Best AI Math Tutors of 2026
AI math tutors and solvers ranked on what the free version explains, grade range, whether they teach or just answer, and price.
By , research by the BestBots team ยท Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Photomath is the best AI math tutor for most students because it explains every step free, from arithmetic through calculus, including word problems. Khanmigo is the best for building real skill, since it guides with hints instead of answers for $4 per month, and ChatGPT Study mode is the best free tutor for high school and college math.
Our top picks
How to choose
Math apps split into solvers and tutors. Decide which you need, then check range and price.
- Solver or tutor. Photomath, Gauth and Mathway take a photo and return a worked solution. Khanmigo, ChatGPT Study mode and Gemini Guided Learning ask questions and give hints. Solvers are faster for checking; tutors are better for learning.
- Grade range. Synthesis Tutor stops at fifth grade. Photomath runs through calculus. Mathway adds statistics, finite math, linear algebra, chemistry and physics. ChatGPT handles anything from fractions to proofs.
- What is free. Photomath's steps are free. Mathway's answers are free but full steps are paid. Gauth has a free tier and a paid Plus plan. ChatGPT and Gemini tutor modes are free.
- Who else sees the data. Photomath's App Store label lists data as not linked to you. Gauth's links contact info, photos and IDs to you. For kids, see the best AI tutors for kids.
Our picks, in detail
- Starting price
- $9.99 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Subjects
- Math: numbers, algebra, functions, trigonometry, sequences, geometry, calculus
- Tutor mode
- Step by step explanations with how and why tips
Photomath scans math problems, including word problems, and explains every step free, from arithmetic through calculus. Google owns it, its App Store label lists collected data as not linked to you, and it rates 4.8 from 733,163 ratings.
Pros
- Step by step explanations are free
- Covers arithmetic through calculus, including word problems
- App Store privacy label lists data as not linked to you
- 4.8 on the App Store from 733,163 ratings
Cons
- Math only
- Easy to copy answers without learning
- Plus features (textbook solutions, tutorials) are thin for $69.99 a year
Skip it if beyond calculus (statistics, linear algebra) or if your student will copy answers.
- Starting price
- $4 per month
- Free plan
- No
- Subjects
- Math, science, coding, history, humanities, writing; elementary school through college
- Tutor mode
- Guides with questions and hints by default
Khanmigo will not just hand over the answer: it asks what you tried and gives the next hint, inside Khan Academy's math courses. $4 per month covers up to 10 children, and parents can read the chats.
Pros
- $4 per month covers up to 10 children, the lowest per child price here
- Parents can read chat history and get flagged content alerts
- Free for teachers, with lesson planning and rubric tools
- Nonprofit owner; Khan Academy says it does not sell personal information or show third party ads
- Tutors with questions and hints rather than giving final answers
Cons
- US only: subscribers need a US billing address
- Built around Khan Academy content, so it is not a fast answer app
- Students under 18 cannot sign up on their own or through a teacher outside a district deal
- Khan Academy scores 2.1 on Trustpilot from 173 reviews
Skip it if you need a quick check of a finished worksheet or live outside the US.
- Starting price
- $8 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Subjects
- Not published
- Tutor mode
- Study mode on Free, Plus, Pro and Team; parents can make it the default
ChatGPT's Study mode, on the Free plan, works through problems with guiding questions and quizzes and adapts to your level, from algebra to proofs. You can paste a photo of a problem and ask it to check your own steps.
Pros
- Widest feature set in one app: chat, images, voice, Work agent, Codex and connectors
- Five consumer price points from $0 to $500 per month, so you can pay for exactly the usage you need
- Business seats at $20 per month annually undercut most rivals' team plans
- Largest review base in the category: 4.8 on the App Store from over 11 million ratings
Cons
- Go plan at $8 carries ads and stays on the smaller GPT-5.6 Luna model
- GPT-6 Pro is capped by weekly allowances even on Pro, per OpenAI's help center
- Plan and model naming (Sol, Luna, Terra, Astra) is hard to follow
Skip it if for under 13s, and verify final numbers on hard problems; it can make arithmetic slips.
- Starting price
- $11.99 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Subjects
- Math, biology, physics, chemistry and more
- Tutor mode
- AI Live Tutor with voice and a virtual whiteboard
Gauth solves photographed math and science problems with step by step guidance, adds an AI Live Tutor with a whiteboard, and Gauth Plus includes 24/7 human experts for $99.99 per year. Its 1.5 million App Store ratings average 4.8.
