The core proposition of this app is perhaps its biggest selling point. Numi is part calculator, part notepad. Its use of natural-language processing makes it an original, accessible alternative to the default macOS calculator.
The Numi Approach to Calculating
Every computer has a calculator app built in; computers are, ultimately, very fancy calculators after all! The default macOS calculator is fine, but it tries to recreate the experience of a physical calculator. It’s familiar, yet it fails to take full advantage of the medium. Having to use the mouse for many buttons can also be inconvenient.
Numi takes quite a different approach.
Rather than working one keypress at a time, it provides an interface a bit like a basic text editor. You can easily change what you’re doing at any time and have several calculations going on at once. In many ways, it’s a halfway compromise between a normal calculator and a spreadsheet app.
Download: Numi (Free, premium version available)
Basic Math with Numi
Enter a simple calculation and Numi displays the result in the right-hand column, updated as you type. Enter another in the line below and you’ll get a right-aligned column of results with a grand total at the very bottom.
Numi supports all the standard symbols you’d expect, including parentheses for precedence, ^ for power, and so on. The app handles various symbols intelligently. It treats both * and x as the multiplication operator and even supports the official Unicode multiplication sign, ×.
Numi Supports Complex Functions
There are about 20 built-in functions for more complex math in Nume, such as sqrt() for square root, abs() to get the absolute value, or tan() to get the tangent.
Numi also supports a couple of convenient constants: Pi and E.
Currency and Time Conversions in Numi
Numi does an excellent job of converting currency and time. So much so, that you might be able to stop turning to Google. Converting between time zones can be as convenient as typing New York time to get a locale’s current time. You can also carry out calculations on time using references to now or next Wednesday, for example.
Currency conversion works in a similar way, handling phrases such as $10 to £ and similar. You can also switch currency symbols and units so 10$ and $10 both work, which is very handy.
Using Variables to Simplify Regular Calculations
You can use simple variables for repeat calculations and to improve the readability of what you’re working on. Just assign with the equals sign as in:
And you can use that variable in later operations such as:
Numi’s Natural-Language Processing
Numi really shines when it comes to its handling of language. You can write most operators using words as well as symbols, so plus, times, percent, and subtract all work as you’d expect. The app also makes some clever distinctions in cases such as:
Which produces $2, whilst:
Means the less obvious add 20% of $10 to $10. Coming to $12. You can even write:
So you can avoid having to know that you really wanted 30 × 0.2 all along.
Sadly, this does not extend to numbers written out as words. Ten plus one will not give you a result.
Numi Stays Running Out of the Way
Numi has a few options to make it very accessible, so it’s always to hand when you need it. You can, of course, assign a keyboard shortcut to move Numi’s window to the front when it’s running.
The show in menu bar setting takes this one step further.
It adds an icon to the global menu bar, which toggles the app window when you click it. But it also prevents Numi from appearing as a full app in certain contexts: in the app switcher or Dock, for example. It means the app won’t get in your way, even though it’s permanently running.
Rethink Your Calculations With Numi
Numi isn’t about to take over the world, but it does what it does very well, with minimal fuss. As a shake-up of the traditional calculator paradigm, it’s an interesting approach.
For day-to-day use, Numi is accessible and convenient. Some of its features might take a bit of learning, but Numi is a great addition to the set of standard Mac apps we all know and love.
