Socratic by Google vs Solvely
Socratic by Google and Solvely both answer homework from a photo, with opposite business models. Socratic is completely free with no paid tier: snap a photo, get a step-by-step explanation plus curated videos and explainers across math, science, literature and history, with no account needed for core use. Solvely is a freemium homework suite (reported 15M+ users): limited free solves, Pro around $12.99/month (annual much cheaper per 2026 store reports), adding a quiz maker, essay writer, AI note taker and LMS integrations. The caveat on Socratic: Google has been folding similar capabilities into Lens and Search, and the standalone app has seen little recent development, so check availability in your app store. Pick Socratic for a free, no-account explainer; pick Solvely if you want a fuller study toolkit and are willing to pay. We did not hands-on test either product, so no quality winner is declared.
| Decision point | Socratic by Google | Solvely |
|---|---|---|
| Best suited to | Students who want a free, no-signup homework explainer | Students with heavy homework volume who want explanations plus study tools in one app |
| Plans and cost | Free: no paid tier, no subscription (observed October 2026). | Free tier with limited solves; Pro reported at $12.99/month monthly or about $3.24/month billed annually (US App Store examples, August 2026). Prices vary by region and store; confirm before subscribing. Observed October 2026. |
| Limitations | Easy to misuse for copying answers: use the steps to learn, not to transcribe. Weaker on very advanced or unusual questions. The standalone app's future is uncertain as Google integrates similar photo | The 97% accuracy claim is vendor marketing: always verify important answers against class sources. The free tier is limited (reports mention about 2 solves per session); heavy use needs Pro. Subscript |
Use the same input
A student needs homework help from a photo and must choose between a free Google explainer and a paid homework suite.
What a successful result must preserve
The tool must explain, not just answer, and its price and availability must be verified against current official sources.
Evidence and test status
Specification comparison based on each vendor's published pricing and feature pages plus independent 2026 reviews. We did not run a hands-on test on either tool; no quality winner is declared.
- Socratic by Google — Official website ↗ (reviewed 2026-10-24)
- Solvely — Solvely official page ↗