Many people love math, and it’s a practical subject. You use math in subjects like physics, chemistry, geography, and computer science. Its importance in the STEM field can’t possibly be overstated.
Whether you’re a huge math geek or a student who struggles with formulas, websites like Mathway help simplify and shorten the calculation process. If you’re looking to solve math problems faster, this piece is for you.
Today, we’re going to take a look at ten Mathway alternatives. You’ll learn about their features and the things these apps do better than Mathway.
Best Mathway Alternatives
Before we discuss each of these solutions in more detail, let’s take a quick look at their pricing and notable pros and cons:
| Website/App | Starting from | Pros | Cons |
| QuickMath | $7.99/month | It can be accessed as both a website and a mobile application. | Poorly designed mobile version. |
| Microsoft Math Solver | Free | It is free to use and backed by one of the largest tech companies around. | It falls short when tasked with complex, graduate-level math problems. |
| Photomath | $2.99/month | The scanning feature makes problem-solving a breeze. | Its full feature tier is priced very high. |
| WebMath | Free | It is great at breaking down problems for succinct explanations. | It only comes as a web app, which might be inconvenient for some users. |
| MathPapa | Free | Its strength with algebraic problems is unmatched. | The platform struggles with other problems like square roots and exponential fractions. |
| Cymath | Free | It offers a quick way to solve formulaic math problems. | Cannot solve word problems. |
| Symbolab | $4.99/month | Great for student tutoring and self-learning, alongside problem-solving. | The app’s presentation on Windows can seem basic and unrefined |
| Chegg | Free | Its platform hosts an unrivaled number of resource materials. | The customer support on the platform could be improved. |
| SpeedCrunch | Free | Offers the fastest way to solve simple math problems. | The app’s presentation on windows can seem basic and unrefined |
| Wolfram Alpha | Free | Its computation engine can solve the most complex problems out of any other entry on this list. | Using the tool can pose a steep learning curve. |
1. QuickMath
QuickMath is one of the best Mathway alternatives out there. You can access it through the website or use it via Android and iOS apps.
It’s got a simple user interface. You can choose the goal you want to achieve and the kind of question you want to solve. Just type in the formula using the built-in keypad, and QuickMath will provide a solution.
The platform was designed to answer the most common calculus and algebra equations automatically. You can use QuickMath to solve linear equations, advanced calculus, matrices, and more.
Pros: Accessible through the website or a mobile app. It provides breakdowns for solutions.
Cons: Not very good at interpreting word problems
Pricing: QuickMath is a free tool, but has a paid version with more features. The paid tool starts at $7.99 per month.
2. Microsoft Math Solver
Microsoft Math Solver helps you solve complex and basic math problems. The platform runs on the tech giant’s machine learning and AI platforms.
In Math Solver, you can manually type the problem into the various provided fields. You can also scan the problem with your camera, and the app will give you the solution. The platform uses optical character recognition to identify written text.
Math Solver uses artificial intelligence to ensure that scanned problems are accurately understood. You can also jot the questions into the platform’s note-taker by hand (or stylus).
Overall, it is a great tool. In addition to giving you the final answer, you will get the workings that generated the solution. The final answer also includes other similar problems and lesson suggestions from the internet.
Pros: Completely free and backed up by Microsoft’s technology, uses OCR to recognize handwritten equations.
Cons: Useful for up to college-level algebra but falters with more complex mathematics
Pricing: Microsoft Math Solver is entirely free to use.
3. Photomath
Photomath makes math easy to understand and master for students of all ages and education levels. It’s an app available on both Android and iOS. To get an answer to a math question, you just take a photo of the math problem on your mobile device’s camera.
After scanning the equation or problem with your smartphone camera, the platform provides you with the answer. It will also provide a detailed solution breakdown. The strength of Photomath is the range of problems it can solve. It can handle the most complex trigonometry and calculus questions with ease.
The user interface is clean, intuitive, and easy to understand. If you’d rather do some computations yourself, Photomath also has a scientific calculator.
Photomath does not let you type in a math problem manually. The app might not work if the photo is taken in a low light setting or the handwriting is illegible.
Pros: Advanced OCR capabilities. Clean, intuitive UI. Built-in scientific calculator.
Cons: Only works with scanned equations; no manual input option.
Pricing: Photomath Premium starts at $2.99 per month and goes all the way up to $19.99 for added features.
4. WebMath
WebMath is another online calculator with similar features and capabilities to Mathway. You can access the tool through the website. WebMath does not have a mobile app.
The platform helps students of all ages with their math homework. WebMath provides nice step-by-step solutions and shows you the final answer. Whether you’re simplifying an algebra problem, breaking down an expression, or just deriving a formula, WebMath comes in handy.
