Every AI app is calling itself a "tutor" now. Most of them are answer machines with a teacher costume. Here's an honest look at which AI tutoring apps actually teach in 2026.
Which AI tutoring app gives step-by-step explanations?
The short answer, for parents who searched exactly that question:
- For a maths problem your child is stuck on right now: Photomath. Point the camera at the problem and it breaks the solution into numbered steps, with "how" and "why" notes on each one. Step-by-step explanations are on its free tier.
- For a child who wants to ask "but why?" out loud: Askie. It is voice-first, so the explanation is spoken, pitched at your child's age, and you can keep asking follow-ups without starting over.
- For a student who should not be given the answer at all: Khanmigo. Khan Academy's tutor is built so it never hands over the answer, and instead prompts the student through the reasoning.
- For a 5 to 11 year old building maths from the ground up: Synthesis Tutor. It teaches through lessons with continuous mini-checks rather than answering questions your child brings to it.
The distinction that matters is whose problem it explains. Photomath and Askie explain the problem your child brings to them. Khanmigo and Synthesis explain the problem they hand your child. Most families end up wanting the first kind on a school night and the second kind on a Sunday.
The comparison at a glance
What each app actually teaches, and how it explains:
| App | Ages | Maths | Reading | Homework help | How it explains |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Askie | 4-15 | Yes, general | Yes, plus stories | Yes | Spoken, age-calibrated, built for follow-up questions |
| Khanmigo | Not published | Yes, on Khan Academy content | Writing and debate coaching | Yes | Refuses to give the answer, questions the student toward it |
| Photomath | Elementary to college | Yes, and only maths | No | Yes, by camera scan | Numbered written steps, visual aids, "how" and "why" notes |
| Synthesis Tutor | 5-11 | Yes, and only maths | No, but it reads itself aloud | No, it sets its own work | Guided lessons with constant mini-checks before moving on |
| Duolingo Max | Not published | A separate Maths course | Only via the separate Duolingo ABC app | No | Roleplay and live Video Call practice inside language lessons |
What it costs, and what you as the parent can see and control:
| App | Free access | Paid price | Where that price comes from | Parent controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Askie | Free plan: 70 questions, 4 pictures and 5 voice minutes a week | $14.99/mo Premium, $39.99/mo Premium Max, one plan for every child | kidsai.app pricing section | PIN-locked settings, conversation transcripts, weekly usage limits, per-child profiles, safety heads-up to parents |
| Khanmigo | Free for teachers. Parents and learners pay | $4/mo or $44/yr, sales tax not included | khanmigo.ai/parents and /teachers | One parent account covers up to 10 kids, with chat history and moderation alerts |
| Photomath | Basic tier is free and includes step-by-step explanations | Paid Plus tier, priced per region | photomath.com pricing panel | None advertised. Use your phone's own screen-time and purchase controls |
| Synthesis Tutor | Free to start, then paid | Advertised as "less than $1/day" | synthesis.com | Progress reports, plus read-aloud and voice-speed settings |
| Duolingo Max | Duolingo has a free tier, but it carries ads. Duolingo ABC is free | A paid tier above Super Duolingo, priced per region | duolingo.com and the Duolingo Max announcement | None advertised for the consumer app |
How we compared these, and what we get out of it
We checked every competitor claim in this article directly against each company's own live pages on 19 August 2026: khanmigo.ai (parents, learners and teachers), photomath.com, synthesis.com, duolingo.com and Duolingo's own Max announcement. Where a company does not publish something, such as a minimum age, we say "not published" instead of guessing.
Two things you should weigh this article against. First, Askie is our product, and it is listed first because we think it is the best general AI tutor for younger children, not because a neutral panel decided that. Read the other four on their own sites before you pay for anything. Second, prices and free tiers move, and several of these are shown in your local currency and can differ by store. Treat every price here as "what the vendor published on that date", and confirm the number you will actually be charged in the app.
Nothing in this article is sponsored, and no company here paid to be included or excluded.
What Makes a Good AI Tutor for Kids?
A real AI tutor doesn't just hand over answers. It:
- Explains the reasoning — Walks the child through how, not just what
- Adapts to the child — Different age, different reading level, different explanation
- Asks follow-up questions — Checks understanding instead of moving on
- Encourages effort — Doesn't just tell the child they're right or wrong
- Stays safe — Age-appropriate examples, no adult content, no advertising
With those criteria, here's how the leading apps stack up.
The Top AI Tutoring Apps for Kids in 2026
1. Askie — Best Overall AI Tutor
Ages: 4-15 | Platforms: iOS, Android, Web | Price: Free plan, then $14.99/mo Premium or $39.99/mo Premium Max
Askie's tutoring works because it was designed around how kids actually learn, not how adults google. Voice-first means kids can ask follow-up questions naturally — "but why?" — and get an answer that builds on what they just heard.
What makes it different:
- Voice conversation — Kids ask out loud and get answered out loud, mirroring how a real tutor sounds
- Age calibration — A 6-year-old's "what is gravity?" gets a different answer than a 12-year-old's
- Step-by-step explanations — Maths and science problems are walked through, not just answered
- Follow-up friendly — Kids can keep asking "what about…?" without resetting context
- Subject breadth — Maths, reading, science, history, languages — covered across ages 4-15
- Multi-layer safety — Examples and analogies are vetted for child appropriateness
What could be better:
- The free plan is capped at 70 questions, 4 pictures and 5 voice minutes a week
- Doesn't replace a structured curriculum — it's a tutor, not a school
Best for: Families who want a voice-first AI tutor that explains, not just answers. Strongest for ages 5-12.
