Photomath
Photomath is a mobile app that scans handwritten or printed math problems with a phone camera and returns step-by-step explanations rather than bare answers, covering elementary arithmetic through college calculus for learners, parents and teachers.
What is Photomath?
Photomath is a mobile application that reads a math problem through a phone or tablet camera and explains how to solve it. The home page frames the product in three moves: scan the problem, even one written out in words, or type it into the smart calculator; solve, with the answer displayed for that exact problem and sometimes through several methods; learn, by checking each step until the reasoning makes sense. The publisher is explicit about the intent: Photomath is designed for learning. Check out each step to make sure you understand the solution.
Coverage runs from elementary math through algebra, functions, geometry, trigonometry, sequences, statistics and calculus — "for elementary through college", as the site puts it. Recognition is announced for handwriting, printed textbook pages and problems displayed on a screen. Step-by-step explanations are included in the free tier, while the paid Photomath Plus tier adds Animated Tutorials and detailed Textbook Solutions. Animated Steps show how a given step unfolds instead of merely stating it, and the explanatory content is built by an in-house team of mathematicians and former math teachers.
The stance is pedagogical rather than answer-vending: the terms of use openly warn against using the app to cheat. The audiences the company names are learners, parents and teachers, which matches the product's origin — it was created by Damir Sabol, an engineer and a father of three who could not find simple ways to explain math to his children. An editorial hub, Build your math mind, extends that with articles on study tips, parenting, teaching and math explained.
Photomath runs on smartphone and tablet only: iOS and iPadOS 14 or later on Apple devices, Android and Chromebook on the Google side. There is no web version. The publisher is Photomath LLC, with Photomath d.o.o. in Zagreb operating the service for the EEA and Switzerland, and the about page states that Photomath joined Google in 2023. Traction is substantial: over 100 million downloads, 3.1 million ratings and a 4.5-star average on the Play Store, with the app last updated on 29 July 2026.
What it does
- Scan a math problem with the camera, whether handwritten, printed in a textbook or shown on a screen
- Break the solution into steps and display them one by one
- Type a problem into the built-in smart calculator when there is nothing to photograph
- Solve word problems written out in full sentences
- Offer more than one solving method for the same problem
- Animate the progression of a single step with Animated Steps
- Plot and explore interactive graphs
When to use Photomath / When not to
A quick filter to help you decide if Photomath is the right fit.
When to use Photomath
- High school students stuck on a homework problem outside class hours
- College undergraduates working through algebra and calculus assignments
- Parents helping with math homework who struggle to explain the method simply
- Teachers looking for alternative, classroom-ready ways to present a solution
- Math tutors and academic coaches who need several solving routes for the same exercise
When not to use Photomath
- Anyone who wants to work on a computer: Photomath is published for smartphone and tablet only, with no web or desktop version
- Developers and product teams: there is no public API, SDK or third-party integration
- Businesses and resellers: the licence granted is strictly personal and non-commercial, and reselling, sublicensing or commercially exploiting the service is prohibited
- Learners looking for help outside mathematics, or for research-level math: the announced scope stops at elementary through college
- Students who only want an answer to copy: the terms of use explicitly ask that the app be used to learn, not to cheat on homework or exams
How to use Photomath
A typical end-to-end flow, from setup to results.
- Download the app from Google Play or the App Store through the install page — there is no web version
- Open Photomath on a smartphone or tablet
- Frame the problem with the camera, or type it into the built-in smart calculator
- Let the app recognise the statement, whether handwritten, photographed in a textbook or written out in words
- Read the solution returned for that exact problem
- Pick the solving method you want when more than one is offered
- Step through the explanation stage by stage to follow the reasoning
- Open Animated Steps to watch how a single step progresses
- Check the definitions and justifications provided inside the explanation
- Subscribe to Photomath Plus from inside the app, billed by Google Play or the App Store, for Animated Tutorials and Textbook Solutions — and cancel from that store's account settings
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Step-by-step explanations are part of the free plan, with no subscription required
- Broad coverage, from elementary arithmetic through to calculus
- Recognises handwriting and word problems, not only typed equations
- Offers several solving methods for one and the same problem
- Explanatory content designed by in-house mathematicians and former math teachers
- Available at any hour and at the learner's own pace, with an interface in 32 languages
- Immediate to pick up: nothing to configure, no account required for the basic version, and an actively maintained app (last Play Store update 29 July 2026) rated 4.5/5 across 3.1 million reviews
Cons
- Mobile only: no web version and no desktop application
- No API and no third-party integration
- The most instructional features, Animated Tutorials and Textbook Solutions, sit behind the paid Photomath Plus tier
- The free trial converts automatically into a paid subscription unless it is cancelled before it ends
- Billing and refunds are delegated to Google Play and the App Store, with no direct handling by the publisher
- No hosting country is named while transfers outside the EU/EEA are announced, and images and feedback feed service improvement with no documented opt-out
- A thin website with no pricing, contact or features page, a privacy policy still dated 31 October 2023, and parts of the service machine-translated by Google Translate, only the English version being authoritative
Pricing & Plans
A permanent free plan is available: the Basic plan is offered at 0 USD and includes step-by-step explanations. The lowest paid entry point is the Photomath Plus monthly subscription at 9.99 USD per month, with an annual plan at 69.99 USD presented as the best value. Both paid plans are offered with a free trial.
- Basic — 0 USD — step-by-step explanations
- custom visual aids and extra "how" and "why" tips
- Annually — 69.99 USD — same items
- flagged as Best Value
- opened with a free trial
- Monthly — 9.99 USD — same items
- opened with a free trial
- Photomath Plus is the commercial name of the paid tier
- billing goes through the Google Play Store or the iOS App Store
Data, GDPR & hosting
A consolidated view of how Photomath handles your data.
