Photomath Review: Features, Pricing & Alternatives

What is Photomath?

Photomath is a math learning app that solves problems from a photo. Point your phone’s camera at a printed or handwritten problem, including word problems, or type it into the smart calculator, and Photomath shows the answer with step-by-step explanations. It covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics and calculus, from elementary school to college level.

Photomath launched in Croatia in 2014. Google announced its acquisition in May 2022, and the deal closed in 2023 after European Commission approval. On 29 February 2024 the app moved to Google’s own publisher account on the Play Store, where it has more than 100 million downloads. It remains a standalone app with its own subscription, Photomath Plus.

What sets Photomath apart is its focus on explaining the method, not just the result. The free version shows the steps, and Plus adds animated visual aids, extra how and why tips, and textbook solutions. That makes it useful for checking homework and learning a method, though teachers often worry that students can copy answers without understanding them.

Key features of Photomath

• Camera scanningScan printed or handwritten problems, including word problems, with your phone camera.
• Step-by-step solutionsSee each step of the working, often with more than one solving method.
• Smart calculatorType in problems with a math keyboard when scanning is not practical.
• Broad math coverageHandles arithmetic through algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics and calculus.
• Animated explanations (Plus)Custom visual aids and animations show why each step works.
• Textbook solutions (Plus)Worked solutions for problems from supported textbooks.

Who is Photomath best for?

• Middle and high school students who want to check homework and see where they went wrong.
• College students reviewing calculus or statistics methods before exams.
• Parents helping children with math they have not studied in years.
• Adult learners refreshing basic algebra for exams or work.

Popular ways to use Photomath

• Homework checking: Scan a finished problem to confirm the answer and compare steps.
• Learning a method: Follow the steps for solving a quadratic equation.
• Parent support: Understand a child’s math worksheet before helping.
• Exam revision: Work through calculus practice problems and check each step.
• Word problems: Scan a word problem to see how it turns into an equation.

Photomath pricing (October 2026)

Prices are in USD from Photomath’s official site in October 2026. In-app prices may differ by country and app store.

Photomath pros and cons

How to get started with Photomath

1. Install Photomath from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Allow camera access and scan a math problem.
3. Tap through the steps and read each explanation.
4. Use the smart calculator for problems you cannot scan clearly.
5. Try Photomath Plus if you need animations or textbook solutions.

Tips to get better results from Photomath

• Try the problem yourself first, then use Photomath to check your work.
• Crop the scan to one problem at a time for more accurate results.
• Compare alternative methods when the app offers more than one.
• Parents can use the steps to explain, rather than hand over, answers.

Photomath vs alternatives

Gauth and Brainly cover more subjects than math and add AI or community answers, while Photomath stays focused on math and is known for clear steps. Khanmigo takes the opposite approach and guides students with hints instead of showing the full solution.

General assistants like Gemini and ChatGPT can also read a photo of a problem and explain it, but they can make arithmetic mistakes and do not have a math-only interface. Photomath is the simpler choice for scanning and checking school math. See all best AI education tools.

Our verdict: is Photomath worth it?

Photomath FAQs

Pricing and features change often. Details on this page were last reviewed in October 2026. Always confirm current plans on the official Photomath website.