5 Online Calculators

The first “compact” calculator was released in 1957, and needed to be built into a desk. Over time the device shrank, to the point where you could easily fit it in your hand. These days most people use software calculators on their phones, instead of a separate device. This gives you a lot of choice, and different ways of using calculators.

Which brings us to today’s Cool Websites and Apps, where we’ll look at five apps that do calculators differently. From algebra solvers that show their work to notepad-like tools that also crunch numbers, we’ve got all sorts of ways for you to do what computers do best: calculate.

Algebra Calculator (Web, iOS)

There are plenty of calculators out there capable of solving algebra problems, but not all of them bother to show you how the problem was solved – which makes them useless for learning. If there’s a problem you can’t figure out, Algebra Calculator can solve it for you and show you every step.
You can use the web version, or an iOS app for iPhone and iPad.

Notepad Calculator

This one isn’t like any calculator you’ve ever seen before: it’s got a notepad-like interface. Just type out equations to get solutions, or you can assign values to terms and use them for more calculations later.

Numi (Mac)

Like the idea behind Notepad Calculator, but prefer native Mac apps? Numi is perfect for you. Like Notepad calculator, you can jot down equations to get quick answers – and even define terms to use them later. But there’s more: this app can also convert currency, and include those conversions in calculations.

Calcbot (iOS/Apple Watch)

Speaking of calculators with currency conversion: here’s one for iOS users. Calcbot looks like a simple calculator, and you can use it that way, but it also offers a variety of conversion tools. This puts all your number-crunching needs in one place.

Desmos Graphing Calculator (Web)

Desmos is a great example of why dedicated graphing calculators are kind of silly in this day and age. It’s an alternative to a graphing calculator you can run in your web browser.