Download Parsify Desktop 1.9.3 / 2.0.0 Beta 2 (Mac) Free

Text calculators have become very popular, and it’s easy to see why. They combine the convenience of Notepad with the power of a scientific calculator, using a simple, intuitive syntax that pretty much boils down to writing what you want it to do.

Parse is up-to-date and has some differences from existing apps like Soulver and Numi. It’s the only one that runs on both Windows and Linux, at the expense of relying on Electron, it has a robust plugin architecture, and can be customized to a great extent.

How the calculator works

Parsify aims to replace spreadsheets with a Notepad-like application that understands natural language and performs calculations according to a user-friendly syntax. You write down what you want it to do, add variables, and it should understand what you mean and provide the result.

Of course, it gets more complicated than that. You can declare variables and use them in operations, convert units and currencies, calculate percentages, work with dates and times, and more.

Infinitely expandable

Perhaps the most notable feature is how much can be added through plugins. Most of Parsify’s functionality is contained in built-in plugins, and you can create custom plugins that take precedence and access expressions, variables, and functions. Even npm packages are supported.

This makes the app different from Numi and Soulver, which have fewer plug-ins, and Soulver doesn’t. Of course, not everyone wants to write or install plugins, so this might not be a plus for less technical users.

How does it compare?

All three applications are very similar in terms of supported actions. Parsify probably holds the top spot simply because it’s the most scalable. The UI is intuitive and customizable, but the app does lose some points for not running on native code.

It’s worth noting that Parsify doesn’t provide support for multiple notes, which you can find in Numi and Soulver. The latter also includes a Spotlight-like calculator and in-app documentation, though it’s also the most extensive option.

In short, you can’t go wrong with Parsify, but it’s probably best for users who plan to integrate additional functionality via plugins. If you don’t need to add more than five expressions and are not interested in plugins, you can use the free version. Of course, if you also have a Windows or Linux PC, this is the only application of this kind that isn’t limited to macOS.