Quick Maths on a Mac: An AI Fraction Calculator & In-Browser Calculators
Doing quick maths on a Mac shouldn't mean opening Calculator and converting fractions to decimals in your head first. If you've searched for a fraction calculator mac app, you've probably hit that exact wall — decimals in, fractions ignored.
I've built a few small tools for different corners of this problem: fractions on the Mac, a lightweight calculator for the browser, and — for a very specific UK question — working out take-home pay.
A Fraction Calculator Mac App for Actual Fractions
Ordinary calculators treat fractions as an afterthought, forcing you to convert manually before you even start.
AI Fraction Calc handles fractions, decimals and percentages natively on macOS, rather than making you convert everything to decimal first. It's built for the kind of quick maths that comes up while cooking, doing DIY measurements, or checking homework — where the numbers are naturally fractions and forcing them into decimal form just adds a step and a chance to get it wrong.
A Calculator That Lives in the Browser
Sometimes the maths happens mid-browsing, and switching to a separate app is one step too many.
Quick Notes with Counter & Calculator is a lightweight Chrome extension combining a note-taking widget with counters and a calculator, so you can jot a figure down and do the sum without leaving the tab you're on. It's a smaller, browser-based companion to a dedicated Mac calculator app, for when you just need a quick answer.
Working Out What You Actually Take Home
Percentages get personal fast when the question is your own payslip.
Salary Cal is a UK take-home pay calculator for iPhone and iPad, built for the specific maths of working out what actually lands in your account after tax and National Insurance. It's a good pairing with a fraction calculator when you're double-checking payslip percentages by hand rather than trusting a single number.
Full disclosure: I build all three of these, each aimed at a different flavour of quick maths rather than one bloated all-in-one calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Mac app that calculates fractions instead of just decimals?
AI Fraction Calc is built specifically for fractions, decimals and percentages on macOS, so you don't have to convert fractions in your head first.
Can I use a calculator directly in Chrome without opening a separate app?
Quick Notes with Counter & Calculator is a Chrome extension with a built-in calculator and counters, so simple sums can happen right in the browser.