# Mathway vs MathPapa

The clearest difference is ads: MathPapa at none against Mathway's shown. MathPapa also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 50%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Mathway's advantage is ratings volume (425K vs 17K) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mathway sells 8 in-app purchases, 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.

Mathway holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mathway has 425K ratings behind it against 17K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Mathway's written reviews are positive against 78% of MathPapa's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Mathway ships an update every 4 weeks, MathPapa every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mathway | MathPapa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (425K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathway-math-problem-solver/id467329677/reviews)** | [4.7 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathpapa-algebra-calculator/id1024251561/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **425K** | 17K |
| Positive reviews | 50.5% of reviews | **77.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#131** | — |
| Size | 82 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Chegg, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/385758166) | [MathPapa, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1116770141) |

## What reviewers say

### Mathway

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathway-math-problem-solver/id467329677)

**Currently charting:** #131 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

Solve math problems instantly by taking a photo or typing your question. Get step-by-step solutions for algebra, graphing, calculus, and more. Understand complex math concepts with unlimited access to answers.

**Highlights:** Math problem solver, Homework scanner, Step-by-step solutions, Algebra solver, Graphing calculator, Calculus solver

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Steps (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Steps (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Steps (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Steps (Monthly) | $19.99 | per month |
| Steps (Annual) | $39.99 | per year |
| Steps (Annual) | $39.99 | per year |
| Steps (Annual) | $39.99 | per year |
| Steps (Annual) | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Reliable and accurate
- 👍 Helpful for math homework and studying
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Explains step-by-step solutions
- 👍 Supports wide range of math topics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription required for full features
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance, crashes
- 🔍 Difficulty cropping/uploading photos
- 🔍 Limited free features, paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Camera issues, unable to focus on problems
- Subscription issues, unable to access paid features

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to copy/paste equations
- Improved free version with step-by-step solutions


### 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, Vision Pro support

**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 Mathway free?

Mathway 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, Mathway or MathPapa?

Mathway is rated higher. Mathway averages 4.9 out of 5 from 425K ratings, while MathPapa averages 4.7 from 17K ratings.

### Do Mathway or MathPapa have ads?

Mathway shows ads; MathPapa does not.

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

Mathway ships an update every 4 weeks, and MathPapa every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mathway was updated on October 13, 2026 and MathPapa on October 11, 2026.

---

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