Photomath has been the go-to "snap a math problem" app for nearly a decade. After Google's 2022 acquisition, the free tier kept tightening — many advanced step-by-step explanations now require Photomath Plus. AI-Math is a free, web-first alternative built around the same workflow: paste, type, or upload a problem and watch the AI explain every step.
What Photomath does well
Photomath's biggest strength is its mobile camera UX. Open the app, point at a textbook problem, get an answer in seconds. The OCR is accurate even on handwritten work, and the iOS/Android apps are polished. Coverage is broad — algebra, calculus, trigonometry, statistics.
Where Photomath falls short
After acquisition, Photomath split into a free tier (final answer + basic steps) and Photomath Plus (detailed reasoning, custom textbook walkthroughs, video explanations). For students learning the method — not just looking up the answer — the paywall lands precisely on the most valuable content.
It's also mobile-only by design. There's no full-featured browser experience, which makes it awkward when you're doing homework on a laptop or want to copy-paste a problem from a PDF.
What AI-Math does differently
AI-Math is free, unlimited (within a generous daily quota), web-first. Step-by-step explanations are never paywalled. The AI writes them in plain English — "we factor here because the discriminant is a perfect square" — rather than dumping symbolic transcripts.
You can paste a problem, type it, or upload a photo (OCR is built in). Worked examples for any specific equation are dynamically generated. We also publish free formula cheat sheets, a math glossary, and in-depth blog guides that the Photomath app doesn't try to compete with.
Side-by-side
We're transparent: Photomath's mobile camera + textbook walkthrough library is hard to beat for students who want a polished phone app. AI-Math is the better pick for web-based study, free unlimited steps, and learning the method.
Verdict
Use AI-Math if you study mostly on a laptop, want every step free, or like to read methodology before solving. Stick with Photomath if your workflow is "snap with phone, get answer" and you don't mind the paywall on advanced steps.
Try AI-Math's free solver — no app install, no signup, no paywall on steps.
At a glance
| Feature | AI-Math | Photomath |
|---|---|---|
| Step-by-step explanations | Free, unlimited | Free tier limited; advanced steps in Plus |
| Photo / image OCR | Yes | Yes (mobile-first) |
| Web platform | First-class web experience | Mobile-first; web is limited |
| Daily quota | Generous free quota | Free with feature limits |
| AI plain-English reasoning | Yes | Symbolic-leaning |
| Companion content (blog / glossary / cheat sheets) | Yes — free reference library | In-app textbook walkthroughs (Plus) |
| Signup required | No (guest mode) | For full access |
Use AI-Math for web-based study and free unlimited step-by-step explanations. Stick with Photomath if mobile camera capture is your primary workflow and you don't mind the Plus paywall on advanced steps.