# Pre vs MathPapa

The clearest difference is update cadence: MathPapa at every 3 weeks against Pre's every 6 months. MathPapa also leads on ratings volume (17K vs 357) and review sentiment (78% vs 67%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pre sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month and MathPapa sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pre against 4.7 for MathPapa. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MathPapa has 17K ratings behind it against 357, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Pre's written reviews are positive against 78% of MathPapa's.

Pre ships an update every 6 months, MathPapa every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pre | MathPapa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (357 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pre-algebra/id459734695/reviews) | [4.7 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathpapa-algebra-calculator/id1024251561/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 357 | **17K** |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **77.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 15 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [YourTeacher.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/340925628) | [MathPapa, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1116770141) |

## What reviewers say

### Pre

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pre-algebra/id459734695)

Access a comprehensive Pre-Algebra curriculum with video lessons, guided practice, and assessments. Track your learning progress and reinforce knowledge with chapter reviews and a final exam. A free trial is available.

**Highlights:** Video instruction, Guided practice, Tests and quizzes, Worksheets and notes, Progress tracking, Chapter reviews, Final exam

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Get full access to Pre-Algebra | $9.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to learn from
- 👍 Short videos make learning easy
- 👍 Simple and good layout
- 👍 Outstanding app
- 👍 Helps significantly with pre-algebra

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App freezes and needs reinstallation
- 🐛 Opening app requires charger plugged in
- 🐛 Multiple choice answers don't show up
- 🐛 Doesn't explain commutative and associative properties well
- 🐛 Describing alternative PEMDAS methods as wrong is not ideal

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes
- Opening app without charger plugged in displays blank page
- Multiple choice answers don't show up on screen
- Daughter's progress and grades disappeared
- App is blank and not working

**Requested features**

- Algebra 2 content
- Better explanation of commutative and associative properties
- Side-by-side comparison of properties
- Allow writing on the screen
- More fraction problems


### MathPapa

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathpapa-algebra-calculator/id1024251561)

This app provides step-by-step solutions to algebra problems, helping users understand how to solve equations and inequalities. It can also graph equations, factor expressions, and evaluate mathematical expressions.

**Highlights:** Step-by-step equation solving, Linear and quadratic equation solver, Linear and quadratic inequality solver, Equation graphing, Quadratic expression factoring, Order of operations, Expression evaluation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MathPapa Premium Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| MathPapa Pro Upgrade | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Solves any expression or equation
- 👍 Provides step-by-step solutions
- 👍 Graphs functions
- 👍 Helpful for homework and understanding concepts
- 🚀 Saves time on homework

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription required for step-by-step solutions
- 💰 Expensive subscription at $10/month
- 👎 Limited number of step-by-step solutions in free version
- 👎 Subscription is not affordable for some students
- 👎 Subscription model is disappointing compared to previous free version

**Reported bugs**

- Doesn't always recognize certain input formats
- Step-by-step solutions not always available even with subscription

**Requested features**

- Add history/log of past calculations
- Support for more math functions like differentiation and integration
- Ability to input expressions with exponents as expressions
- Option to display answers in different formats (decimal, fraction, mixed number)
- Ability to take a photo of a problem and have it solved


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pre free?

Pre is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MathPapa free?

MathPapa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pre or MathPapa?

Pre and MathPapa are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 357 and 17K ratings respectively.

### Do Pre or MathPapa have ads?

Neither Pre nor MathPapa shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pre or MathPapa?

Pre ships an update every 6 months, and MathPapa every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pre was updated on September 8, 2026 and MathPapa on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*