Guide for students and parents
AI math tutors compared: which ones give the answer, which ones make you find it
AI math apps fall into three groups. Solvers such as Photomath and Symbolab start from the problem and show the full worked solution. Guided tutors such as Khanmigo, ThetaWise’s Tutor Mode and MathSense Tutor hold the answer back and ask questions or give hints; MathSense Tutor is the one that starts from a photo of the student’s own attempt and checks each step with a math engine. Course platforms such as Khan Academy, Brilliant and Synthesis teach their own lessons rather than help with tonight’s homework. The table gives the same facts for each, from the vendors’ own pages.
Updated October 17, 2026 · Published by MathSense AI (L8O LLC). Every detail about another product comes from that product’s own public pages, checked October 17, 2026; where a site does not say, we say “not listed on its site”. MathSense AI makes MathSense, so read our own row with that in mind.
The question behind “app like Photomath but teaches you” is really about where the help starts and where it stops. A solver starts from the problem and ends at the answer. A tutor starts from what you tried and stops short of the answer until you ask. A course platform starts from its own lesson plan. None of these is wrong; they do different jobs.
We make one of these tools, so we checked every product the same way: its own home page, pricing page and feature pages on the date shown, quoting what the vendor says and writing “not listed on its site” where it says nothing. We have not tested rivals ourselves and do not rate them. Prices change; the links go to the vendors’ pages.
The same facts for every app
| Tool | Built for | Starts from | Gives the answer? | Photo input | Progress and parents | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khanmigo | AI tutor across many subjects, elementary school through college, from the nonprofit Khan Academy | A typed question in chat | No — "Khanmigo never gives you the answer"; it asks questions instead | Not listed on its site | Chat history; a Parent Dashboard with progress, chat summaries and moderation alerts | No free learner plan (free for teachers) | $4/month or $44/year; a parent can enable up to 10 children |
| Photomath | Scan-and-solve app for elementary through college math; iOS and Android | The problem — scan it with the camera | Yes — shows the full step-by-step solution | Yes, of the problem (printed or handwritten); not of your own attempt | Not listed on its site | Basic: step-by-step explanations for scanned problems | Plus $9.99/month or $69.99/year: animated tutorials, deeper explanations and contextual hints |
| Symbolab | Step-by-step math solver with practice problems and quizzes; web, apps and a Chrome extension | The problem — type it or share a photo | Yes — solution steps (full steps on Pro); practice problems come with hints | Yes, of the problem | Notebooks and quiz progress feedback; no parent dashboard listed | Free tier; its limits are not itemised on the site | Pro $9.95/month, $32.95 per 6 months or $39.95/year |
| ThetaWise | AI study partner for math, science and engineering courses; web app | Either — Tutor Mode guides with questions and hints; Answer Directly gives the worked solution | Your choice: "Tutor me" or "Answer Directly" in the response settings | Yes — "snap a photo of handwritten work" | Builds memory across sessions; no parent dashboard listed | Free to sign up and use; limits not listed on its site; 1-week Pro trial | Pro $19.99/month or $119.99/year; Max $59.99/month |
| Synthesis Tutor | Curriculum-based math tutor for ages 5–11 (K-5 and beyond); iPad, Android tablet and desktop | Its own lessons and micro-assessments, not your homework | Lesson-based — it teaches a curriculum rather than solving tonight’s problem | Not listed on its site | Progress reports for parents | 7-day free trial, no card; no permanent free tier | As displayed on its page: Individual $45/month or $300/year; Family (up to 7 kids) $29/month or $119/year |
| Brilliant | Interactive math and coding courses from grade 5 to college; web, iOS and Android | Its own lessons on an interactive canvas; the Koji tutor guides inside them | Inside its courses, Koji "never just gives you the answer" | Not listed on its site | Progress tracking; on the Family plan a parent sees each child’s progress | Two lessons ("keys") a day, a limited Koji preview, with ads | Individual $30/month; Family $40/month for 6 seats; annual billing saves 33% |
| Khan Academy | Free lessons and practice from early math to precalculus and statistics, with teacher tools; nonprofit | Its own courses and practice skills | Practice with AI tutor feedback when stuck; the learner Khanmigo tutor is sold separately | Not listed on its site | Progress tracking for students and teachers | Free for learners, teachers and families | None for the core product (Khanmigo for learners is a separate subscription) |
| MathSense Tutor | Math-only AI tutor that starts from the student’s own work; web browser; students 13+ sign up themselves, younger children through a parent’s Family plan | A photo (or typed copy) of the problem and what you tried | Only if you ask — hints and questions come first; the full solution is always there when you choose it | Yes — of the problem and your own handwritten attempt | Paid plans remember recurring slips and mastered skills; the Family plan’s parent dashboard shows progress, never the conversations | 7 math problems a week | Tutor $9.99/month or $79.99/year; Family $19.99/month or $159.99/year for 3 students, extra students $4.99/month |
Features and prices change. Check each site before you decide; the links in the table go to the vendors’ own pages.
