ChatGPT's tutoring mode that quizzes you and guides you step by step
Free plan · paid from $8/month
The Best AI homework helpers and tutors in 2026
- 10 apps ranked
- Updated Oct 2026
- Researched from official sources
AI homework apps can now read a photo of a problem, walk through the steps and quiz you afterwards. The best ones act like a tutor and make you do the thinking; others mostly hand over answers. We checked the leading ones and ranked them with the same published rubric, giving extra weight to tools that teach rather than just solve.
Our top picks
Gemini's learning mode with step-by-step breakdowns, diagrams, videos and quizzes
Free plan · paid from £4.49/month
Scan a maths problem with your camera and see every step explained
Free plan · paid from $9.99/month
The full ranking
10 apps, best first- 1
ChatGPT Study Mode
Best forStudents who want a patient tutor for any subject and are disciplined enough to keep Study Mode switched on
ChatGPT's tutoring mode that quizzes you and guides you step by step
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $8/month
Pros & cons
- Free and covers every subject
- Asks questions and checks understanding rather than just answering
- Accepts photos, PDFs and your own notes
- Same app many students already use
- Nothing stops a student switching back to normal ChatGPT for direct answers
- Can make confident mistakes, so answers still need checking
- Study Mode is a prompt layer, not a separate curriculum or progress tracker
8.9/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 2
Gemini Guided Learning
Best forStudents who want a free, visual tutor across all subjects, especially those already using Google Classroom
Gemini's learning mode with step-by-step breakdowns, diagrams, videos and quizzes
Mobile appFree plan · paid from £4.49/month
Pros & cons
- Built specifically to teach rather than answer
- Visual explanations with diagrams and videos
- Turns your own notes into quizzes and study guides
- Free year of AI Plus for eligible university students
- Students can leave Guided Learning and get direct answers
- Google's student offer is only for verified university students 18+
- Can still make mistakes that need checking
8.8/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 3
Khanmigo
Best forParents and schools who want an AI tutor that won't do the homework for the student
Khan Academy's AI tutor that guides students to answers instead of giving them
Mobile appFrom $4/month
Pros & cons
- Firmly tutor-first: hints and questions rather than answers
- Very cheap at $4 a month
- Parent alerts and teacher dashboards
- Built on Khan Academy's lesson library
- Full chat tutor isn't in the Khan Academy mobile app, only Khanmigo Activities
- Individual plans require a US billing address
- Khan Academy has said engagement with the original experience was below expectations
7.8/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 4
Photomath
Best forStudents who want to check maths homework and see how each step works
Scan a maths problem with your camera and see every step explained
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $9.99/month
Pros & cons
- Fastest, most polished scan-to-steps experience
- Free plan already shows the steps
- Handles handwriting and word problems
- Huge, long-running user base
- Maths only
- Easy to copy answers without attempting the problem first
- No web or desktop app
7.8/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 5
Gauth
Best forHigh-school and early-college STEM students who want fast worked solutions on their phone
Photo homework solver for maths, science and writing, with live tutors
Mobile appBrowser extensionFree plan · paid from $11.99/month
Pros & cons
- Very fast photo-to-steps workflow
- Broad subject coverage beyond maths
- No ads, even on the free plan
- Option to reach human tutors
- Answer-first design makes copying easy
- Weaker on advanced calculus and proofs, with occasional silent errors
- Frequent complaints about billing and cancellation; ByteDance ownership raises privacy questions
7.7/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 6
Wolfram|Alpha
Best forSTEM students who need reliable, computed working for algebra, calculus and science
Computational answer engine with step-by-step maths and science solutions
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $5/month
Pros & cons
- Results are calculated, so far fewer maths errors
- Handles university-level maths and science
- Cheap student pricing
- Practice problems to test yourself
- Steps need Pro; the free version mostly gives answers
- Not a conversational tutor, and weak outside STEM
- Mobile apps are dated and less polished
7.4/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 7
Brainly
Best forK-12 students who want quick, checked answers across many subjects at a low annual price
Homework Q&A library plus an AI tutor grounded in expert-checked answers
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $9.99/month
Pros & cons
- Huge library of already-answered questions
- Strong on maths and structured science
- Covers 25+ subjects
- Cheap annual plan
- History, English and essay help is surface-level
- Ads and limited AI on the free plan
- Copying answers is easy, and teachers recognise Brainly-style work
7.4/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 8
Quizlet
Best forRevising vocabulary, definitions and facts for tests
Flashcards and AI study sets made from your notes, with adaptive Learn mode
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $2.99/month
Pros & cons
- Huge library of shared study sets
- Adaptive Learn mode is great for memorising
- Very cheap annual plan
- Teacher plan and class tools
- Doesn't walk through maths or science problems
- Many once-free study modes now need Plus
- Very low Trustpilot score over paywall changes
7.3/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 9
StudyFetch
Best forCollege students who want study tools built from their own course materials
Turns your lectures, slides and notes into flashcards, quizzes and an AI tutor