You can select the type of question you’re trying to solve from the side or top bar on the platform. WebMath then shows you a step-by-step solution.
Pros: Offers step-by-step solutions for most equations up to college level.
Cons: No native mobile apps.
Pricing: WebMath is free to use.
5. MathPapa
MathPapa helps you master algebraic principles and strengthen your knowledge foundations. You can solve problems like linear equations and quadratic equations on MathPapa.
The website shows a clear list of steps taken to reach the final answer. You can also work with practice questions to help you master the subject matter using different values.
As a user, you get access to algebra lessons too. The lessons help you build your understanding of the subject.
Pros: Helps users understand the principles of algebra by showing detailed steps for solutions.
Cons: Ads on the free version of the website; struggles with exponential functions and square roots.
Pricing: Free to use. Upgrading for $9.99 per month gives you an ad-free experience throughout.
6. Cymath
Cymath is an online math solver and calculator solution. On Cymath, the user enters the formula, and the program provides the solution. Unlike most online calculators, this tool has graphical and scientific calculators. You can enter parts of the problem for a more broken-down calculation or input the entire problem to get the final answer instantly.
You can type it into any of its text fields and get a quick response.
Pros: Recognizes formulas easily. It has a graphical and scientific calculator.
Cons: Cannot solve word problems.
Pricing: Cymath has a free version that solves questions. There is a paid option that provides more workings. The paid plan costs around $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year.
7. Symbolab
Symbolab is a mathematics application available on Android and iOS that helps you solve problems. The app draws from a knowledge base of over 5,000 real-world math problems, from simple arithmetic to calculus.
Enter your math problem through the on-screen keyboard. You can input special characters, such as integral or differentiation symbols. You may also take a photo of your math problem and upload it to Symbolab using OCR.
The platform also helps you solve chemistry, physics, and geography questions. It has over 100 different calculators and formulas that can solve questions ranging from basic arithmetic to advanced derivatives.
Symbolab is great for students who want to review their work.
Pros: It is useful as a teaching or learning aid. The OCR system recognizes written problems easily.
Cons: The mobile app refreshes every time the user leaves and is not as user-friendly or robust as the web version.
Pricing: It costs $4.99 monthly or $29.99 for a year.
8. Chegg
Chegg touts itself as “taking the pain out of math.” It is a simple, fast, and easy-to-use portal with which students can solve math problems.
Chegg has a large math video library. Students can find tutorials on basically any math-related topic at middle school, high school, or collegiate levels. Notably, Chegg covers a lot more topics than Mathway. It is great for students who want tutorial sessions.
Alongside the videos, the Chegg library contains millions of fully-explained textbook solutions to a wide range of subjects, from core maths to physics, chemistry, and engineering. There are even resources for solving accounting, logistical, and economics-related problems.
Pros: Vast library of math tutorials and problems in different fields. Very active user community.
Cons: Post-sales support has a lot of room for improvement.
Pricing: Chegg offers a free basic version. The premium version starts at $14.95/month and offers more advanced features and an ad-free user experience.
9. SpeedCrunch
SpeedCrunch allows you to crunch complex sets of math problems at high speeds. The app supports a wide range of mathematical operations, from random number generation to trigonometry.
The platform is a light, downloadable calculator app available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Its simple interface consists of a blank input field with buttons below for numbers and functions.
Pros: Able to recognize unusual syntax. Impressive computing speed.
Cons: No web version. The Windows app has been criticized for its unimpressive UI.
Pricing: SpeedCrunch is free to download and use in perpetuity.
10. Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha is a computational knowledge engine capable of handling several math problems at a time. The platform can answer technical math equations, perform complex data analyses, and mathematical concepts.
The platform is also very easy to use. You can use it to solve physics formula calculations, stock market computations, and probability determination. You can also access bite-sized math lessons through the platform.
An app is available on the Android and iOS stores. It is powered by the Wolfram Alpha API. This interface covers the core Wolfram Alpha engine, its programming lab, a finance platform, and other finance and business-oriented solutions.
Pros: Designed for high-level math, including physics formulas and stock market modeling.
Cons: Steep learning curve. Some answers are hit-and-miss.
Pricing: Wolfram Alpha has a free version that doesn’t include step-by-step instructions. For that, you have to upgrade to the Pro plan, which starts at $5.49 per month or $65.88 per year.
In Conclusion
Mathway might be the most popular online calculator platform out there, but it isn’t the only one. There are some great Mathway alternatives. This guide covered some of the best options, including tools like MathPapa, Quick Math, and Microsoft Math Solver in this piece.
Some are only available through a website, while others have standalone apps across both Android and iOS ecosystems. Review the options, consider what you want to accomplish, and choose the appropriate solution.
