Photomath alternatives that teach the method

If you want a maths helper that makes your child work out the steps instead of reading them, the best Photomath alternatives are Khan Academy's free exercises with step-by-step hints, ChatGPT study mode and Gemini Guided Learning (free, and they accept a photo of the problem), and a hint-first tutor such as Ask Poppy. If you just want a different solver, Mathway is the closest match, but it also leads with the answer. Ask Poppy can't scan photos in its current version, so you type or say the problem.

Ask Poppy, the AI tutor that asks instead of tells. Free, 30 messages a day · 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.

Photomath and five alternatives

	Photomath	Mathway	Khan Academy	ChatGPT study mode	Gemini Guided Learning	Ask Poppy
Leads with the answer?	Yes: solution with steps you can open	Yes: "step-by-step answers"	No: exercises with hints	No, in study mode (toggle)	No, in Guided Learning	No: Built to ask questions and give hints instead of answers; it isn't a mode you switch on
Photo of the problem?	Yes, camera scan	Yes, camera or type	No (you work Khan's exercises)	Yes, image upload (limited on Free)	Yes, upload an image	No (type or say it)
Subjects	Maths	Maths (algebra to calculus)	Maths, science and more	Anything	Anything	Any topic
Free	Basic steps free	Some; Steps is paid	Yes, all content	Yes	Yes	Yes: 30 messages a day, no card
Paid (US)	$9.99/month or $69.99/year	App Store: Steps $9.99/month or $39.99/year	Khanmigo $4/month (US)	App Store: Go $8.00, Plus $19.99/month	App Store: AI Plus $4.99/month	$3.99/week or $9.99/month
Made by	Google	Chegg	Khan Academy (nonprofit)	OpenAI	Google	Poppy Labs AS
Platforms	iPhone, iPad, Android	iPhone, iPad (App Store)	Web, iPhone, iPad	Web, iOS, Android	Web; mobile rolling out	iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple silicon). No Android or web app

Where Photomath is still the best tool

For checking maths you've already done, Photomath is excellent: it reads handwriting and word problems, shows several "teacher-approved methods" and animated steps (App Store). The trouble is order: if the solution comes first, the thinking never happens. Use it last.

A routine that keeps the method theirs

Attempt the problem on paper first.
Stuck? Ask a hint-first helper for one hint: Khan's hints, study mode, Guided Learning, or Ask Poppy.
Finish it yourself, then check with Photomath or Mathway.
Tomorrow, do a similar problem from memory.

More: Ask Poppy vs Photomath · What 791 homework-app reviews complain about

Sources (checked Oct 2026): photomath.com · Photomath on the App Store · Mathway on the App Store · Khan Academy on the App Store · khanmigo.ai · OpenAI: study mode · ChatGPT pricing · ChatGPT on the App Store · Google: Guided Learning · Gemini Help: learning tools · Gemini on the App Store · Ask Poppy on the App Store. Ask Poppy facts are from the current app (version 1.8.3) and its App Store listing. US prices; they vary by country and platform. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].

Want hints instead of the solution? Ask Poppy is an AI tutor you talk or type to. It asks questions and gives one hint at a time instead of handing you the answer, and it remembers where you left off so you can pick it up again tomorrow.

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

About Ask Poppy

Questions

Is there a Photomath alternative that doesn't give the answer?

Yes. Khan Academy's free exercises give step-by-step hints, ChatGPT study mode and Gemini Guided Learning guide with questions, and Ask Poppy asks what you've tried and gives one hint at a time. Mathway, like Photomath, leads with the solution.

Can Ask Poppy scan a maths problem?

No, not in the current version. You type the problem or read it out loud, and Poppy asks what you've tried and gives hints.

Is Photomath free?

Yes, basic step-by-step explanations are free. Photomath Plus is $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year on its site.

Which Photomath alternative works with a photo?

Mathway scans photos and shows step-by-step answers. ChatGPT and Gemini accept images too, with limits on free plans, and you can ask them to guide rather than solve.