Each app in a paragraph
Khanmigo · khanmigo.ai
Khanmigo is Khan Academy’s AI tutor and teaching assistant for many subjects. Its pages say it never gives the answer and guides learners by questioning, and parents get a dashboard with chat summaries. Accounts are held by an adult, who adds children under 18.
Best for: Families who want one low-cost tutor for every subject and already use Khan Academy.
Worth knowing: Working from a photo of the student’s own handwritten attempt is not listed on its site.
Sources: Khanmigo for learners, Khanmigo for parents
Photomath · photomath.com
Photomath solves a scanned problem and shows every step of the solution, with animated tutorials and hints on the paid Plus plan. It is a solver first: the solution is the default, and hints are an add-on rather than the starting point.
Best for: Checking an answer or seeing a worked solution quickly, when you are not trying to hold the answer back.
Sources: Photomath, Photomath Plus (support)
Symbolab · symbolab.com
Symbolab is a long-standing symbolic solver that breaks problems into structured steps, with practice sets, quizzes and an AI chat. Full solution steps and ad-free use are part of Pro.
Best for: Students who want a reliable step-by-step solver plus practice on specific topics.
Sources: Symbolab, Symbolab Pro
ThetaWise · thetawise.ai
ThetaWise combines a solver with a Tutor Mode that guides with questions instead of handing over the answer, accepts photos of handwritten work, and remembers strengths and gaps across sessions. It is aimed at STEM students generally rather than at parents of younger children.
Best for: High-school and college STEM students who want to switch between guided tutoring and full solutions.
Worth knowing: Its privacy page says the service is not intended for children under 13; a family plan is not listed.
Sources: ThetaWise AI tutor, ThetaWise pricing
Synthesis Tutor · synthesis.com
Synthesis Tutor walks younger children through a K-5 math curriculum one-on-one, with micro-assessments and read-aloud for ages 5–7, and reports progress to parents. Its pages state COPPA and FERPA compliance and require parental consent for every child.
Best for: Parents of elementary-age children who want structured daily lessons rather than homework help.
Worth knowing: Its pricing page showed conflicting annual figures and seat counts on the day we checked; confirm the price at checkout.
Sources: Synthesis Tutor, Synthesis privacy
Brilliant · brilliant.org
Brilliant teaches through its own interactive problem-based courses, with an AI tutor, Koji, that asks guiding questions and sketches on the shared canvas. It positions itself against homework-help tools: you learn a topic rather than get help on an assigned problem.
Best for: Learners who want to build understanding through courses, and families who like a shared plan.
Sources: Brilliant Premium, Koji
Khan Academy · khanacademy.org
Khan Academy is the free, nonprofit library of standards-aligned lessons and practice, from kindergarten math through precalculus and statistics, with tools for teachers to assign work and track progress.
Best for: Anyone who wants to relearn a topic from the ground up at no cost.