Pros
- 4.8 on the App Store from 1.5 million ratings
- Covers science as well as math
- Human experts available on Plus
- Turns notes, audio or lecture links into quizzes and flashcards
Cons
- Owned by ByteDance, TikTok's parent, per Axios and WIRED
- Privacy label links contact info, photos and IDs to you and uses identifiers for tracking
- Answer first design makes copying easy
- Ten different App Store prices
Skip it if byteDance ownership or data linked to your child's identity concerns you.
- Starting price
- $9.99 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Subjects
- Basic math to calculus, statistics, finite math, linear algebra, chemistry, physics
- Tutor mode
- Worked steps on paid plan only
Mathway covers basic math through calculus plus statistics, finite math, linear algebra, chemistry and physics. Answers are free; full worked steps cost $9.99 per month or $39.99 per year on the App Store.
Pros
- Covers statistics, linear algebra, chemistry and physics
- Answers are free
- 4.9 on the App Store from 424,602 ratings
Cons
- Step by step work needs a subscription
- Contains advertising
- Answer first design teaches little on its own
Skip it if you want free steps, which Photomath gives.
- Starting price
- $29 per month
- Free plan
- No
- Subjects
- K to 5 math: counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, algebraic thinking
- Tutor mode
- Interactive lessons, not a chat box
Synthesis Tutor covers the K to 5 curriculum, from counting through fractions and early algebraic thinking, for ages 5 to 11 with interactive lessons instead of a chat box. It has a 7 day trial with no card.
Pros
- Built for ages 5 to 11, no open chat box
- 7 day free trial with no card
- Family plan covers several kids
- Runs on iPad, Android tablets and Chromebooks
Cons
- Math only, K to 5
- Pricing page lists conflicting prices
- No published app store rating with enough reviews
Skip it if past fifth grade math.
- Starting price
- $4.99 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Subjects
- Not published
- Tutor mode
- Guided Learning, free in the Gemini app
Gemini's Guided Learning breaks problems into steps and adds images, diagrams and interactive quizzes, which helps with geometry and graphs. It is free in the Gemini app and can be enabled for under 13s through Family Link.
Pros
- AI Pro bundles 5 TB storage and YouTube Premium Lite at $19.99
- Free plan includes Deep Research, Gemini Live and image generation
- Built into Gmail, Docs, Chrome and Android
- Cheapest paid entry point at $4.99 per month
Cons
- Usage limits are compute based with weekly caps, so there is no fixed message count
- Top usage and Project Genie are Ultra only at $99.99 or more
- Business buyers face a separate Gemini Enterprise product line
Skip it if you want a camera first solver; Photomath is faster for that.
What it costs
| App | Free version | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photomath | Scans and full steps | $9.99 | $69.99 |
| Khanmigo | Free for teachers | $4 | $44 |
| ChatGPT | Study mode on Free | $8 (Go), $20 (Plus) | Not listed |
| Gauth | Limited answers | $11.99 | $99.99 ($31.99 per quarter) |
| Mathway | Answers with ads | $9.99 | $39.99 |
| Synthesis Tutor | 7 day trial | $29 (Family, as listed) | $119 (Family, as listed) |
| Gemini | Guided Learning free | $4.99 (AI Plus) | Not listed |
October 2026 prices from vendor sites and the US App Store. The free tier of Photomath plus ChatGPT Study mode covers most middle and high school math for $0. Track assistant prices in the Price Index.
Best math tutor by level
Elementary (K to 5). Synthesis Tutor is the specialist, with lessons for ages 5 to 11. Khanmigo works too when a parent sets it up, with Khan Academy's math courses underneath it.
Middle school. Khanmigo for learning new topics with hints, Photomath for checking homework steps. Parents of under 13s can also switch on Gemini through Family Link.
High school (algebra to calculus). Photomath for free steps, ChatGPT Study mode for understanding, Gauth when the homework mixes math and science or a human expert check is worth $99.99 a year.
College and beyond. Mathway for statistics and linear algebra steps, ChatGPT Study mode for proofs and concepts, and Chegg Study for textbook solutions in engineering courses at $15.99 per month on the App Store.
