Gauth (originally Gauthmath) is ByteDance's entry into the AI homework help category. Launched in 2019, it grew in the shadow of Photomath for years before becoming a serious competitor in 2023-2024 thanks to aggressive AI integration and ByteDance's scale. In 2026, Gauth is arguably the best free AI homework helper — broad subject coverage, competent AI chat tutoring, and a generous free tier make it a real alternative to Photomath and Brainly.
This review covers the full 2026 Gauth: camera-based solving, AI Tutor chat, subject coverage, pricing, and the ByteDance-ownership consideration that affects some users more than others.
- Free tier is genuinely generous — most features available at no cost
- Covers math, science, humanities — broader than Photomath
- AI Tutor chat provides conceptual explanations beyond just answers
- Live tutor option for problems AI can't solve
- Fast camera scanning with high OCR accuracy
- ByteDance ownership raises data privacy concerns for some users
- Free tier has daily question limits
- Some answer quality is below Photomath's gold standard on math specifically
- Can encourage copying rather than learning if used poorly
- Regional availability has shifted based on regulatory changes
- Students who need help across math, science, and humanities
- Budget-conscious students (free tier is genuinely useful)
- Non-US students who already use ByteDance apps
- Students who want AI explanations beyond step-by-step procedures
- Heavy users who would exceed Photomath free limits
- You work in or attend institutions that restrict ByteDance apps
- You need the absolute best math-specific accuracy (Photomath)
- Privacy of your usage data is critical
- You need a mature platform — Gauth changes faster than competitors
Pricing
Unlimited basic AI help, daily question limits on advanced features, ads, camera scanning, chat tutor.
Unlimited AI Tutor chat, detailed step-by-step, priority answers, ad-free experience, live tutor credits.
Same as Plus billed annually (~$5.00/mo effective). Best value.
What Gauth is
Gauth is an AI homework help app for students across primary, secondary, and early college levels. The core functions:
Camera solve. Point at a problem, get a solution with steps. Works for math, science, and sometimes other subjects.
AI Tutor chat. Text-based AI assistant that explains concepts, walks through problems, and handles follow-up questions. More conversational than Photomath's step-by-step-only approach.
Subject coverage. Math, physics, chemistry, biology, English, history, and others. Broader than math-only tools.
Live tutor. For problems AI can't handle, connection to human tutors (with credits included in Plus).
Q&A archive. Library of previously-answered questions, similar to Brainly but smaller.
The app is available worldwide on web, iOS, and Android. Regional availability has been stable through 2026 despite occasional ByteDance-related regulatory concerns.
Camera solving and OCR
Gauth's camera workflow is competent. Point at a problem, it's recognized, and you get a solution. OCR accuracy is high on printed problems and reasonable on handwritten ones. For printed homework, Gauth and Photomath are nearly indistinguishable. For messy handwriting, Photomath has a slight edge.
Math problems are the core use case and work reliably. Science problems with mathematical components (physics) work well. Chemistry problems are more variable — stoichiometry and basic reactions work; complex organic chemistry less so.
The step-by-step solutions are clear but not as detailed as Photomath Plus's animated explanations. For concept understanding beyond the steps, you can follow up in AI Tutor chat.
AI Tutor: the conversational advantage
Gauth's AI Tutor is a chat interface similar to ChatGPT but tuned for tutoring. You can:
- Ask the AI to explain any concept (not just solve a problem)
- Follow up with clarifying questions
- Get the AI to check your work
- Ask for simpler or more detailed explanations
- Connect scanned problems to the chat for further discussion
This conversational approach is where Gauth differentiates from Photomath. Photomath gives you steps and moves on; Gauth lets you dig deeper via chat. For students who want to understand rather than just solve, the chat is valuable.
AI Tutor quality is competitive with free-tier ChatGPT but tuned for educational use. Not as sophisticated as ChatGPT Plus for complex topics, but more than adequate for typical K-12 and intro college coursework.
Subject coverage beyond math
Gauth's subject breadth is its key differentiator from Photomath:
Mathematics — Arithmetic through calculus, statistics basics. Comparable to Photomath.
Physics — Kinematics, dynamics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, modern physics at intro level. Strong.
Chemistry — Stoichiometry, reactions, chemistry basics. Decent. Organic chemistry is weaker.
Biology — Cell biology, genetics, ecology, human biology. Decent at concept explanation.
English / Language Arts — Grammar, writing help, literature discussion. Useful for understanding and studying.
History — Factual questions, timeline understanding, concept explanation. Good.
