8 Best Apps for Solving Math Problems

There are many digital platforms that offer unique and engaging learning systems that students—and even schools—appreciate. When it comes to solving problems independently, numerous applications are available to assist. These apps can help tackle questions across a wide range of subjects, including mathematics.

However, it's important to note that these apps should be used primarily to double-check the answers to problems you've already attempted on your own. Relying on them to complete homework or, worse, during exams can actually hinder your learning and weaken your understanding.

That said, these apps can also be valuable tools for studying challenging math problems. As long as you commit to using them responsibly, feel free to explore the following list of recommended apps to help with your math exercises!

1. Gauth          

Gauth is known for its ability to solve a wide range of problems—not only in mathematics but also in subjects like History, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Literature, Economics, and more. Impressively, all of these features are available for free. When it comes to math, the topics covered range from basic to advanced levels.

When I first tried the app, I was immediately introduced to the Gauth scanner camera, which is organized into categories based on the subject of the question. If you're unsure which subject your question falls under, you can simply choose the “General” camera option.

To use it, just take a photo of the problem you want to solve, and Gauth will automatically process it using its built-in AI. Within seconds—typically less than 10—the app will present you with a solution and explanation.

If you select the appropriate subject category before taking the photo, the app will prompt you to choose the education level—such as elementary, secondary, or university. Based on that, Gauth will provide a tailored solution.

In addition to its AI capabilities, Gauth offers helpful features like a scientific calculator and unit converter, making it even easier for users to carry out complex calculations. Plus, it includes a “Q&A History” feature that allows you to keep track of all the problems you’ve solved.

Things I Like About Gauth:

• Can quickly and easily solve problems from various subjects.
• Free to use without any ad interruptions.
• Covers a wide range of math topics, from elementary school to university level.
• Provides both the solution steps and final answers at once.
• Supports multiple languages.
• Includes additional features like a scientific calculator and unit conversion calculator.

Things to Note About Gauth:

• Does not support manual input for questions.

2. Mathway

In addition to offering a camera-based math problem scanner, Mathway also provides a calculator for manually entering problems. If the camera scan isn’t clear enough, users can easily edit the input through this feature.

The app also includes a voice input option, allowing users to dictate problems—although this feature currently supports only English.

Mathway is capable of solving a wide variety of math problems, including algebra, graphing, calculus, and more. It also offers a step-by-step solution feature, which is available exclusively to users who upgrade to the premium plan.

During my trial, the app worked smoothly. The camera accurately scanned the math problems, and the system consistently provided correct solutions. However, I wasn’t able to access the work history feature, as it’s only available to premium subscribers.

Things I Like About Mathway:

• The app runs smoothly without issues.
• Capable of solving problems ranging from simple to complex, including algebra, graphs, and calculus.
• Offers a voice input feature for entering problems by speaking.
• High-quality camera scanner with an editing option in the calculator if the scan result is unclear.

Things to Note About Mathway:

• The History feature is only accessible with a premium subscription.
• Available only in English.

3. Cymath

Cymath is particularly useful for high school and college students, as it focuses on solving math problems related to algebra and calculus. If you’re struggling with these two subjects, Cymath can be a reliable tool to simplify your work.

What sets Cymath apart is its camera scanning feature. Unlike similar apps that immediately provide multiple answers, Cymath prompts users to tap the edit menu after scanning a question. From there, you can access the keyboard feature to select a more specific method for solving the problem.

The app also includes a useful "Check Answer" feature, which allows you to re-enter the app's solution into the original question to verify its accuracy. If the result matches, you can be confident that the answer is correct.

However, I did encounter some issues while using the app, particularly with graph projections.

While Cymath offers a zoom function that allows you to adjust the graph's scale by pinching the screen, the coordinates overlap at certain magnifications. It would be more convenient if the graphs were automatically generated with a suitable scale or allowed for custom scale adjustments.

Things I Like About Cymath:

• Able to solve various algebra and calculus problems.
• Includes a “check answer” feature to verify solutions.
• Provides graph projections with a fairly wide scale range.

Things to Note About Cymath:

• The app still contains ads.
• Graph projections can have minor issues when zooming to certain scale levels.

4. Uknow.AI

In addition to solving math problems, Uknow.AI can also help improve your math skills. The "Exercise" feature allows users to practice calculations at varying levels of difficulty while competing against Uknow.AI users from around the world.

For problem-solving, Uknow.AI offers two main features: "Snap to Solve," which uses a camera scanner to solve problems, and "AI Tutor," a chatbot that helps with manually entered questions.

Interestingly, the AI Tutor also includes a "Scan a Question" option, enabling users to photograph questions directly through the camera.

One of the app’s advantages is its ability to solve multiple questions at once. You don’t need to take separate pictures for each question; as long as the camera scan is clear, Uknow.AI can handle an entire page of problems in one go.

When I tested the camera feature, the app provided up to three alternative answers, plus one AI-generated solution. Among them, the AI-generated solution was the cleanest and easiest to understand. However, I encountered a bug with the alternative answers, where the text appeared jumbled without spaces.

Despite the bugs, Uknow.AI offers several intriguing features, particularly the community option, which allows users to share their questions and solutions with others.

