Report updated Jun 2, 2026
Custom Formulas
For professionals and students in technical fields like surveying, finance, and health who require custom, repeatable calculation workflows.
Custom Formulas is an established utilities app that is a paid app. With a 4.7/5 rating from 77 reviews, it shows polarized user reception.
What is Custom Formulas?
Custom Formulas is a computational utility for creating and running user-defined mathematical formulas on iOS and Android.
Users hire this app to automate repeatable technical calculations that standard scientific calculators cannot handle, removing the need for manual spreadsheet entry.
Current Momentum
v1.7 · 4mo ago
Steady- Added min, max, and avg functions.
- Targeted Android SDK 35.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
What Are The Key Features?
Users define mathematical formulas and input variables to perform custom computations
Downloadable formula categories including health, finance, and surveying directly within the app
Saves computation results to CSV files for external spreadsheet analysis
How much does it cost?
- One-time purchase at $3.99 USD
Paid model at $3.99 USD per platform, targeting users seeking a specialized, ad-free computational tool.
Who Built It?
Anthony Dunk
Providing specialized offline navigation and technical utility tools for outdoor professionals and field workers requiring precise coordinate data.
Portfolio
13
Apps
What other apps does Anthony Dunk make?
Explore the full Anthony Dunk report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Anthony Dunk.
What do users think recently?
Analysis in progress, available soon
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for Custom Formulas?
Where is it available?
Localized markets (1)
How's The Utilities Market?
How does it evolve in the Utilities market?
The app occupies a niche utility space with a $3.99 price point, competing against free scientific calculators. The 76 Android ratings suggest a low-volume, high-intent user base compared to mass-market tools.
Rank progression
7 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
This app dominates the specific niche of user-defined computational utilities with a massive, established user base and high-frequency update cadence.
Differentiators
- Offers a comprehensive library of built-in scientific constants and unit conversions that target lacks
- Supports multi-line expression history and editing which simplifies complex multi-step computational workflows
- Provides a highly customizable interface allowing users to toggle between basic and advanced scientific layouts
Head to head
The target app must pivot toward a 'no-code' formula builder identity to differentiate from HiPER's rigid, feature-heavy scientific calculator approach.
Contenders(2)
Provides a powerful, multi-modal computational environment that bridges the gap between raw formulas and visual graphing.
Differentiators
- Synchronizes algebraic inputs with dynamic geometric visualizations in a single unified workspace
- Supports advanced scripting and interactive sliders that allow users to manipulate variables in real-time
Mathway serves the same computational job-to-be-done but leverages a massive educational database to solve problems instantly.
Differentiators
- Integrates a massive backend database of step-by-step solutions for academic math problems
- Utilizes a specialized camera-input engine for instant problem recognition and automated formula parsing
Same space(4)
Represents the dominant AI-camera approach to computation, shifting the user intent from manual entry to visual scanning.
Differentiators
- Leverages Google's proprietary computer vision technology to digitize handwritten math problems with extreme accuracy
- Provides an interactive learning experience that guides users through the logic of each individual step
Focuses on AI-driven problem solving, providing an alternative to manual formula entry for academic users.
Differentiators
- Employs AI-based pattern recognition to provide step-by-step explanations for complex calculus and algebra problems
- Offers a subscription-based model that gates advanced pedagogical content behind a recurring revenue wall
A standard-bearer for educational graphing that serves as an adjacent tool for users needing visual formula validation.
Differentiators
- Features a world-class graphing engine that renders complex mathematical functions with high performance
- Offers a collaborative classroom platform that creates a strong network effect among students and teachers
A high-traffic utility app that occupies the broader calculator space with a focus on general-purpose user experience.
Differentiators
- Prioritizes a highly polished, consumer-grade UI that emphasizes ease of use over complex formula logic
- Includes specialized modes for currency and unit conversion that appeal to a broader, non-technical audience
New entrants(1)
An emerging threat that redefines the calculator as a text-based notepad, directly challenging the 'formula' input paradigm.
Differentiators
- Uses a natural language processing engine to calculate results directly from plain-text notes and lists
- Eliminates the traditional calculator grid in favor of a document-centric, free-form computational workflow
Compare Custom Formulas against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for Custom Formulas
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Formula sharing hub functions as a community-driven retention mechanism
- Variable-driven architecture supports complex multi-step workflows
- Ad-free model appeals to power users
Critical Frictions
- $3.99 entry barrier limits new user acquisition
- 76 Android ratings indicate low market penetration
- Lack of visual graphing engine compared to Desmos
Growth Levers
- Integrate wearable companion apps for field-based surveying
- Expand formula categories into niche engineering sectors
Market Threats
- Soulver 3's natural language input threatens the grid-based interface
- Google's Photomath integration commoditizes manual formula entry
- High-velocity update cadence of HiPER erodes relative stability
What are the next best moves?
Ship visual graphing integration because Desmos captures the academic segment → increase market share
Competitor analysis identifies Desmos as a standard-bearer for visual formula validation.
Trade-off: Pause the formula sharing hub expansion — visual graphing has higher acquisition potential.
Audit Android stability because HiPER's update cadence creates a perceived quality gap → improve retention
HiPER maintains a high-velocity release schedule that ensures hardware compatibility.
Trade-off: Same-quarter capacity available — no major lever displaced.
A counter-intuitive read
The app's low Android rating count is a strategic asset, as it signals a high-intent, professional user base that is less susceptible to the churn-heavy casual calculator market.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Visual graphing engine (available in Desmos but absent here)
- Natural language input (available in Soulver 3 but absent here)
- Step-by-step problem explanations (available in Mathway but absent here)
Key Takeaways
Custom Formulas holds a distinct niche through its formula-sharing utility, but the lack of visual graphing leaves it vulnerable to academic-focused rivals, so the PM should prioritize graphing integration to broaden the target audience.
Where Is It Heading?
Stable
The computational utility market is consolidating around AI-driven and visual-first tools, which puts manual-entry apps like Custom Formulas at a disadvantage. The app must pivot toward a no-code formula builder identity to maintain relevance against high-velocity scientific calculator competitors.
Recent updates focused on SDK compatibility and minor function additions, indicating a maintenance-oriented development cycle.
The entry of natural language calculators like Soulver 3 threatens the long-term viability of grid-based formula entry.