# PhotoStudy vs My Study Mate

The clearest difference is rating: My Study Mate at 4.7 against PhotoStudy's 4.2. My Study Mate also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.1). PhotoStudy's advantage is ratings volume (2.1K vs 385). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PhotoStudy sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and My Study Mate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

My Study Mate holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PhotoStudy has 2.1K ratings behind it against 385, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of PhotoStudy's written reviews are positive against 67% of My Study Mate's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PhotoStudy ships an update every 2 months, My Study Mate every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PhotoStudy | My Study Mate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photostudy-live-study-help/id797535508/reviews) | **[4.7 (385 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-study-mate/id6445838759/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 385 |
| Positive reviews | **70.3% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 74 MB | 90 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [GotIt! Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/797535511) | [OAK Computing](https://appshunter.io/developer/359159501) |

## What reviewers say

### PhotoStudy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photostudy-live-study-help/id797535508)

Get instant, 24/7 homework help in Math, Physics, and Chemistry. Snap a photo of your problem and connect with a live expert tutor for a personalized chat session. Access your chat history for review and improve your grades.

**Highlights:** Instant live expert connection, 24/7 Math, Physics, Chemistry help, Photo upload for problems, Personalized 10-minute chat sessions, Tutoring chat history access, Interactive STEM lessons

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Featured Sessions | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Quiz Blitz | $0.99 | one-time |
| Quiz Blitz | $3.99 | one-time |
| Single Session | $4.99 | one-time |
| Quiz Blitz | $5.99 | one-time |
| Quiz Blitz | $9.99 | one-time |
| 4 Session Bundle | $17.99 | one-time |
| 10 Session Bundle | $34.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Helpful for homework and studying
- 💡 Useful for a variety of subjects
- 🚀 Quick responses from experts
- 👍 Step-by-step explanations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive for credits/sessions
- 🐛 Connectivity issues and experts unavailable
- 🐛 Incorrect or unhelpful answers from experts
- 🕰️ Time limit for sessions too short
- 🔒 Lack of free/unlimited access

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to ask a question
- Camera doesn't focus properly when taking photos
- Inconsistent credit deduction and refund policies

**Requested features**

- Expand to more subjects like biology and computer science
- Offer a monthly subscription for unlimited access
- Provide more free sessions or a free trial
- Improve expert quality control and training
- Allow users to save/review past solutions


### My Study Mate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-study-mate/id6445838759)

Snap a photo of any homework assignment, problem, or question to receive a detailed, step-by-step explanation of how to solve it. This app provides instant assistance for a wide range of academic challenges.

**Highlights:** Photo homework solver, Step-by-step solutions, Problem explanation, Question solver, Instant academic assistance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| monthly-ios | $9.99 | per month |
| yearly plan | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Accurate answers
- 👍 Clear explanations
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for studying
- 👍 Solves tough problems

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Camera misunderstands pictures
- 🐛 Random words/signs in output
- 🐛 Slow loading times
- 🐛 Sometimes doesn't answer
- 🐛 Incorrect answers on obvious questions

**Reported bugs**

- Camera doesn't fully understand picture
- App sits and loads forever
- Came up with its own answer
- Does not detect the question correctly
- Can't open the app on a new phone

**Requested features**

- Enhance camera understanding
- Improve question detection
- Fix slow loading
- Ensure consistent answering
- More upgrades to enhance features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PhotoStudy free?

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

### Is My Study Mate free?

My Study Mate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PhotoStudy or My Study Mate?

My Study Mate is rated higher. PhotoStudy averages 4.2 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while My Study Mate averages 4.7 from 385 ratings.

### Do PhotoStudy or My Study Mate have ads?

Both PhotoStudy and My Study Mate show ads.

### Which is updated more often, PhotoStudy or My Study Mate?

PhotoStudy ships an update every 2 months, and My Study Mate every 3 days. Most recently, PhotoStudy was updated on October 12, 2026 and My Study Mate on October 2, 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.*