GDPR overview
The framework is described in detail, but never labelled: the site nowhere writes that it is GDPR compliant. The privacy policy, effective 31 October 2023, names the controller "for the purpose of the GDPR" as Photomath LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California. It invokes consent and legitimate interest, the principles of lawfulness, fairness and transparency, purpose limitation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality, and claims privacy by design and by default through pseudonymisation, minimisation and encryption. Rights to erasure, objection, rectification, restriction and non-profiling, access, portability, minimisation and information are listed, with privacy@photomath.com for access and support@photomath.com for corrections. Transfers outside the EU/EEA are disclosed, covered by consent or contractual clauses. Missing: any Article 27 EU representative, any named DPO and any published DPA.
Who owns the data?
Photomath keeps all intellectual property rights in the app and its own content. Users remain solely responsible for what they submit — text, math problems, photos, images — but the terms of use dated 30 September 2025 have them grant Photomath a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, transferable, royalty-free licence, with sublicensing rights, to reproduce, distribute, display, modify, adapt and commercially exploit that content on any medium, plus a waiver of moral and attribution rights where the law allows. Feedback such as questions, ratings, suggestions and bug reports falls outside that definition and can be used freely. The privacy policy of 31 October 2023 adds that personal data is never sold or rented and that user photos are never shared with providers, advertisers or partners.
Reuse rights
What the end user is granted is narrow. The terms of use allow one copy of the application on an authorised device and personal, non-commercial use of the service; nothing else is granted by default. Copying, reproducing, modifying, creating derivative works, selling, renting, sublicensing or transferring the service is prohibited, as is making it available to several users through file sharing, hosting or a multi-device network. Disassembly, decompilation and reverse engineering are barred, as is using the service to design a similar or competing product. Scraping, automated collection by bots, spiders or crawlers, database building and permanent copies are forbidden too. In practice, the explanations produced cannot be republished or commercialised without permission. Personal data is treated separately: the privacy policy grants rights of access and portability, so users can retrieve their own data in a commonly used format and pass it to another controller.
Data retention & training
Hosting summary
The privacy policy, effective 31 October 2023, states that parts of the service are hosted on servers located outside the user's own country, and that personal data collected from users in the European Union is transferred outside the EU/EEA — using the service is presented as consent to that transfer, with contractual clauses setting out the rules and obligations as the safeguard. No hosting country or region is ever named, and there is no trust or security page. The controller is established in the United States: Photomath LLC, Mountain View, California. On security, the policy describes a database behind a firewall with strictly limited and monitored access, plus encryption, while giving no guarantee of absolute security; for Google Analytics, it states that cookie-generated information is transferred to the United States. No DPA is published and no sub-processor list either, the list of analytics providers being available only on request to privacy@photomath.com. As a network observation rather than a publisher statement, the domain resolves to an address announced by AS15169 (Google LLC, Mountain View, US), flagged as anycast.
Things to keep in mind
Risks and trade-offs to weigh before adopting Photomath.
- Dependence: an instant answer can replace the effort of working a problem out, a risk the terms of use themselves anticipate
- Diverted use for cheating on homework and exams, which the publisher discourages without being able to prevent it
- Erosion of mental arithmetic and of the ability to build a line of reasoning unaided
- Excessive trust in the output: a misread statement produces a perfectly correct solution to the wrong problem
- Content ownership: photos sent to the app are covered by a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide licence granted to the publisher
- Images and feedback are used to improve the publisher's computer vision models, with no documented way to opt out
- A young audience, from 13 upwards, exposed to an auto-renewing free trial, alongside the collection of location, device data and advertising identifiers and third-party marketing cookies on the website
Setup & Integrations
Technical difficulty
Very low. Nothing to install beyond downloading the app from Google Play or the App Store: no API key, no configuration, no prior setup. The basic version works without an account, and registration is optional, asking only for an email address, a username and an age. The hardware requirement is a smartphone or tablet with a camera, iOS or iPadOS 14 and later on Apple devices, and the iOS build weighs 31.5 MB. Subscriptions are handled directly by the app store.
Deployment
Apps stores
Supported languages
Behind Photomath
Fundraising
Social
Resources
All the official URLs gathered for verification and reference.
Frequently asked questions
Which devices does Photomath run on?
Is Photomath free?
Is there a free trial?
How do I cancel a subscription?
Which math topics does it cover?
Does it recognise handwriting?
Is there a minimum age?
Are my photos used to train the AI?
Is there an API?
How do I get support?
Should you pick Photomath?
Photomath is one of the most firmly established products in its category: over 100 million downloads, 3.1 million ratings and a 4.5-star average on the Play Store, with an app still being updated in July 2026 and a publisher that joined Google in 2023. Its editorial stance is unusually clear for a homework tool: the step-by-step explanations, which are the whole point of the product, sit in the free plan, and the terms of use openly ask users not to cheat with it. The paid tier, Photomath Plus at 9.99 USD per month or 69.99 USD per year, adds animated tutorials and textbook solutions rather than gating the basics.
The scope is deliberately narrow and worth checking against your needs: mathematics only, elementary through college, on smartphone and tablet only. There is no web version, no API and no integration, so this is a personal learning companion, not a building block for a school system or a product.
Three points deserve attention before committing. The free trial rolls over into a paid subscription automatically, which matters for an audience that starts at 13. The photos submitted are covered by a broad, perpetual licence and are used to improve the publisher's models, with no documented opt-out, even though the privacy policy promises those images are never shared with third parties. And the compliance paperwork is incomplete: no hosting country is named while transfers outside the EU/EEA are disclosed, no DPA or Article 27 representative exists, no sub-processor list is published, and the privacy policy still carries a 31 October 2023 date against terms of use updated on 30 September 2025.
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