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $4.99/month
Pros & cons
- Works from your own notes and lectures, not generic answers
- Many study formats from one upload
- Spaced repetition and Anki export
- Very limited free plan
- Repeated complaints about charges and cancelling
- Struggles with diagrams and schematics; Android app reported as unstable
7.0/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 10
Knowunity
Best forSecondary-school students who want a free, all-in-one revision app
AI study app with a 24/7 tutor, study plans, mock exams and flashcards
Mobile appFree plan
Pros & cons
- Free to start, with a large note library
- Covers 20+ subjects
- Study plans and mock exams for revision
- Long-time users say a redesign removed popular community features
- Pro pricing isn't clearly published
- Few independent reviews
6.4/10★★★★★Visit ↗
Compare at a glance
Scroll sideways on mobile| # | App | Free plan | Paid from | iOS | Android | Web | Teaching quality | Ease of use | Features | Value for money | Platforms | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  ChatGPT Study Mode | Yes | $8/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 8.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 9 | 10 | 8.9 |
| 2 |  Gemini Guided Learning | Yes | £4.49/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9 | 10 | 8.8 |
| 3 |  Khanmigo | No | $4/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 8 | 7.5 | 7 | 9 | 6.5 | 7.8 |
| 4 |  Photomath | Yes | $9.99/month | ✓ | ✓ | — | 8 | 9.5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7.8 |
| 5 |  Gauth | Yes | $11.99/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 7 | 9 | 7.5 | 7 | 9 | 7.7 |
| 6 |  Wolfram|Alpha | Yes | $5/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 8 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 9 | 7.4 |
| 7 |  Brainly | Yes | $9.99/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 6.5 | 8 | 7 | 7.5 | 9 | 7.4 |
| 8 |  Quizlet | Yes | $2.99/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 6.5 | 8.5 | 6 | 7.5 | 9.5 | 7.3 |
| 9 |  StudyFetch | Yes | $4.99/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 6.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 9 | 7.0 |
| 10 |  Knowunity | Yes | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | 6 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 7 | 6 | 6.4 |
Head to head
12 comparisons
ChatGPT Study Mode vs Gemini Guided Learning
ChatGPT Study Mode vs Khanmigo
ChatGPT Study Mode vs PhotomathGemini Guided Learning vs KhanmigoGemini Guided Learning vs PhotomathKhanmigo vs Photomath
ChatGPT Study Mode vs Gauth
ChatGPT Study Mode vs Wolfram|Alpha
ChatGPT Study Mode vs Brainly
ChatGPT Study Mode vs Quizlet
ChatGPT Study Mode vs StudyFetch
ChatGPT Study Mode vs KnowunityFor developers
Make AI study apps? Get yours reviewed here.
People compare AI study apps on this page before they choose. Paste your website after checkout and we'll research, score and publish your listing.
- Full profile page
- Scored with the same rubric
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- Included in comparisons
How we rank AI homework helpers
Every app was checked on 7 October 2026 against its own website, pricing and app-store listings, plus independent 2025–2026 reviews. Each gets five scores out of 10, weighted into an overall score.
Ties are broken by the teaching quality score. To be listed, an app has to help students with homework or study using AI or automated step-by-step solving, and be available to individual students today. The list is open: developers can submit an app, and we review it with the same rubric.
Features are scored half by our editors and half by this published checklist, ticked only where the app's own pages or app-store listing confirm it:
- Shows step-by-step working, not just the answer
- Tutor mode that asks questions and gives hints instead of answers
- Snap a photo of a problem to get help
- Covers subjects beyond maths (science, humanities, writing)
- Turns your own notes or files into study material
- Generates practice questions, quizzes or flashcards
- Answers checked by experts or computed, not only AI-generated
- Parent or teacher tools and oversight
- Free plan includes step-by-step help
Rankings are editorial. Companies can't pay to change a score or a position, and any paid placement is labelled Featured.
Reviewed by Tech Arcade editors · Updated Oct 7, 2026
- Teaching quality30%
- Ease of use20%
- Features20%
- Value for money20%
- Platforms10%
Quick answers
What is the best AI homework helper?
In our October 2026 comparison, ChatGPT with Study Mode and Google Gemini with Guided Learning scored highest: both cover every subject, guide you step by step and are free to start. For maths alone, Photomath remains the easiest way to scan a problem and see the working.
Which AI homework app teaches you instead of just giving the answer?
ChatGPT's Study Mode, Gemini's Guided Learning and Khanmigo are built to ask questions and give hints rather than hand over answers. Photomath, Gauth, Brainly and Wolfram|Alpha show the steps, but they lead with the solution, so it's up to you to work through it.
Is using an AI homework helper cheating?
Using AI to understand a method or check your work is usually fine; submitting AI-generated answers or essays as your own generally breaks school academic-integrity rules. Policies vary, so check what your teacher or school allows. Study Mode can be switched off in one click, so tutor modes only help if you keep them on.
What happened to Socratic and Microsoft Math Solver?
Google folded Socratic's homework help into Google Lens, the standalone app is no longer offered, and socratic.org now redirects to Lens. Microsoft retired Math Solver on 7 July 2025. Neither is listed here.
Do companies pay to be on this list?
No. Rankings come from the published rubric and can't be bought. Developers can pay for a Featured spot above the ranking; it's always marked Sponsored and never changes scores or positions.
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