Socratic by Google
Google / socratic.org
AI-powered homework help app from Google using AI and search to help K-12 and college students understand questions through visual explanations, videos, and step-by-step solutions.
Pricing
Free
Free plan
Yes
Category
Education
Platforms
2
Rating
4.5 (50000)
Free plan
Yes
API access
No
Open source
No
Platforms
2
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What is Socratic by Google?
Socratic, acquired by Google in 2018, lets students photograph or type a question and the app uses AI to identify the topic, find relevant educational resources, and provide step-by-step explanations, videos, and visual aids. Available for iOS and Android, covering maths, science, history, social studies, and other subjects. The free, ad-free experience makes it accessible to students regardless of budget.
How Socratic by Google works
Socratic by Google runs as llm assistant software built around text and image workflows. Users typically start with a prompt, upload, or connected data source, and the underlying model handles the heavy lifting before returning a result you can refine or export. It's available on ios and android.
What makes it worth shortlisting
The capabilities that matter most for teams evaluating Socratic by Google.
Photo question recognition
Identifies academic questions from photographs and provides relevant explanations, videos, and resources for understanding.
Step-by-step explanations
Breaks down solutions to show the reasoning process rather than only providing final answers.
Multi-subject coverage
Provides explanations across maths, science, history, social studies, and other K-12 and college subjects.
Best use cases
Who should use it
Pros
- Completely free with no subscription required
- Photo question recognition makes homework help fast and easy
- Ad-free experience respects the learning environment
- Strong coverage across multiple academic subjects
Cons
- Intended to help understanding, not provide answers for copying
- Coverage and explanation depth varies by subject and question type
- Not a replacement for teacher explanation or human tutoring
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Is it worth the price?
Completely free. No subscription. No Google account required.
Model
Free
Starting price
Free
Free trial
No
Tools like Socratic by Google
Photomath focuses specifically on mathematics. Khan Academy Khanmigo provides curriculum-integrated AI tutoring. Chegg provides more comprehensive paid homework help.
Socratic by Google vs MagicSchool AI
A side-by-side look at the closest alternative in this category.
Socratic by Google
MagicSchool AI
MagicSchool AI
Completely free. No subscription. No Google account required.
Free plan for individual teachers with access to 80+ tools. Individual Plus $3/month. School and District plans at custom pricing.
Google privacy policy applies. Parental consent recommended for users under 13.
FERPA and COPPA compliant. Student data not used to train AI models. SOC 2 compliant. School plans include data processing agreements.
Review Google privacy policy. Socratic uses Google AI and search infrastructure.
MagicSchool is FERPA and COPPA compliant, designed with student privacy in mind. Student data is not used to train AI models. Review school plan data handling agreements before district deployment.
- Completely free with no subscription required
- Photo question recognition makes homework help fast and easy
- Ad-free experience respects the learning environment
- Strong coverage across multiple academic subjects
- Specifically designed for teacher workflows with 80+ purpose-built tools
- Very affordable at $3/month for individual teachers
- FERPA and COPPA compliant for school use
- Lesson plan and differentiation tools address the highest-value teacher use cases
- Intended to help understanding, not provide answers for copying
- Coverage and explanation depth varies by subject and question type
- Not a replacement for teacher explanation or human tutoring
- Designed for K-12 education, less relevant outside that context
- Individual teacher free plan has usage limits
- School deployment requires district procurement process
Technical & deployment info
Key facts about model providers, platforms, and team support.
Model Provider
Platforms
iOS, Android
Deployment
Free
Integrations
Google Search, YouTube, Khan Academy resources
Team Collaboration
No
Launch Year
2018
Security & privacy
Compliance signals and data-handling notes as reported by the vendor.
Google privacy policy applies. Parental consent recommended for users under 13.
Review Google privacy policy. Socratic uses Google AI and search infrastructure.
What users are saying
Verified reviews from signed-in users, stored in the backend and averaged into this tool's rating.
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Common questions about Socratic by Google
Editorial Verdict
Should you use Socratic by Google?
Socratic is the best free AI homework help app for K-12 and college students who want quick explanations and learning resources. Use it to understand concepts rather than to copy answers.
Last verified July 24, 2026.