AI tutor apps that read your handwriting on iPad

alai is an iPad and web notes app whose tutor, Ally, reads your handwriting. We make it, so weigh what this page says about alai with that in mind.

How this page compares them

• Sources. For every other app, we used only its own website, help pages and App Store listing, checked on November 3, 2026, and we link each one. Prices and features change often, so check an app's own page before you pay.
• No ranking. We haven't tested the apps side by side, so this page doesn't rank them. It sorts them by what they do with the work you write.
• Ratings don't help yet. On November 3, 2026, each of the smaller apps below had fewer than 30 ratings on the US App Store, too few to compare.

Three kinds of apps read handwriting

• Tutors that check your own steps. alai, Amend, Elara, EulerPad, Chalk, Chiron, CalcuMentor and Maths Retriever read the steps you write and respond to the one that went wrong. They differ in when they look (as you write, after a pause, or when you tap Check) and in what they give back (a question, a hint, a mark or a correction).
• Note apps that solve what you write. Apple Math Notes and Goodnotes Math Assist work out results for the equations you write. They're quick for checking a number, but they mostly answer rather than tutor.
• Photo solvers and chat tutors. Photomath, Gauth and Gemini work from a photo, and ChatGPT study mode and Khanmigo work in a chat. They don't follow live ink on a page. The comparisons with Photomath, ChatGPT study mode and Khanmigo cover them.

At a glance

The apps one by one

alai (ours)

alai is a notes app with a tutor, Ally. In Homework help, Ally reads your page about two seconds after your pen lifts, stays quiet while your steps are right, and asks a short question about the first wrong one. If you're still stuck, the next hint is smaller, and Ally is set up not to give the corrected step or the final answer while you work. You can ask out loud with Hold to talk, and Ally remembers your past slips when you're signed in. It covers math, physics, chemistry and Spanish, and it imports Goodnotes and Notability notes. The iPad app isn't on the App Store yet, and alai hasn't published accuracy numbers. How alai works walks through a session.

It suits students who want to do the work themselves across math and science, with their notes in the same app.

Amend

Amend is an AI math and STEM tutor for iPhone and iPad. You write on its whiteboard, ask questions out loud, and get a question, hint or correction at the step you're on. Its handwritten math page says the goal is to find the earliest wrong step in your reasoning. It covers algebra through college STEM, including physics and chemistry, with lessons and practice, and it says AI can misread handwriting. Its terms require users to be 13 or older.

It suits students who want to talk through STEM problems with voice on an iPhone or iPad.

Elara

Elara is a Socratic math tutor for iPad and the web. It reads your strokes as you write, checks each step with symbolic math and asks questions instead of giving the answer, with a setting for when hints appear. It keeps a learning profile of your strengths and weak spots. Its App Store listing describes grade 6 to 12 math, and voice guidance is on its roadmap rather than in the app.

It suits middle and high school math students who want step-by-step questions for free.

EulerPad

EulerPad checks the move from each line to the next when you tap Check, highlights the line where the error is and explains it within your own method. Full solutions stay hidden unless you ask. Its subjects run from basic math through calculus, linear algebra, statistics and physics, and it also runs on Android. Its privacy notice is written for users 18 and older, or minors with a parent's consent.

It suits students who want a finished attempt graded line by line, across a wide range of math.

Chalk

Chalk writes each step on a whiteboard in handwriting and talks it through. Its App Store listing says it checks your own work as you write, underlines the wrong step and gives the full answer if you ask.

It suits students who want worked explanations as well as checks.

Chiron

Chiron, listed as Project Chiron, reads every line as you write and puts the smallest hint it can on your page. Its Launch YC post says it checks steps with a symbolic math engine against the problem's known solution, rather than relying on a language model to judge your work. It's free on iPhone and iPad, and it takes questions out loud.

It suits algebra and calculus students who want quick, quiet checks while they write.

CalcuMentor

CalcuMentor is an iPad math tutor where you choose the help: a starting nudge, a hint, a visual, feedback on your attempt or an explanation. It works from OpenStax textbook practice and worksheets you import, and teachers can make classes and assign sets. The download comes with free credits, and its pricing page lists passes at $24.99 and $79.99 a month.

It suits students working through a textbook course, and teachers who want to assign practice.

Maths Retriever

Maths Retriever marks IB Diploma maths line by line the way an examiner does, with mark codes and the correct step where you lost a mark. It covers only the four IB maths courses, and it says marking can occasionally be wrong.

It suits IB students practicing for exams.

Goodnotes Math Assist

Math Assist works inside Goodnotes notebooks. Write an equation and it can solve it, suggest strategies and underline lines it reads as incorrect. Goodnotes' separate AI for Math adds a Teach Me mode with hints on paid plans. The page on Goodnotes Math Assist vs alai compares the two.

It suits students who already take notes in Goodnotes.

Apple Math Notes

Math Notes is built into iPad. Write an expression with an equals sign and it fills in the result, and it draws graphs. It doesn't judge the reasoning between lines. The page on Apple Math Notes vs alai compares the two.

It suits quick calculations and graphs, at no cost.

Announced, and newer apps

Pen Buddy has announced an iPad version whose tutor circles your slip and leaves the fix to you, but on November 3, 2026 only its Mac app was out. Newer Apple Pencil apps include ZOHAL, for Calculus I, and Claypad, whose tutor draws hints on your page.

How to choose

• To be asked rather than told: alai, Elara, Chiron and Amend lead with questions and hints.
• To have a finished attempt graded: EulerPad and Maths Retriever mark each line when you tap Check.
• To talk it through: alai, Amend and Chiron take questions out loud, and Chalk talks through its steps.
• If you already use Goodnotes: try Math Assist first. alai can import your Goodnotes notebooks if you want a tutor on the same pages.
• For physics and chemistry too: alai and Amend cover both, and EulerPad lists physics.
• On a budget: Chiron and Elara were free on November 3, 2026, Math Notes is built in, Math Assist is on Goodnotes' free plan, and alai, EulerPad and Maths Retriever have free plans or daily allowances.

What to watch for in any of them

• Handwriting can be misread. Amend, Maths Retriever and alai all say their AI can misread your work or judge it wrongly. Write clearly, and check any result that matters, for example by substituting your answer back.
• Getting the answer can cost you on the exam. In a 2025 PNAS study, students who practiced with a ChatGPT-style chat scored 17% lower on a later exam than students with no AI, while a tutor set up to give hints didn't hurt. Most apps here hold back the answer until you ask.
• Ages and privacy differ. Amend's terms require users to be 13 or older, CalcuMentor's do too, and EulerPad's privacy notice is written for adults or minors with a parent's consent. alai is for anyone 13 and older in the US, and younger children through a parent. Read an app's terms and privacy policy before a child uses it.