Microsoft Math Solver stands out from most of the well-known math apps for one specific reason: it's genuinely free, including the step-by-step explanations, with no subscription tier gating the detailed steps behind a paywall. That puts it in a different category from tools like Symbolab or Mathway, where the free version and the "real" version aren't the same thing. So the useful comparison with SolveStep isn't about pricing — it's about how the two tools are built and what that means day to day.
What Microsoft Math Solver does well
It's a capable, free tool: type, handwrite, or photograph a problem, and it returns a step-by-step solution, often with a graph and links to related practice material or video explanations. It covers a wide span of topics, from arithmetic through calculus and statistics, and it's available as both a website and a mobile app.
App vs browser-only
Microsoft Math Solver's mobile experience is built around a dedicated app, which means installing it, keeping it updated, and granting camera/handwriting permissions. On a school-managed Chromebook or a shared/locked-down device where installing apps isn't allowed, that's a real limitation. SolveStep is a website, full stop — it opens in any browser on any device, with no install step and nothing to grant permission to.
Account and ecosystem
Microsoft Math Solver is usable without signing in for basic use, but it's built inside the broader Microsoft account ecosystem, and some features tie into that. SolveStep has no accounts at all — nothing to sign into, nothing tied to an identity, for anyone.
Where the problem actually gets solved
Microsoft Math Solver processes problems server-side, and for problems it can't resolve directly, it can fall back to a Bing web search to surface an answer — which means what you get can, in some cases, come from an external search result rather than the app's own solving engine. SolveStep's solving engines run entirely client-side in your browser; nothing about your problem is sent to a server to be processed, and there's no external search fallback involved in producing a step-by-step answer.
Topic breadth vs topic depth
Microsoft Math Solver's topic range is broader today than SolveStep's — it reaches further into calculus, trigonometry, and beyond what SolveStep currently covers. SolveStep focuses on algebra, equations, calculus fundamentals, geometry, statistics, and matrices, aiming to cover those thoroughly with full steps rather than spreading across every possible topic.
A practical way to decide
- Working from a physical textbook and want camera or handwriting input? Microsoft Math Solver's app is built for that.
- Want to type a problem straight into a browser tab with no install, no account, and nothing sent server-side? That's what SolveStep is built for.
- Need broader topic coverage into higher-level math? Microsoft Math Solver currently reaches further than SolveStep does.
Two free tools can still be genuinely different products. Here, the real distinction isn't price — it's whether you want an installed app tied to an account, or a browser page that asks for neither.
Try the no-install version
If your problem's already digital, skip the app store and type it straight into the SolveStep solver — no install, no account, nothing leaves your browser.
→ Try the free step-by-step solver now