Last updated: 2026-10-04
With 100M+ Google Play downloads, Photomath is a Google-owned camera app that reads a photographed or typed math problem in the cloud, solves it with an algorithm and shows every step. Core solving is free, while Plus adds animated tutorials and hints. It runs on iOS and Android only.
About Photomath
Photomath is a smartphone app that reads a math problem through the camera and walks through the solution one step at a time. It was released in 2014 and, according to its About page, was created by Damir Sabol, an engineer who wanted to help his three kids with homework. The app joined Google in 2023, and both app stores now list Google as the publisher. HokAI files it under the grading and study tools category beside Mathos AI, which attacks the same job with a different pricing model.
How it works matters for trust. The help center says each photo goes to cloud servers, where a neural network reads the problem into a formula, and a problem-solving algorithm then produces the steps. That is a different design from general chatbots, among them Gemini, which compose an answer from scratch, though the help center also keeps a page on incorrect solutions, so check results against your textbook.
The supported list is wide, running from arithmetic through calculus and differential equations, but the same help center names five unsupported areas: linear inequalities with two variables, systems of inequalities with two variables, data analysis with statistics and probability, interest rate, and trigonometric inequalities. It also needs an internet connection and exists only as an iOS and Android app, with no web version. Google Lens also offers homework help from any photo at no cost, while Photomath is the one built around showing every step.
Screenshots
Pricing
Scanning, the calculator and step-by-step solutions are free. 99 billed monthly in USD on 2026-10-04, and the help center also lists a 6-month plan. Store prices vary by country and promotion, and the help center calls yearly billing a 50% discount even though those two displayed prices work out to about 42% off.
Plus cannot be shared through Apple Family Sharing, though Ask to Buy works. Mathos AI charges by the week, so convert to a monthly figure before comparing.
| Tier | Monthly price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (Free) | Free | Camera scan and math keyboard, calculator, machine-generated step-by-step solutions to symbolic math |
| Plus (Yearly) | $5.83/mo | Animated Tutorials, contextual hints, third-level steps, deeper explanations. |
| Plus (Monthly) | $9.99/mo | Same Plus features, billed monthly; a 6-month plan is also listed in the help center |
Key Features
- Camera scan and math keyboard: Scans printed or handwritten problems with the phone camera, or takes typed input through a math keyboard, and lets you edit the recognized expression before solving.
- Step-by-step solutions: Breaks each solution into explained steps, shows more than one method for some problems, and draws interactive graphs, with the interface available in 32 languages.
- Wide curriculum coverage: The supported list runs from operations with integers and fractions through derivatives, integrals, differential equations and power series.
- Animated Tutorials in Plus: Plus includes more than 400 Animated Tutorials that simulate a teacher explaining on a whiteboard, with voice-over added from September 2021, per the help center.
- Hints and deeper steps in Plus: Plus adds contextual hints and third-level steps for moments when a standard step is still unclear.
- Word problems and textbook solutions: The store listings mention word problem instructions in the app and textbook solutions as a Plus extra.
Pros
- The help center says free users can solve as many problems as they need, so routine homework checking costs nothing.
- Ratings hold up at scale: 4.8 on the App Store and 4.5 on Google Play from about 3.1M reviews.
- The vendor says its explanations come from its own mathematicians and former teachers, and the app shows methods rather than only a final answer.
Cons
- Every photo is sent to cloud servers, so the help center requires a stable internet connection, and no web or desktop version exists.
- Statistics, probability and data analysis are on the unsupported list, even though the homepage lists Statistics among its topics.
- The privacy policy, effective October 2023, says scanned images and feedback are used to improve the service and machine-vision technology from affiliates and partners.
- The Plus price you pay depends on country and storefront, and the help center's 50% yearly discount does not match the prices shown on the website.
Data Handling
- Training-data policy
- The privacy policy (effective 2023-10-31) says images and feedback sent through the service are used to improve it, including its math-solving capabilities, and machine-vision technologies from affiliates and partners.
- Compliance
- GDPR data-subject rights and CCPA notice in the privacy policy (effective 2023-10-31); no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 statement found.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Photomath cost in 2026?
Photomath Plus is the only paid tier. On 2026-10-04 the website priced a year at $69.99 and a month at $9.99 (USD), while the help center adds a 6-month option. You buy through Google Play or the App Store, not on the website, and the subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least a day before the period ends.
What do you get on Photomath's free tier?
Free covers scanning, a calculator and machine-generated step-by-step solutions to symbolic math, and the vendor says these core features will always remain free. Animated tutorials, contextual hints, third-level steps and deeper explanations sit behind Plus. The unsupported-content list does not distinguish between tiers, so statistics and probability are out for everyone.
What are the best alternatives to Photomath?
Mathos AI is the closest direct rival, with web and mobile versions and weekly billing. Google Lens gives free homework help with no usage limits, per HokAI's Google Lens record. Gemini suits open-ended questions, including statistics, which Photomath lists as unsupported.
Photomath or Mathos AI: which should you pick?
Photomath fits if you want a free core with no weekly charge, since its help center describes no cap on solved problems. Mathos AI is the better fit for web access or voice entry, neither of which Photomath's help center lists. HokAI's record says Mathos AI's Prime tier is sold partly on removing a daily MathosMax cap.
How do you get started with Photomath?
Install it from Google Play on Android 6.0 or later, or from the App Store on iOS 14 or later, then point the camera at a problem or type it on the math keyboard. Edit the scanned expression if a symbol was misread, then open the steps. You need an internet connection throughout, because the problem is recognized on cloud servers.
Top Alternatives
- Mathos AI: Pick Mathos AI if you need a web version or spoken input; pick Photomath for a free core with monthly or yearly billing instead of weekly charges.
- Google Lens: Pick Google Lens for a quick free answer on any photo; pick Photomath when you want each solving step explained for learning.
- Gemini: Pick Gemini for open-ended questions and topics outside Photomath's supported list, such as statistics; pick Photomath for a dedicated step-by-step solver.