Best screenshot
math solvers
Screenshot solving exists because math notation does not survive copy-paste. The question is what the tool does with the image: how much of your screen it takes, how well it reads a fraction bar, and whether it keeps the picture afterwards.
Disclosure: Solvecoon is our own product and it is on this list. Checked August 2026.
How we judged them
- Whether it captures a region or a whole screen.
- How well it reads printed versus handwritten math.
- Whether the image is retained after the answer.
- Whether steps come with the answer or cost extra.
- Whether it works on a laptop, a phone, or both.
The list
Solvecoon
OursBest for: math already on your laptop screen
Drag a box and only that rectangle is uploaded: the crop happens in your browser first. Retention is Never by default. Reads printed math, rendered math in web apps, PDFs, and legible handwriting, and returns the working every time.
Watch out: Desktop Chrome only, so paper homework means photographing it into a tab first.
Photomath
Best for: math on paper
The original camera solver. Point a phone at a handwritten problem and it reads it and explains the solution. Still the strongest option for handwriting.
Watch out: A phone app, so it does not help when the problem is in a browser tab.
Symbolab
Best for: photo input into a serious engine
Accepts photos alongside typed and spoken input, in front of a deep and specialised math engine with topic calculators.
Watch out: Deepest step-by-step is a Pro feature.
Question AI
Best for: photos and PDF uploads together
Snap or upload a math problem, including PDFs, across web and mobile, with step-by-step solutions advertised for math.
Watch out: Free limits are not clearly published, so check before depending on it.
Solvely
Best for: screenshot solving inside the browser
A Chrome and Edge extension built around screenshotting the problem, with step-by-step explanations and a set of standalone calculators.
Watch out: Retention of captured images is not stated on the extension page.
Questions people ask
- Do these upload my whole screen?
- That varies, and it is the question to ask. Solvecoon crops to your selection in the browser and uploads only that rectangle. Check each vendor's own statement before assuming.
- Which reads handwriting best?
- Photomath, on paper, with a phone camera. For a scan or photo already on your screen, a region capture works if the handwriting is legible.
- Are the images kept?
- Solvecoon discards the crop after the answer unless you opt into saving. Most others do not state a retention policy on their public pages.
- Why not just type the problem?
- Because typing math is where errors enter. A mistyped exponent produces a perfectly worked answer to the wrong question.
Start with the free one
Solvecoon gives you five solves a day on any page, with the steps included.
Add to Chrome →Free to try — 5 solves every day. No credit card.