Step-by-step math solver
A math solver that shows the steps, not just the answer.
Scan a problem with your iPhone camera and MathScans returns the full working: every step, the operation applied, and a plain explanation of why it was applied. You can watch it animate and hear it read aloud.
A worked example
What one step actually contains.
Most solvers give you a line of algebra and move on. Here is the whole of 3x + 9 = 24 as MathScans presents it, so you can judge the level of detail before you download anything.
- 01
Start with the equation
3x + 9 = 24
The problem as scanned, converted to clean notation so nothing is misread before the working begins.
- 02
Subtract 9 from both sides
3x = 24 − 9
We move the constant away from the term containing x. Whatever is done to one side is done to the other, which keeps the equation balanced.
- 03
Simplify the right-hand side
3x = 15
24 minus 9 is 15. The left side is untouched, so the equality still holds.
- 04
Divide both sides by 3
x = 5
Dividing by the coefficient leaves x on its own. That is the solution.
Why the working matters
An answer you cannot reproduce is worth nothing in the exam.
Copying a final answer gets tonight's homework marked and teaches you nothing. The value is in the middle: knowing that you subtract the constant first, and why that keeps the equation balanced.
So MathScans names the operation on every step and explains the reasoning behind it. When a step still will not click, the animated player replays it with the terms moving, and narration reads the explanation aloud.
Most marking schemes award method marks. Following the working is how you earn them.
Common questions
- Does MathScans show the steps or just the answer?
- Every solution is broken into steps. Each one shows the state of the equation, names the operation being applied, and explains in plain language why that operation is the right move. The final answer is the last step, not the only thing you get.
- Is there a free math solver that shows steps?
- Some apps include step-by-step working in a free tier, Photomath among them, so if cost is your only constraint you have options. MathScans is a paid app: the monthly plan starts with a 3-day free trial, after which it is $9.99 a month or $4.99 a week. The trial is there so you can compare the depth of the explanations against a free tier on your own problems before deciding.
- Can it read handwritten math?
- Yes. The camera handles printed textbook pages, handwritten homework and whiteboards. A confidence indicator warns you before solving if the scan came out unclear, so you can retake it rather than get a confident answer to the wrong problem.
- Which types of problems can it show working for?
- Arithmetic, fractions, algebra, intermediate algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus and statistics, covering over 200 problem types from K-12 through early university.
- What happens if a step still does not make sense?
- Two things help. The animated tutorial replays the step so you watch the terms actually move and combine, and voice narration reads the explanation aloud in any of 19 languages. Reading a dense line of notation and hearing it described are different experiences, and the second one often lands when the first does not.
See the working on your next problem.
Scan it, read the steps, watch it animate. Free for 3 days on the monthly plan, then $9.99 a month.