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CalcTape – the calculator with an editable paper tape

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The calculator that keeps track: long calculations stay clear, and you can change any entry afterwards – like a paper tape, only smarter. For Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and in the browser.

All platforms

  • 4.6 ★ from 53,000 ratings on Google Play
  • 1 M+ downloads of the Android app
  • No account no sign-up, no cloud required
CalcTape as an app: a tape with variables, comments and automatically recalculated subtotals.
Try it

Try CalcTape right here.

On the right is the real web app, reduced to the tape: tap a number and change it, write a comment after it, insert a line – everything below recalculates.

Keypad, menu, files and your own worksheet come with the full web app, free and without sign-up. The frame loads the app once it scrolls into view (about 0.7 MB); nothing is saved here.

CalcTape is available for:

What is CalcTape

A new kind of calculator.

A classic desktop calculator only shows the final result – how you got there stays invisible, and one wrong tap means starting over. CalcTape makes the whole calculation visible, labelled and editable at any time. It replaces your old desktop calculator.

Type it in

Enter your items as a list – step by step, with plus, minus, times, divide, exponents and percentages.

Comment

Label every item. That keeps it clear what the numbers mean – today and a year from now.

Correct

Change a value in the middle of the calculation. CalcTape recalculates everything instantly – no starting over. Save the calculation and it becomes the template for next time.

Use cases

Everyday calculations.

Travel expenses, a quote, VAT, percentages: four typical tasks, each with a real example calculation. Open it right in the tile – in the web app, with your own figures.

Putting together travel expenses

Hotel, flight, allowances, taxi – every receipt of a business trip on one tape, each with its comment, and the total adds up.

Calculating a quote with materials and labour

Set the hourly rate and the hours once, add the materials, put tax and cash discount on top – change one value and the whole quote recalculates.

Calculating VAT with a visible calculation path

Net plus VAT, or from gross back to net – the tax amount stands visibly beside the rate.

Percentages with a visible calculation path

Discount before cash discount, first 20 % up and then 20 % off – and why two percentages in a row must not simply be added up.

A look inside

This is what a calculation looks like.

The tape on the desktop: the items with comments and subtotals on the left, result and keypad on the right.

CalcTape for Windows: a price calculation as a tape – items with comments, subtotals and the grand total, with toolbar and keypad beside it.
CalcTape for Windows – the new version, from ongoing development.
Features

Everything that replaces mental math and scratch paper.

Every item visible, every value editable, every result right to the cent. Here is what that means in detail:

Change without starting over

Change a value in the middle of the calculation, an operator or a whole line: everything below recalculates at once. A line that does not add up yet gets a red marker and waits, without stopping the rest. Undo takes back every step.

Right to the cent

CalcTape computes in exact decimals, with no floating point: 0.1 + 0.2 is exactly 0.3, and even a tape with a thousand items does not drift. Rounding is commercial, at your decimal places, and percentage amounts are rounded before they enter the total – just like on a printed invoice.

Percentages and tax rates

“+ 19 %” adds to the running total, “- 19 %” takes it off, “* 19 %” gives you that share of it, and CalcTape writes the amount beside it. The tax keys know the rates of your country, and the minus key takes included tax out of a gross amount correctly: it divides by 1.19.

Subtotals and grand total

Structure the calculation with subtotals in exactly the right places and carry on below a result. If one sheet holds several calculations, CalcTape adds them up to a grand total without counting a subtotal you continued twice.

Comments

Write what an item stands for behind it, and whole lines of text in between. The math ignores them, including any digits inside. Whoever opens the calculation later still sees at a glance what it was about.

Variables & named values

Give values a name: “vat = 19”, “hours = 7.5”. Below the definition you calculate with them, as a percentage too (“+ vat%”). Inside a definition, parentheses and functions are allowed, from square root and rounding to logarithm and trigonometry.

Type like on a desk calculator

On the desktop you choose your input style: fixed decimals like on a cash register, where the digits flow in from the right. On Windows the adding machine comes on top, where the operator finishes the line. Plus the memory keys M+, M-, MR, whose memory is shared by all your sheets.

Programmable buttons

A key types for you what you would type otherwise: “+ 19 %”, “* 1.0725”, “- 2 %” for early payment, a recurring comment as well. The preset tax keys can be edited in every edition; your own keys and whole keypads come with Pro.

The worksheet

A sheet that is always open and saves itself. Whatever you work out in between is still there the next time you start.

Files and templates

Save a calculation as a file and reopen it later, always freshly computed. That makes every calculation a template as well: change a few values and the next variant is done. How many files may sit side by side is in the edition overview.

Print and export

Print with preview, save as PDF or HTML, copy into your own document with formatting: columns, green comments, red negative amounts. Excel export comes with Pro on the Windows desktop.

Your file, readable everywhere

A CalcTape file is plain text. It opens on every device, is recomputed there by the same engine and brings its number format along: a tape written in German formatting stays correct on an English-formatted machine. CalcTape reads the files of its predecessors CalcPad and CalcAnt as well.

Also on board: themes with a light and a dark mode, digit grouping in English, German or Indian style, the sum of any selection on request, and the hint behind a “|” that shows what a single line contributes to the result. The calculating happens on your device, with no account and no cloud.

