It will let you copy either the list of additions but not the sum, or just the sum. What the heck?

Sometimes Apple makes "improvements" that are bewildering.

I'm happy to submit feedback to Apple on this. Not that it will help. I don't think Apple has EVER made a change that coincidentally I had wished for (regardless of whether I sent feedback or not-- and I do fairly often)

[bayswater]

I usually have a Numbers sheet lurking in the background, saved to iCloud so it's always there with whatever I've done.
Also have a solar powered real calculator that works in low room light. It cost $12. $30 is nuts.

[mikehalloran]

Someone at Apple decided that View/History is more useful than showing the paper tape. That person is wrong.

[mhschmieder]

I'll be looking for one too. My biggest shock when I upgraded a few weeks ago was the awful new calculator that has removed most of the basic calculator features that us old farts have been using for almost 50 years.

[mikehalloran]

I'll be looking for one too. My biggest shock when I upgraded a few weeks ago was the awful new calculator that has removed most of the basic calculator features that us old farts have been using for almost 50 years.

Ar you sure? Most of those functions have been moved (paper tape is still gone, however).

[bayswater]

Ar you sure? Most of those functions have been moved (paper tape is still gone, however).

Save Paper tape is in the file menu on Sonoma. Not sure what one is supposed to do with it.

Might this one be closer to the mark?

https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/calculato ... 0984?mt=12

There are others in the App Store that have "paper tape" in the app name.

[Rick Cornish]

Save Paper tape is in the file menu on Sonoma. Not sure what one is supposed to do with it.

There is no File menu for the Calculator app in Sequoia.

Screenshot 2025-06-08 at 11.30.44 AM.png (44.31 KiB) Viewed 187 times

[mhschmieder]

I was wrong; the ability to clear the screen has simply been relabeled as "AC".

[Rick Cornish]

I stumbled across Solves+ on the Apple App Store and it looks like what I want.

Looks very similar to the Apple calculator, but has a "history" that is essentially a paper tape and (better than the last macOS calculator), the history stays attached to the calculator keypad. Does a lot of other stuff, too, for those that need it.

Check it out here.

($12 for the full-featured version, but the free version works fine.)

[mikehalloran]

I stumbled across Solves+ on the Apple App Store and it looks like what I want.

Looks very similar to the Apple calculator, but has a "history" that is essentially a paper tape and (better than the last macOS calculator), the history stays attached to the calculator keypad. Does a lot of other stuff, too, for those that need it.

Check it out here.

($12 for the full-featured version, but the free version works fine.)

I like that the same purchase is good across all of my dvices—if I upgrade from the free version..