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Education · head to head

Photomath vs UltraCamp

Photomath logo

Photomath

Education

Camera based maths solver that shows step by step working, owned by Google since 2022

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
UltraCamp logo

UltraCamp

Education

Camp registration priced per reservation, with the fee schedule published in full

From
$4/reservation
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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.; UltraCamp per-reservation pricing scales linearly with growth, so a large camp pays substantially more than it would under a flat licence and has little leverage until it passes 2,000 reservations and enters quoted territory.
  • They diverge on capability: Photomath covers Camera scanning, UltraCamp covers Per-reservation registration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Photomath and UltraCamp actually diverge.

Attributes where Photomath and UltraCamp differ
AttributePhotomathUltraCamp
Starting priceFree$4/reservation
Pricing modelFree with a Plus subscriptionPer reservation
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android

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 UltraCamp

  • Per-reservation registration
  • Billing and payment plans
  • Facility and retreat rentals
  • Point of sale
  • Photo gallery
  • Custom reporting
  • Unlimited staff users
  • Online store

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 UltraCamp
  • A parent who cannot help with unfamiliar high school maths and needs a worked explanation rather than just an answernot UltraCamp
  • A student working through word problems in a subject not covered by the free tier who needs the Plus subscriptionnot UltraCamp
  • A school evaluating whether to recommend or restrict the app given the ease of copying a full worked solutionnot UltraCamp

UltraCamp

  • A camp that wants to know its software cost per registration before the season rather than negotiate an annual licencenot Photomath
  • A conference or retreat centre that rents facilities off-season and needs booking as well as camper registrationnot Photomath
  • A small camp whose volume would make a flat enterprise licence poor valuenot Photomath
  • A camp switching vendors that wants a named price for data migration rather than an open-ended services quotenot 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.

UltraCamp

  • Per-reservation pricing scales linearly with growth, so a large camp pays substantially more than it would under a flat licence and has little leverage until it passes 2,000 reservations and enters quoted territory.
  • UltraCamp retains 30% of photo gallery sales, a revenue share far above the 3% it takes on merchandise, which turns a parent-facing nicety into a meaningful cost of doing business.
  • Health and medical record handling is thinner than CampMinder's, so camps with a staffed health centre and daily medication rounds often find it insufficient.
  • The interface and reporting are functional rather than modern, and building the unlimited custom reports on offer takes administrator time the camp has to fund itself.
  • The $1,200 annual minimum means very small camps pay for reservations they never make, so the effective per-reservation cost for a camp of two hundred is closer to $6.

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

UltraCamp

$4/reservation
  • Reservations 0 to 999$4/reservation
    • $4.00 per reservation
    • $1,200 annual minimum in reservation fees
    • Unlimited staff users and custom reports
  • Reservations 1,000 to 1,999$3.75/reservation
    • $3.75 per reservation
    • Above 2,000 reservations priced by quote
    • Card processing about 2.5% plus $0.35 and roughly $20 a month in gateway fees
  • Optional modules$600/year
    • Point of sale $600 a year
    • Facility rental and retreat management $700 a year
    • Photo gallery with 30% of sales retained by UltraCamp

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.
Photomath review

Choose UltraCamp if

  • You need per-reservation registration.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want billing and payment plans.
UltraCamp review

Questions people ask

Is Photomath or UltraCamp better?
Neither clearly leads. Photomath starts at Free and UltraCamp at $4/reservation, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Photomath or UltraCamp?
Photomath has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Photomath and $4/reservation for UltraCamp.
Does Photomath or UltraCamp run on more platforms?
Photomath runs on iOS, Android. UltraCamp runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Photomath for free?
Yes. Photomath has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. UltraCamp starts at $4/reservation.
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 UltraCamp is typically brought in for.
What can Photomath do that UltraCamp cannot?
Photomath covers Camera scanning, Step by step solutions, Built-in calculator, Word problem support. UltraCamp covers Per-reservation registration, Billing and payment plans, Facility and retreat rentals, Point of sale.

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.

UltraCamp: What will it actually cost us?

Take your reservation count times $4.00, or $3.75 above a thousand, subject to a $1,200 annual minimum, plus $299 setup and any data import. Then add card processing at roughly 2.5% plus $0.35 on tuition.

Photomath: Who owns Photomath now?

Google acquired Photomath in 2022. It operates as a standalone app but is owned by Google.

UltraCamp: Is there a contract?

No. UltraCamp sells without a term contract, which is unusual in this market and materially reduces switching risk.

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.

UltraCamp: What does the photo gallery cost?

UltraCamp keeps 30% of photo sales. If parents spend heavily on photos, price that before enabling the module.

UltraCamp: How does it compare to CampMinder on health records?

CampMinder is stronger. If you run a health centre with a nurse and medication logs, test that area carefully before choosing UltraCamp.

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