Education · head to head
Photomath vs Securly
Photomath
Education
Camera based maths solver that shows step by step working, owned by Google since 2022
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Securly
Education
Web filtering, student safety monitoring and device management for K-12 schools
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Photomath has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Photomath full free step by step solutions make it straightforward for a student to submit copied working without doing the reasoning themselves, which is a real concern for teachers assigning homework.; Securly pricing stacks by module and only Filter has rates that surface publicly, so the quoted total for Filter plus Aware plus On-Call is routinely several times the number a district budgeted from the filtering line alone.
- They diverge on capability: Photomath covers Camera scanning, Securly covers Filter.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Photomath and Securly actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Photomath
- Camera scanning
- Step by step solutions
- Built-in calculator
- Word problem support
- Animated explanations
- Textbook alignment
Only in Securly
- Filter
- Aware
- On-Call
- Classroom
- MDM
- Pass
- Home
- Delegated admin
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Photomath
- A student checking their own worked answer against the app steps to find where a method went wrongnot Securly
- A parent who cannot help with unfamiliar high school maths and needs a worked explanation rather than just an answernot Securly
- A student working through word problems in a subject not covered by the free tier who needs the Plus subscriptionnot Securly
- A school evaluating whether to recommend or restrict the app given the ease of copying a full worked solutionnot Securly
Securly
- A district that must show CIPA compliance for take-home Chromebooks used on home broadband, where network-level filtering does nothingnot Photomath
- A district whose safeguarding policy requires that a human being reads a self-harm alert within minutes at any hour, including school holidaysnot Photomath
- A one-to-one iPad programme needing Apple device enrolment, filtering and classroom control from a single agent rather than threenot Photomath
- A district under pressure from parents who want visibility of what their child does on the school device at home, without the school having to field each request by handnot Photomath
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Photomath
- Full free step by step solutions make it straightforward for a student to submit copied working without doing the reasoning themselves, which is a real concern for teachers assigning homework.
- Word problems, a common school assessment format, are gated behind the Plus subscription, so the free tier is weaker on exactly the problem type many students struggle with most.
- Camera recognition of messy handwriting or complex notation such as matrices or multi-line proofs is unreliable, and misreads produce confidently wrong steps.
- Since the 2022 Google acquisition, the product sits inside a company whose primary business is advertising and data, which is a relevant factor for schools with strict student data policies.
- It solves problems rather than teaching underlying concepts from scratch, so a student with no foundational understanding gets a worked answer but not necessarily comprehension.
Securly
- Pricing stacks by module and only Filter has rates that surface publicly, so the quoted total for Filter plus Aware plus On-Call is routinely several times the number a district budgeted from the filtering line alone.
- The safety scanning generates false positives at volume, including song lyrics, creative writing and health-class assignments, and each one consumes counsellor or administrator time that the vendor does not pay for.
- Alerting on student writing is a surveillance decision with real community consequences, and districts that deploy it without an explicit board policy and parent notification have faced local objections after the fact.
- Coverage is strongest on managed Chromebooks; personal devices, non-Chrome browsers and encrypted apps outside the agent leave gaps that the compliance story quietly depends on nobody testing.
- Per-student pricing is charged on enrolment rather than on devices, so a district that issues devices to only some year groups still pays for every student on the roll.
Pricing, plan by plan
Photomath
Free- Photomath Plus$9.99/month
- Step by step solutions for most problem types free and unlimited on the base app
- Plus unlocks word problems, animated explanations and deeper steps
- Plus available at roughly $59.99 billed annually as a cheaper alternative to monthly
Securly
On request- Filter$undefined/year
- Web filtering on and off network
- Tiered per-student rates that fall as enrolment rises
- Published in some purchasing co-operative catalogues, not on the vendor site
- Aware$undefined/year
- Automated scanning of email, documents and search for safety risk
- Quoted per student, no public rate
- On-Call$undefined/year
- 24/7 human review and escalation of serious alerts
- Quoted per student, priced on top of Aware
- Classroom, MDM and Pass$undefined/year
- Sold as separate per-student modules
- Quoted
Which should you pick?
Choose Photomath if
- You need camera scanning.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android.
- You also want step by step solutions.
Choose Securly if
- You need filter.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows.
- You also want aware.
Questions people ask
- Is Photomath or Securly better?
- Neither clearly leads. Photomath starts at Free and Securly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Photomath or Securly?
- Photomath has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Photomath and On request for Securly.
- Does Photomath or Securly run on more platforms?
- Photomath runs on iOS, Android. Securly runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows.
- Can I use Photomath for free?
- Yes. Photomath has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Securly starts at On request.
- What is Photomath best used for?
- Photomath is most often used for a student checking their own worked answer against the app steps to find where a method went wrong, a parent who cannot help with unfamiliar high school maths and needs a worked explanation rather than just an answer, a student working through word problems in a subject not covered by the free tier who needs the plus subscription, a school evaluating whether to recommend or restrict the app given the ease of copying a full worked solution. Of those, a student checking their own worked answer against the app steps to find where a method went wrong and a parent who cannot help with unfamiliar high school maths and needs a worked explanation rather than just an answer are not what Securly is typically brought in for.
- What can Photomath do that Securly cannot?
- Photomath covers Camera scanning, Step by step solutions, Built-in calculator, Word problem support. Securly covers Filter, Aware, On-Call, Classroom.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Photomath: Is Photomath free?
Basic step by step solutions for most maths problem types are free and unlimited. Word problems, animated explanations and some textbook-specific solutions require Photomath Plus.
Securly: Does Securly publish pricing?
Not on its own site. Tiered per-student rates for Filter appear in some US purchasing co-operative catalogues, falling as enrolment rises, but Aware, On-Call, Classroom, MDM and Pass are quoted.
Photomath: Who owns Photomath now?
Google acquired Photomath in 2022. It operates as a standalone app but is owned by Google.
Securly: What is the difference between Aware and On-Call?
Aware is the automated detection that produces alerts. On-Call is the staffed service that reads the serious ones out of hours and phones your escalation contacts. Buying Aware alone leaves the triage with your own staff.
Photomath: Does it just give the answer or show working?
It shows step by step working for the method used, not only the final answer, on both free and Plus tiers, with Plus adding more detail.
Securly: Does it filter on home internet?
Yes, filtering follows the managed device rather than the network, which is the point for take-home Chromebook programmes.
Securly: Is student data used for anything else?
Securly signs the US Student Privacy Pledge and district data processing agreements; check the specific DPA rather than the marketing page, since scanning scope and retention are negotiated terms.
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