Which of these your platform brings, and which of them the free edition includes, is shown under Editions and on the platform pages.

Editions

Three tiers, one calculation core.

The full calculating comfort is in every edition – free on Windows, Android and in the browser. What Pro and Business add on top, and what they cost on your device, is here.

Freeware

For private use

  • Basic arithmetic, exponents, percentages
  • Comments & interim results
  • Worksheet, saved automatically
Start for free

Business

Company & administration

  • Everything in Pro
  • Your own company logo
  • Custom setup (MSI) & volume licence
Learn more

Every feature in detail: edition comparison for Windows

All platforms compared – one-off prices, no subscription:

Platform Freeware Pro Business
Windowsin progressfree7.95 €*on request
Mac not available6.99 €* not available
iPhone & iPad not available2.99 €* not available
Androidfree4.79 €* not available
Webfree not available not available

Pro pricing varies by platform (partly due to app-store fees). Business is based on Windows. The new Windows version is still in the works – the prices shown apply once it is released.

*Prices may vary by country due to local taxes, service fees or currency conversion.

Everywhere with you

CalcTape for every device.

Whether on your PC, your Mac, on the go on your phone or right in the browser – your tape is always there.

Pick your device – this is what the offer looks like there:

CalcTape for Windows

The desktop calculator that keeps track, for your PC.

New Windows version in the works – version 6 is available

Freeware
Freeware for private use: the full calculating core, one saved file plus the worksheet.
Pro
7.95 €* one-off per licence – unlimited files, your own keys, Excel export, commercial use.
Business
on request

The new Windows version is in the works; prices apply once it is released. Try it early: register as a beta tester.

*Prices may vary by country due to local taxes, service fees or currency conversion.

CalcTape for Mac

The adding machine for your Mac.

Freeware
Pro
6.99 €* one-off on the Mac App Store – one edition with everything, no freeware, no subscription.
Business

On the Mac, CalcTape is a paid app only.

*Prices may vary by country due to local taxes, service fees or currency conversion.

CalcTape for iPhone & iPad

Calculate, comment, correct – always with you.

Freeware
Pro
2.99 €* one-off on the App Store – one app for iPhone and iPad, no subscription.
Business

On iPhone and iPad, CalcTape is a paid app only.

*Prices may vary by country due to local taxes, service fees or currency conversion.

CalcTape for Android

Simple calculating on your Android device.

Freeware
Freeware for private use: the full calculating core and the worksheet, saved automatically.
Pro
4.79 €* one-off on Google Play – several documents, your own keys, commercial use.
Business

Try Pro first: the app can start a one-time trial with the full Pro feature set – 10 days, no purchase and no subscription.

*Prices may vary by country due to local taxes, service fees or currency conversion.

CalcTape Web

CalcTape right in your browser – no installation.

Freeware
Free in the browser: the full calculating core and the worksheet – no installation, no sign-up.
Pro
Business

Designed for desktop browsers; on the go, the apps are the better choice.

Made in Cologne

Built by people who take software seriously.

CalcTape is the in-house product of schoettler Software GmbH. With over 30 years of experience in custom software, interfaces and apps, we know what makes software maintainable and user-friendly in the long run – and that’s exactly what goes into CalcTape.

More about schoettler Software
Frequently asked

Answered in brief.

How is CalcTape different from a normal calculator?

The entire calculation stays visible – like on a paper tape. You change any item afterwards, add comments and create interim results. The total recalculates automatically after every change.

Is CalcTape free?

On Windows, on Android and in the browser, yes. On Windows and Android the Freeware is for private use; the Pro version adds more features and commercial use. On Mac, iPhone and iPad CalcTape is a paid app with the full feature set. What each version costs is shown in the Platforms section.

Can I try Pro first?

On Android, yes: the app can start a one-time trial with the full Pro feature set – 10 days, no purchase and no subscription. It ends by itself; documents you created stay readable and are read-only until you upgrade, while the worksheet stays editable.

Can I download CalcTape for Windows?

Yes, the previous version 6.0.8.1 is available for download; for several machines there are ready-made installer packages (MSI). New Pro licences for version 6 are not on sale at the moment. Alongside it, CalcTape for Windows is being rebuilt from the ground up. If you would like to test the new one early, register as a beta tester – we will get in touch as soon as the beta starts. Everything else is on the CalcTape for Windows page.

Can I use CalcTape commercially?

Yes, with the right edition; the rules differ by platform.

  • Windows: The Freeware is for private use only; working from home for your employer is not private use. For commercial use you need Pro, or CalcTape Business from 25 licences, which adds your company logo inside the app and a custom setup (MSI) for deployment. Business is available on request; Pro licences return with the new Windows version.
  • Android: The Freeware is for private use only; Pro includes commercial use.
  • Mac, iPhone and iPad: There is only the paid app with the full feature set; there is no company edition.
  • Web: CalcTape Web is a free service without editions.

All questions and answers are in the FAQ.

Get started

Try CalcTape for free.

Right in the browser, no installation and no sign-up – or as an app for your device. You won’t miss your old desktop calculator.

Questions? support@calctape.com