Socratic by Google

Socratic by Google is a free homework help app for middle school, high school, and early college students that uses computer vision and AI to provide step-by-step explanations for any photographed homework question. Point your phone at a problem in math, science, history, literature, or social studies, and Socratic identifies the question, finds relevant educational resources, and generates a visual, step-by-step explanation — all in seconds, completely free.

The subject coverage is broad: mathematics (arithmetic through calculus), chemistry (reactions, equations, periodic table), physics (mechanics, electricity, optics), biology, history, literature analysis, and grammar. For each question, Socratic typically combines multiple resource types: its own AI-generated explanation, links to Khan Academy videos, relevant Wikipedia sections, and Quizlet study sets — providing multiple perspectives on the concept being asked about.

Developed originally as a startup and acquired by Google in 2018, Socratic is maintained as a free educational tool with no subscription required — consistent with Google's broader investment in education tools. A Google account is required to use the app. The main limitation is depth: for advanced topics (university-level coursework, highly specialized subjects), Socratic's explanations are less complete and reliable than dedicated subject tutors or specialized resources. For the core K-12 curriculum, it is an exceptional free resource that genuinely helps students understand rather than just copy answers.