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Numby

A natural language calculator for your terminal and macOS

2025-11-21

Product Introduction

  1. Numby is a natural language calculator that enables users to perform complex calculations using plain English without memorizing specialized syntax. It operates as a free terminal/command-line interface (CLI/TUI) tool and offers a native macOS app with enhanced features for $5.99.
  2. The core value of Numby lies in bridging the gap between human-language thinking and technical computation, providing instant results for mathematical operations, unit conversions, and financial calculations while maintaining offline functionality and cross-platform accessibility.

Main Features

  1. Numby processes natural language inputs like "20% of 100" or "convert 5 miles to km," eliminating the need for formula syntax and enabling intuitive calculations across 40+ unit types, including length, temperature, and speed.
  2. It integrates real-time exchange rates for 300+ currencies (USD, EUR, BTC, ETH) with daily cached updates, allowing offline currency conversions and financial computations such as "100 USD + 15% VAT in JPY."
  3. Users can store variables (e.g., "x = 100"), reference historical results using commands like "prev" or "sum," and save calculations to reusable .numby files via terminal commands like ":w" or by loading files directly.

Problems Solved

  1. Numby addresses the inefficiency of traditional calculators that require syntax memorization by interpreting natural language inputs, such as "200 - 10%" or "average of 50, 75, 100," directly into accurate results.
  2. It serves developers, financial analysts, and students who need quick access to unit conversions, multi-currency calculations, and persistent variable storage without switching between apps or online tools.
  3. Typical scenarios include engineering teams converting metric/imperial units offline, traders calculating cryptocurrency values with cached rates, and researchers saving iterative formulas like "pressure = force/area" for repeated use.

Unique Advantages

  1. Unlike syntax-dependent tools like Wolfram Alpha or command-line calculators, Numby interprets free-form English queries such as "15 feet in meters + 20%" and automatically applies correct unit conversions and mathematical priorities.
  2. The product innovates with native macOS global keyboard shortcuts, TUI-based .numby file workflows, and multilingual support for 9 languages, including Japanese and Russian, enabling localized calculations like "100 евро в рублях."
  3. Competitive advantages include offline-first operation with cached currency rates, terminal/desktop app parity, and a freemium model where the CLI version remains fully functional without paywalls.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. What platforms does Numby support? Numby runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows via terminal, with a dedicated macOS app on the App Store offering enhanced UI features for $5.99, while the CLI version is free and open-source.
  2. Does Numby require an internet connection? All calculations except real-time currency conversions work offline; currency rates update automatically once daily when an internet connection is available, using cached data for uninterrupted use.
  3. How are variables and history managed? Users assign values like "tax_rate = 7.5%" and reference them in later calculations, while built-in keywords like "prev" retrieve the last result and "sum(all)" aggregates all historical values in the session.

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