Photomath

Photomath is the camera maths solver that pioneered its category: point your phone at a printed or handwritten problem and it recognises, solves and walks you through the steps, often showing more than one valid solving method. It covers arithmetic, fractions, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics and calculus, and many problem types work offline once the app is installed.

Key facts: Photomath is now part of Google, and its core step-by-step solving is free and unlimited — the feature students actually need for checking their working. The step breakdowns are genuinely instructional, laid out visually so learners can follow a method rather than just copy an answer, which is also why teachers recommend using it deliberately as a study aid instead of an answer machine.

Plans: Free costs $0 with unlimited camera-scanned step-by-step solutions across a wide range of problems. Photomath Plus is $9.99/month or $69.99/year (about $5.83/month, roughly half the monthly rate) and adds animated step-by-step tutorials, deeper explanations and textbook-specific solutions, plus AI tutor features. Word problems and very messy handwriting can still trip up recognition on any tier.

Best for: school and early-college students checking homework and learning methods, and parents verifying answers. It is a focused maths tool, not an all-subject tutor — for other subjects, pair it with a general study assistant.

Pros

• Solves maths from a camera photo and shows every step.
• Often shows more than one valid solving method.
• Covers arithmetic, fractions, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics and calculus.
• Many problem types work offline once the app is installed.

Watch out for

• Step-by-step answers help learning only if you study the steps, not just copy the result.
• Handwriting recognition can struggle with messy or unusual notation.
• It explains problems, but it cannot replace understanding the underlying maths.

Best for

Students checking homework and learning maths from arithmetic to calculus. Who should skip it: anyone needing help beyond school and university maths, such as advanced research maths, should look for specialist resources.

Pricing

Photomath is free, with extra features on paid plans; check the official pricing page for current plans and limits.

FAQs

How does Photomath work? Point your phone at a printed or handwritten problem and it recognises, solves and walks you through the steps.

What maths does it cover? Arithmetic, fractions, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics and calculus.

Does it work offline? Many problem types work offline once the app is installed.