Things I Like About Uknow.AI:

• Offers many free features to try.
• Can solve various math problems with multiple solution alternatives.
• Supports both manual input and camera scanning for problem entry.
• Capable of solving multiple problems at once.
• Includes math practice exercises and global user competitions.
• Available in multiple languages.

Things to Note About Uknow.AI:

• Some bugs appear in the answer explanation text.
• Certain features have limited access under the free version.

5. Symbolab

With an app size of just 12 MB, Symbolab offers a wide range of features to help users solve math problems. In fact, it even claims to solve word problems, and I can confirm that this feature works as promised.

When I tested the app, I started with some elementary school math problems, and Symbolab solved them accurately. Next, I tried a word problem from pre-calculus, and the app handled it seamlessly. However, to access the detailed solution steps, users must subscribe to the premium version.

The range of problems Symbolab can solve is impressive, including topics like calculus, algebra, statistics, and geometry. Additionally, it offers a feature for solving chemistry problems related to chemical reactions and properties, as well as economics problems like the Law of Diminishing Returns. Quite versatile, right?

Despite all its advantages, I did encounter one downside with Symbolab—the time it takes for the camera to scan questions. The process was somewhat confusing, as the scanner screen would unexpectedly transition to the problem-solving page without any indication, which slightly affected the overall user experience.

Things I Like About Symbolab:

• Feature-rich for an app that’s only 12 MB in size.
• Can solve a wide range of math problems, including topics in chemistry and economics.
• Capable of solving word problems.
• Allows manual problem entry using the built-in calculator.
• Has a free-to-access history feature for previous problems.

Things to Note About Symbolab:

• Scanning problems can take quite a bit of time.
• Step-by-step solutions are only available for premium users.

6. Maple Calculator

Maple Calculator combines various types of calculators into one platform, including graphing, scientific, algebraic, calculus, and integral calculators.

Despite its name, this app offers capabilities that go far beyond a standard calculator. With its scanner solver feature, users can solve math problems simply by scanning images through the camera.

However, it’s important to ensure that the problem you're photographing doesn’t include sentences, as I encountered difficulties solving problems with this app when sentences were involved. If you want to avoid this issue, you can upgrade to the premium plan.

Most of Maple Calculator's features are accessible for free, except for the step-by-step solution feature, which is limited to five uses per week for free users. What also makes this app more appealing is the FAQ section, which helps users understand how to use the app more effectively.

Things I Like About Maple Calculator:

• Combines various types of calculators with a practical scanner solver.
• Includes an editing feature to adjust problems if the scan result is unclear.
• FAQ menu available to help users navigate the app more easily.
• Offers customization options for graph projection scales.

Things to Note About Maple Calculator:

• The free step-by-step solution feature is limited to five problems per week.
• Does not have a history or activity log feature.

7. Mathos AI

Mathos AI integrates advanced AI technology, making it faster and more accurate than traditional problem-solving apps. The app features a scanner for capturing problems in image format, along with a chatbot for manually inputting problems.

In addition to its core functionality, Mathos AI offers several extra features, such as a graphical calculator for plotting equations, a Whiteboard for taking notes, an AI Tutor for personalized tutoring, and a PDF Helper for opening PDF files. However, the AI Tutor and PDF Helper are only available to users who subscribe to the pro package.

What sets Mathos AI apart is its approach to solving problems. Instead of providing the final answer immediately, the app explains the steps in detail before presenting the solution.

Moreover, the app supports multiple languages, making it more accessible to users from diverse backgrounds.

Things I Like About Mathos AI:

• Integrated with AI, making it fast and accurate.
• Provides detailed step-by-step solutions to math problems.
• Includes additional features like a graphing calculator, AI Tutor, Whiteboard, and PDF Helper.
• Capable of solving a wide range of problems, including word problems.

Things to Note About Mathos AI:

• Some features are only accessible with a premium subscription.
• Free access to the app requires logging in with an email.

8. Photomath

Photomath is designed to solve a wide variety of math problems, ranging from basic arithmetic to advanced calculus. The app even claims to be able to solve word problems.

Curious about this claim, I decided to give Photomath a try. The app successfully solved a simple word problem I scanned with its camera feature. However, the app's performance with word problems wasn’t always consistent. Several times, when I tried other problems, Photomath provided incorrect answers.

Another challenge I faced was difficulty in solving word problems in Bahasa Indonesia. Although the app supports multiple languages, its performance seems to fall short when used with languages other than English.

Interestingly, the app appears to use the Google search engine to find similar solutions on the internet. This means Photomath not only calculates but also cross-references answers with existing online solutions.

One feature I appreciate about Photomath is its additional settings that improve user experience. These include options to adjust decimal symbols, multiplication and division signs, binomial coefficient symbols, and the display of repeating decimals.

Additionally, the app allows users to manually enter problems through the built-in calculator. This means that if the camera scan isn’t perfect, you can still edit the problem before Photomath solves it for you.

Things I Like About Photomath:

• Intuitive app design.
• Provides step-by-step solutions to math problems.
• Easy to use with a simple yet elegant interface design.
• Capable of solving many types of math problems, including word problems.
• Offers multi-language settings.
• Has a History feature to review past problems.

Things to Note About Photomath:

• Inconsistent in providing solutions for various math problems.
• Solutions in languages other than English don’t always work well.

Those are just a few apps that can help you solve various math problems. I hope they encourage you to be more engaged in learning math and make the process more enjoyable. Good luck!