Features compared
| App | Input | Subjects beyond algebra | Human help | Parent controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photomath | Camera or typed | Trigonometry, geometry, sequences, calculus | No | None listed |
| Khanmigo | Chat inside lessons | Science, coding, humanities | No | Chat history, flagged content alerts |
| ChatGPT | Text, photo, voice | Any subject | No | Linked teen accounts (13+) |
| Gauth | Camera, notes, audio, lecture links | Physics, chemistry, biology | 24/7 experts on Plus | None listed |
| Mathway | Camera or typed | Statistics, finite math, linear algebra, chemistry, physics | No | None listed |
| Synthesis Tutor | Interactive lessons | None, K to 5 math only | No | Parent account |
| Gemini | Text, photo, voice | Any subject | No | Family Link for under 13s |
Two things stand out. Only Gauth (and Brainly's Tutor plan, at $29.99 per month) put a human expert behind the AI. Only Khanmigo lets a parent read what the child and the tutor said to each other.
How parents can use AI for math homework
You do not need to remember how to factor a quadratic to help. A routine that works with free tools:
- Let the child try first. Ask them to write down every step they can.
- Check with a solver. Snap the problem in Photomath and compare its steps with your child's, line by line. The first line that differs is the lesson.
- Explain with a tutor. Paste that one step into ChatGPT Study mode (13+) or Gemini Guided Learning (Family Link for under 13s) and ask why it works. Or let Khanmigo walk your child through a similar problem.
- Practice one more. Ask the tutor for a similar problem with different numbers, and have your child solve it without help.
This keeps the solver as a checker, not a shortcut, and costs nothing beyond the free plans.
Solvers vs tutors, in practice
The same problem plays out differently by design. For "solve 2x + 7 = 19", a solver such as Photomath is built to return x = 6 with each step shown. Khanmigo is built to ask what you would do first to get x alone. ChatGPT's Study mode, per OpenAI, asks guiding questions and can quiz you with a similar problem.
A good rule for students: try first in a tutor, check in a solver. A good rule for parents: if a child's homework is suddenly perfect but test scores are not, look at which app they use.
Accuracy and limits
Every AI math tool can be wrong, especially on long multi step problems, unusual notation and word problems with hidden assumptions. Photomath and Mathway are built around math engines; general assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini reason in language and can make arithmetic slips. For anything graded, compare two tools or check with a calculator. Gauth and Brainly add human experts on paid plans for when the AI is not enough.
Red flags
- Paywalled steps presented as free. Mathway gives answers free but full steps need a subscription.
- Many App Store prices. Gauth lists 10 in app purchase prices, from $11.99 to $99.99, plus offers. Check yours.
- No age terms. Gauth requires purchasers to be 18+ but lists no parent controls.
- Copying without trying. The biggest risk with any solver.
How we picked
We compared math apps on what each publishes: plan prices, what the free tier explains, subject coverage, age ratings and App Store privacy labels, ownership, and ratings with review counts. Teaching approach and free step coverage carried the most weight, then range, then price. We did not solve problem sets in each app. Scores follow the BestBots method; no vendor paid for placement.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI math tutor?
Photomath is the best free math helper, with free step by step explanations from arithmetic through calculus. Khanmigo is the best for learning, because it guides with hints and costs $4 per month for up to 10 kids. ChatGPT Study mode is the best free option for high school and college math.
Is Photomath free?
Yes. Scanning problems and step by step explanations are free. The paid plan, $9.99 per month or $69.99 per year on photomath.com, adds animated tutorials, textbook solutions and extra how and why tips.
Photomath or Gauth: which is better?
Photomath for math, because its steps are free and its privacy label lists data as not linked to you. Gauth for mixed math and science homework or when you want a human expert, at $11.99 per month or $99.99 per year for Gauth Plus.
Mathway or Photomath?
Photomath shows full steps free from arithmetic to calculus. Mathway covers more subjects, including statistics, linear algebra, chemistry and physics, but its full steps cost $9.99 per month or $39.99 per year.
Can ChatGPT do math?
Yes, and Study mode makes it a tutor rather than an answer machine: it asks guiding questions and checks understanding with quizzes. It can still make arithmetic slips on long problems, so check final numbers with a calculator or a solver.
What is the best AI math tutor for kids?
Synthesis Tutor for ages 5 to 11 and the K to 5 curriculum. Khanmigo for older kids and teens, with parent chat review and flagged content alerts for $4 per month. Photomath for parents checking homework.
Is using a math solver cheating?
It depends on the class rules and how it is used. Checking your answer after you have tried, or studying a worked example, is how many teachers suggest using solvers. Copying a solution into homework you hand in usually breaks class rules. Tutor modes in Khanmigo, ChatGPT and Gemini avoid the temptation.
What is the best AI for calculus?
Photomath covers calculus with free steps, Mathway covers calculus and beyond with paid steps, and ChatGPT Study mode is best for understanding why a method works, such as when to use substitution or integration by parts.