Calculator Tools vs Gemini Canvas

The short answer

Calculator Tools hosts a public static web app on your account at calculator.tools. You stay the owner. Gemini Canvas is Google's in-chat canvas for documents and code beside a Gemini conversation.

Use Gemini Canvas while you work in Gemini. Publish here when the result should be a hosted app other people open without Gemini. Start on Create, or connect MCP from an assistant that supports it.

What they do

Gemini is Google's assistant. Canvas is the pane for drafting and iterating, similar in role to ChatGPT Canvas and Claude Artifacts. The details of sharing and file types follow Google's product, not this site.

Gemini can also generate UI ideas and code snippets in that pane. That is still Gemini's session.

What Calculator Tools does

Calculator Tools publishes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as a public page on the owner's account. Create on the website, through ChatGPT GPTs, or through MCP.

Files live in one directory. Typical files are index.html plus CSS, JavaScript, JSON, SVG, or similar static files.

The create flow on this site currently highlights Gemini models for generation on the website itself. That is a model choice inside Calculator Tools. It is not Gemini Canvas.

Free accounts can publish 3 apps. Pro ($5.99/month) raises the limit to 25 and lists extra models on Upgrade.

Where they differ

Feature	Gemini Canvas	Calculator Tools
Home	Gemini chat	calculator.tools
In-chat editor	Yes	No
Hosted `/app/` URL	No	Yes
Remix public apps here	No	Yes
Uses Gemini as a model	Yes, in Gemini	Sometimes, on this site's create flow

Using a Gemini model on this site is not the same as Gemini Canvas. Gemini Canvas is a chat pane. Calculator Tools is an app host. For a URL you own, publish here.

When to use each

Use Calculator Tools to publish a hosted calculator, tracker, or game on your account. Open Create.
Use MCP from an assistant that supports it if you want that assistant to publish here.
Use both. Draft in Gemini Canvas, then publish the hosted files on this site.
Use Gemini Canvas to draft in Gemini without creating an account here yet. Gemini Canvas does not publish a calculator.tools URL.
Use Claude Artifacts or ChatGPT Canvas if that is the assistant you already use. The publish target is still Calculator Tools.

Limits

Calculator Tools does not replace Gemini for search, Drive, or general Google account tasks.

A hosted app is not an Android app and not a Google Cloud project. If you need those, use Google's products. If you need a shareable calculator, publish here.

Check generated numbers. Quota limits apply.

Next step

Open Create and publish a hosted app, or connect MCP. The first 3 apps are free.

Sources

Ready to publish a public app you own?

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