Sources: Khan Academy, Khan Academy math courses
MathSense Tutor · mathsense.aiour product
MathSense Tutor starts from a photo of the student’s own attempt. A math engine checks each arithmetic and algebra line and the tutor points to the line where the mistake is, asks for the next step and offers a hint when wanted; work outside the engine’s coverage is labelled "tutor-reasoned". The student can see the full solution whenever they decide to.
Best for: Students who have already tried the problem and want to find their own mistake, and parents who want progress without reading the chat.
Worth knowing: Math only, web only. We make MathSense Tutor — read this row as the vendor’s own description, like every other row.
How to choose
- You want an app like Photomath that teaches instead of giving the answer
- Pick a guided tutor. Khanmigo never gives the answer and works from a typed question. ThetaWise’s Tutor Mode guides with hints and accepts a photo of handwritten work. MathSense Tutor starts from a photo of your own attempt, checks each line with a math engine and shows you the step to fix; you can still see the full solution when you choose.
- You just want to check an answer or see a worked solution
- Photomath and Symbolab are built for that: scan or type the problem and read the steps. Both have free tiers.
- Your child is in elementary school
- Synthesis Tutor (ages 5–11) and Khan Academy’s free K-5 courses teach from a curriculum. Khanmigo covers elementary through college; a parent holds the account.
- You want the lowest price
- Khan Academy is free. Khanmigo is $4 a month. MathSense Tutor is free for 7 problems a week. ThetaWise and Symbolab have free tiers whose limits are not spelled out on their sites.
- You are a parent and want to see progress without reading the chats
- MathSense Tutor’s Family plan shows each child’s problems, skills and recurring slips, never the conversations. Khanmigo’s Parent Dashboard shows progress and chat summaries. Brilliant’s Family plan shows each child’s course progress. Synthesis sends progress reports.
- Your teacher has rules about AI
- Ask what counts. Tools that hold the answer back and work from your own attempt are the easiest to defend, because the work stays yours. Whichever app you use, keep your own working and check the AI’s steps instead of copying them.
Try it on the problem you’re stuck on
Take a photo of the problem and what you tried. The tutor checks each line and shows you where to look — free for 7 problems a week, no card.
Questions
- Is there a math app that doesn’t give you the answer?
- Yes. Khanmigo says it never gives the answer and guides with questions. ThetaWise has a Tutor Mode that uses hints instead of the solution. MathSense Tutor starts from a photo of your own work, points to the line where the mistake is and asks for your next step; the full solution is there only when you ask. Brilliant’s Koji does the same inside Brilliant’s courses.
- Is Photomath a tutor or a solver?
- By its own description Photomath scans a problem and shows the full step-by-step solution, with animated tutorials and hints added on the paid Plus plan. That makes it a solver first.
- Which AI math tutor is free?
- Khan Academy is free for everyone. MathSense Tutor is free for 7 problems a week. Photomath and Symbolab have free tiers for step-by-step solutions. ThetaWise is free to sign up and use, with limits its site does not list. Khanmigo and Synthesis have no permanent free tier for learners.
- Can an AI tutor read my handwritten work?
- Photomath and Symbolab read a handwritten problem but not your attempt at it. ThetaWise accepts a photo of handwritten work. MathSense Tutor is built around a photo of the problem and your own written steps, and checks each arithmetic and algebra line with a math engine.
- Which AI math tutors are for parents of younger children?
- Synthesis Tutor is designed for ages 5–11 and requires parental consent. Khanmigo accounts are held by an adult who enables children. MathSense Tutor lets students 13 and older sign up themselves; younger children use it through a parent’s Family plan, which has a parent dashboard.
- How is MathSense Tutor different from Khanmigo?
- Both hold the answer back. Khanmigo works across many subjects from a typed question and costs $4 a month. MathSense Tutor is math only, starts from a photo of the student’s own attempt, checks each arithmetic and algebra step with a math engine, and is free for 7 problems a week, then $9.99 a month. There is a full comparison on our site.