2. Khanmigo — Best for Curriculum-Aligned Learning
Ages: not published | Platforms: Web | Price: $4/month or $44/year for parents and learners, free for teachers
Khan Academy's AI tutor is wired into Khan's curriculum, so it's strongest when paired with their lessons. One parent subscription activates it for up to 10 children.
Strengths:
- Tied to a real curriculum
- Won't just give answers — pushes the student to think
- Parents can read their child's chat history and get moderation alerts
- Your child can speak to it and have replies read back aloud
- Backed by Khan Academy's reputation, and completely free for teachers
Limitations:
- Most useful inside Khan Academy, less so as a standalone tutor
- Khan Academy does not publish a minimum age for it, so that call is yours
- The parent tier is a paid subscription, and sales tax is added on top
Best for: Families already using Khan Academy who want an AI tutor inside that ecosystem, and any teacher, since it costs them nothing.
3. Photomath — Best for Maths Step-by-Step
Ages: elementary through college maths | Platforms: iOS, Android | Price: Free Basic tier, paid Plus tier
Photomath solves maths problems from a photo and walks through the steps, including word problems.
Strengths:
- Excellent for showing maths working step-by-step
- Step-by-step explanations, visual aids and "how" and "why" tips are on the free tier
- Camera-first interface is easy
- Strong for older kids and homework
Limitations:
- Only maths — not a general tutor
- Easy to use as an answer machine if a parent isn't supervising
- No parent dashboard, so supervision falls to your device's own controls
- Less effective for younger kids who can't read explanations fluently
Best for: Older kids (10+) doing maths homework who need to see the working.
4. Synthesis Tutor — Best for Structured Primary Maths
Ages: 5-11 | Platforms: iPad, desktop and Chromebook (Android in progress) | Price: Free to start, then advertised at "less than $1/day"
Synthesis offers a structured tutor focused on maths reasoning for primary-age kids, covering the K-5 curriculum and going beyond it.
Strengths:
- High-quality maths reasoning curriculum
- Strong pedagogical design, with continuous mini-assessments rather than one big test
- Emerging readers are covered: under-7s get everything read aloud automatically, and the voice speed is adjustable
- Also available in Spanish
- Designed for sustained use, not quick answers
Limitations:
- Maths only, and only to about age 11
- Won't help with the homework your child brings home, because it sets its own work
- No Android phone or tablet app yet
Best for: Families who want a real maths curriculum rather than a question-answering tutor.
5. Duolingo Max — Best for Language Tutoring
Ages: not published | Platforms: iOS, Android, Web | Price: A paid tier above Super Duolingo
Duolingo's Max tier adds two AI features to language learning: Roleplay, and Video Call, a live conversation with the character Lily that picks up where the last one left off.
Strengths:
- Strong for language learning specifically
- Familiar to kids who already use Duolingo
- AI features add genuine conversation practice, not just drills
- Duolingo also now runs Maths and Chess courses, and a separate free app, Duolingo ABC, teaches phonics, handwriting and sight words to early readers
Limitations:
- The AI tutoring is language-only, and sits inside the broader app rather than being a standalone tutor
- The free tier carries ads, which is worth knowing before you hand a phone over
- Duolingo does not publish a minimum age for the main app, and no parent dashboard is advertised
Best for: Families specifically focused on language learning.
Where This Article Ends and Our Tutoring Guide Begins
These are two different questions, and we've deliberately kept them on two pages:
- This page answers "which one should I buy?" It compares real products against each other on price, age, subjects and controls, and it is refreshed when those facts change.
- Our companion guide, "AI Tutor for Kids: Real Learning, Not Homework Shortcuts", answers "how do I make this actually work?" It is product-neutral: what separates a tutor from a chatbot, where AI tutoring genuinely helps, where it falls flat, and the three rules that stop your child becoming dependent on it.
If you are still deciding whether to use an AI tutor at all, read that companion guide first and come back here. If you have already decided and just want the shortlist, you're on the right page.
Two neighbouring guides, depending on what you're actually solving:
- Best AI Homework Apps for Kids if the problem is tonight's homework rather than long-term learning.
- AI Homework Help: Does It Actually Work? if you're worried AI is doing the thinking for your child.
What About Just Using ChatGPT as a Tutor?
ChatGPT can tutor — but it has three problems for kids:
- It doesn't calibrate to age unless prompted carefully every time
- It happily gives answers without checking for understanding
- It wasn't built for children's safety
Read our deeper take: AI Homework Help: Does It Actually Work?
How to Choose the Right AI Tutor for Your Child
The best fit depends on age and goal:
- Ages 4-9, want a general tutor: Askie's voice-first conversation fits naturally
- Ages 8-14, maths homework: Photomath for the working, Khanmigo for the understanding
- Ages 5-11, structured maths: Synthesis, which teaches rather than answers
- Language learning: Duolingo Max, or free Duolingo ABC for a child still learning to read
- Mixed subjects, ages 5-15: Askie's general voice tutor handles maths, science, reading, and history
- You're a teacher, not a parent: Khanmigo, which is free for teachers
Tutor vs Answer Machine: How to Tell
A real AI tutor:
- ✅ Asks "do you want me to explain or just give you the answer?"
- ✅ Uses examples your child can relate to
- ✅ Checks understanding with a follow-up question
- ✅ Adjusts when the child says "I don't get it"
An answer machine:
- ❌ Just spits out the answer
- ❌ Uses adult vocabulary regardless of who's asking
- ❌ Never asks if it made sense
- ❌ Treats every question like a search query
The Bottom Line
The best AI tutor for your child is the one that builds thinking, not the one that finishes homework. The tools that win on this measure are voice-first, age-calibrated, and designed to ask follow-up questions — not just to deliver answers.
A great AI tutor should leave your child smarter than it found them. That's a higher bar than most "AI tutor" apps clear today.