Foreign languages — Vocabulary, grammar, translation help. Usable.
Computer science basics — Concept explanation, simple code help. Limited.
The breadth means Gauth can be a one-stop homework helper for students taking a typical mix of subjects, while Photomath-only users need additional tools for non-math work.
Pricing
Gauth's pricing in 2026:
Free. Unlimited basic AI help, daily limits on advanced features, ads, camera scanning, chat tutor. The free tier is generous — most students can use Gauth free and get real value.
Plus at $7.99/month. Unlimited AI Tutor chat, detailed step-by-step, priority answers, ad-free, live tutor credits.
Plus Annual at $59.99/year. Works out to about $5/month. Best value for committed users.
At $7.99/month (or $5 annual), Plus is the cheapest premium tier among major homework help tools. Photomath Plus is $9.99, Brainly Premium is $23.99, Chegg is $19.95. Gauth's price positioning is aggressive.
The free tier is also better than competitors' free tiers. Photomath free has advanced feature restrictions; Brainly free has daily question limits. Gauth free covers most use cases.
How Gauth compares
Against Photomath: Photomath wins on math-specific polish — better OCR on handwriting, more detailed step-by-step explanations, Google's technical backing. Gauth wins on subject breadth, AI chat flexibility, and pricing. For math-only students, Photomath. For multi-subject students, Gauth.
Against Brainly: Brainly has community Q&A that Gauth doesn't. Brainly Premium is 3x the price of Gauth Plus. For pure AI + camera workflow, Gauth is better value. For community perspective and expert verified answers, Brainly.
Against ChatGPT: ChatGPT Plus has stronger general AI. No camera workflow. More flexible but less focused on homework help specifically. At the same price point as ChatGPT free tier, Gauth Plus offers camera + dedicated tutor features.
Against [Claude](/claude): Claude is higher quality for complex reasoning and writing help. More expensive. For students doing deep humanities work, Claude Pro. For daily homework across subjects, Gauth.
Against Socratic by Google: Socratic has largely been deprioritized by Google. Gauth is more actively developed.
The ByteDance consideration
Gauth is a ByteDance product, same parent as TikTok. The considerations:
Data handling. Your homework questions, photos, and usage patterns are processed on ByteDance infrastructure. For general homework, this is typically not sensitive. For unusual queries you don't want logged, consider alternatives.
Regulatory risk. US federal contractors and some state-employed parents are prohibited from having ByteDance apps on work devices. This may affect device usage even if the student is using it for school.
Institutional restrictions. Some schools (particularly universities with federal research funding) restrict ByteDance apps on school devices or networks.
Practical impact for individuals. For typical K-12 and college students doing homework, Gauth is fine. Privacy-sensitive users may prefer alternatives.
Who should use Gauth
Students on tight budgets wanting a free AI homework helper that's actually useful free.
Students who study across multiple subjects beyond just math.
Students who prefer conversational AI over step-by-step procedural solutions.
Heavy AI tutor users who would exceed free tier limits on other platforms.
International students in regions where ByteDance apps are well-supported.
Who should skip Gauth
Users affected by ByteDance restrictions — check institutional policies.
Math-focused users wanting maximum polish — Photomath is marginally better for pure math.
Users needing community answers — Brainly offers this, Gauth doesn't.
Privacy-sensitive users should consider alternatives with clearer data practices.
Users in transitional regions where ByteDance app availability is changing.
The verdict
Gauth is the best free AI homework helper in 2026 — broader subject coverage than Photomath, more AI capability than Brainly free tier, and a genuine no-cost path to useful help. Plus at $7.99/month is the cheapest premium tier in the category and delivers real value for students who use it regularly.
The ByteDance ownership is a real factor that users should understand before committing, but for most individual students it's not a blocker. For those whose schools or jobs have policies against ByteDance apps, the alternatives (Photomath for math, Brainly for community, ChatGPT for general AI) remain available.
For the specific use case of "I'm a student, I need affordable homework help across multiple subjects, I want AI I can actually chat with" — Gauth is the right answer in 2026. The combination of free tier generosity, broad subject coverage, and low-priced premium tier makes it hard to beat at its positioning.
The broader trend is that AI homework help is becoming commoditized. The tools are good, they're cheap or free, and students have more options than ever. Gauth is one of the best in the category, and its aggressive pricing keeps pressure on the whole market. Whether that's good or bad depends on whether students use these tools as tutors or as shortcuts — but the tools themselves are genuinely useful for the learning-oriented.
