The best AI tutor app for iPhone in 2026: 9 compared

The best AI tutor app for iPhone depends on how you like to study. ChatGPT and Gemini are the most capable free options, and both have a learning mode (study mode, Guided Learning) that guides instead of answering. Gizmo turns your notes into flashcards and quizzes. Gauth and Studdy explain maths from a photo. Ask Poppy is the pick if you want to talk a subject through out loud with a tutor that asks questions and gives hints; it also runs on iPad and Mac, but it's new, with only a handful of ratings.

Try Ask Poppy free

Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help for kids around 7 to 10, and teens and adults too: it asks what you have tried and gives one hint at a time, so you learn how to find the answer. Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store) · iPhone, iPad, Mac

Disclosure: this page is written by the Ask Poppy team, and Ask Poppy is one of the options. Competitor facts come from each company's own pages or its US App Store listing (checked Oct 2026) and are linked so you can verify them. We haven't run a controlled test of any of these tools, ours included.

9 AI tutor apps for iPhone compared

	Best for	Answers or guides?	App Store rating (US)	Age rating	Price
ChatGPT	Anything; study mode for learning	Answers by default; study mode guides	4.8 (11.6M ratings)	12+ (terms 13+)	Free; Go $8.00, Plus $19.99/month
Google Gemini	Anything; visual explanations	Answers by default; Guided Learning guides (rolling out on mobile)	4.7 (2.37M ratings)	12+	Free; AI Plus $4.99, AI Pro $19.99/month
Claude	Adults; long explanations	Answers by default; Learning style guides	4.7 (287k ratings)	17+ (terms 18+)	Free; Pro $20/month
Khan Academy	Free courses and practice	Lessons and exercises; Khanmigo chat is web-only	4.6 (113k ratings)	12+	Free
Gizmo	Flashcards and quizzes from your notes, PDFs or videos	Quizzes you with spaced repetition; has an AI tutor	4.8 (14.9k ratings)	4+	Free download; in-app purchases
Gauth	Maths and science from a photo	Solves, then explains steps; voice Live Tutor	4.8 (1.53M ratings)	4+	Free; Plus $11.99/month
Studdy	Maths and science homework	Scans a problem, explains step by step; video and 1:1 lessons	4.8 (12.8k ratings)	4+	Free download; in-app purchases
Answer.AI	Homework across subjects	Step-by-step breakdowns; paid plan adds voice chat	4.7 (166k ratings)	4+	Free download; Pro plan
Ask Poppy	Talking any subject through out loud	Guides: Built to ask questions and give hints instead of answers; it isn't a mode you switch on	5.0 (4 ratings); new	4+	Free 30 messages a day; $3.99/week or $9.99/month

Ratings: US App Store averages and counts on 26 Oct 2026, rounded. They measure how much people like an app, not how much it teaches. Studdy's and Answer.AI's user-count and grade claims are their own and we haven't verified them.

How to choose

Answer engine or tutor? If you need to check an answer fast, a solver is quicker; if you need to be able to do it in the exam, pick something that makes you do the steps. Our homework help app comparison splits them this way.
Type, scan or talk? Gauth and Studdy start from a photo; ChatGPT and Gemini from typing or voice; Ask Poppy from talking.
Check the age rule in the terms, not just the App Store rating.
Try the free tier for a week before subscribing, and set a reminder to cancel. See how to cancel on iPhone.

Where Ask Poppy fits

Ask Poppy is a voice-first thinking companion for kids, teens and families on iPhone, iPad and Mac (Apple silicon). Hold to talk and it speaks back in one of 4 voices, in 58 languages. It asks what you know and gives one hint at a time, remembers your goals between sessions (memory can be switched off per child), and can look up official curriculum goals for 7 countries. It can't scan a worksheet to solve it and has no exam-board content. You can turn a school plan, photo, PDF or link into a to-do list, and parents get reminders and updates.

More: Best voice AI tutor apps · Ask Poppy vs Gauth · Ask Poppy vs ChatGPT study mode

On iPhone? Try a tutor you can talk to Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help, built first for kids around 7 to 10 and their parents. Your child talks the question through, and Poppy asks what they've tried and gives one hint at a time instead of handing over the answer, so they learn how to find it. Parents set up each child's profile and can see their conversations, and memory can be turned off per child. Teens and adults use it too. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development.

Free, 30 messages a day on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Optional subscription. (Disclosure: this site is made by the Ask Poppy team.)

Try Ask Poppy free See the screen-free device

Questions

What is the best AI tutor app for iPhone?

For a free, general study helper, ChatGPT (with study mode) or Gemini (with Guided Learning). For flashcards and quizzes from your own notes, Gizmo. For maths from a photo, Gauth or Studdy. For a tutor you talk to that guides with questions, Ask Poppy, which also runs on iPad and Mac.

Which iPhone AI tutor doesn't just give answers?

ChatGPT study mode, Gemini Guided Learning and Claude's Learning style guide with questions when switched on. Ask Poppy is built that way with no answer mode. Gauth, Studdy and Answer.AI start from a solved problem and explain the steps.

Are AI tutor apps on iPhone free?

Most are free to download with limits and paid upgrades. ChatGPT study mode and Gemini Guided Learning are free. Ask Poppy is free for 30 messages a day, then $3.99 a week or $9.99 a month in the US.

How do I cancel an AI tutor subscription on iPhone?

In Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, choose the app and tap Cancel Subscription. Deleting the app doesn't cancel it. Our step-by-step guide covers refunds too.

Related comparisons

By Simon Dreyer, founder of Ask Poppy · Last updated 12 November 2026 · How we write these pages