6 best AI tutors in 2026, compared (including ours)

By the StudyPrime team · Updated November 6, 2026 · 7 min read

Short on time? Summarize this with ChatGPT, Claude or Perplexity.

We make StudyPrime, so we aren't neutral, and it's our pick at number 1. Here's how we compared: we build and test StudyPrime ourselves, and for the other five we read their own pages and App Store listings on November 6, 2026. We didn't buy their paid plans. If a page doesn't say something, the table says "Not listed". Check the links at the end before you pay for anything.

Most AI tutors do one of two things. Some hand you an answer quickly. Others slow you down and make you think, which is less comfortable and usually sticks better. The newest ones go further and teach out loud on a board, the way a person would.

Here's the short version, then the detail on each one.

What we looked for

• Does it make you do the thinking, or does it just give the answer?
• Can you talk to it, and can you cut in when you're lost?
• Does it show the working as it explains, or leave you with a wall of text?
• Can it teach from your own homework and notes?
• What does it really cost once you're past the free part?

1. StudyPrime: best for really learning it

StudyPrime's AI live tutor talks you through a topic out loud while a marker writes every step on a whiteboard. Real labelled pictures and plotted graphs land on the board as it talks. Then it stops and asks you to do the next step.

The part we're proudest of is what happens when you get lost. Start talking and it stops mid-sentence, answers you, then picks up from the word it stopped on. Tap any line on the board and it explains why that line is there. Get something wrong and it works out what you were thinking and tries a smaller step.

It's also more than the tutor. You can turn PDFs, lecture recordings and YouTube videos into notes, flashcards, quizzes and practice exams, then start a live lesson from your own study set.

What's missing: the live tutor is brand new, and it runs in the browser, not the iPhone app yet. Free accounts get one live lesson to try it. A spoken reply takes a few seconds, so it isn't quite as quick as a person yet. Talking over it works best with headphones if your speakers are loud.

Price: free to start. Pro is $8.99 a month or $59 a year, and Ultimate is $19.99 a month or $129 a year. You can watch a lesson on the homepage with no account.

2. Gauth: best for quick homework help

Gauth is the closest thing to StudyPrime on this list, and it's far bigger: its App Store listing shows 4.8 stars from about 1.5 million ratings. Its listing describes an "AI Live Tutor" that's available anytime by voice, with concepts explained on a virtual whiteboard. It's best known for photographing a homework problem and getting help fast.

Good to know: it's built around solving the problem in front of you. If you want study sets, flashcards and practice exams from your own notes, check what's included first.

Price: free to download. Gauth Plus is listed at $11.99 a month, $31.99 a quarter or $99.99 a year, with some special offers shown lower.

3. ChatGPT study mode: best if you already use ChatGPT

Study mode changes how ChatGPT behaves: it asks questions and gives hints instead of handing you the answer. OpenAI says it's available on all plans, and that you can use voice with it where your app supports voice.

Good to know: it's a general assistant that's been taught to tutor, so you're mostly reading and talking, not watching work appear on a board. It's also easy to step out of study mode and get the answer, so it takes some self-control.

Price: study mode comes with your ChatGPT plan, and the usual limits for that plan apply.

4. Khanmigo: best for Khan Academy learners

Khanmigo is the AI tutor from Khan Academy, a nonprofit with a huge library of lessons. It costs $4 a month or $44 a year for learners and families, which makes it the cheapest paid option here, and it's free for teachers.

Good to know: its pricing page doesn't mention voice or a whiteboard, and it suits people working through Khan Academy's own courses best.

5. Gemini Guided Learning: best for studying from your files

Guided Learning is a mode in the Gemini app. Google says it can turn uploaded course files into study guides, lay out a plan, check your understanding as you go, and explain ideas with images and YouTube videos, without simply handing over answers.

Good to know: Google's post doesn't mention voice or a whiteboard for Guided Learning, so expect to read and type.

6. SketchMind: a free narrated board to try

SketchMind is a newer AI tutor that explains a topic by talking first, then drawing figures and math on a board, one idea at a time. Its free tier gives you 2 lessons a day with no card.

Good to know: its own page says it has no fixed curriculum or graded exercises yet, and its paid plan is listed as coming soon.

Which one should you pick?

• You want to finally get a topic, out loud and step by step: StudyPrime.
• You've got tonight's homework and want help fast: Gauth.
• You already pay for ChatGPT: turn on study mode first.
• You're following a Khan Academy course: Khanmigo.
• Your course files are the main thing: Gemini Guided Learning.

The honest test is simple. Pick the topic you're stuck on right now and try it in two of these. Keep whichever one leaves you able to do the next problem alone.

Questions

Where these facts came from

• Khanmigo pricing
• Gauth on the App Store
• OpenAI: Using study mode in ChatGPT
• Google: How Gemini's Guided Learning can help you study
• SketchMind's comparison page