The short answer
- Best free tutor-style options: ChatGPT’s study mode (launched July 29, 2025, available on the Free plan) and Gemini’s Guided Learning (launched August 6, 2025, open to all ages). Both are built to ask questions and walk you through steps instead of just answering.
- Age rules differ a lot. ChatGPT and Perplexity: 13+, and minors need a parent’s consent. Microsoft Copilot: 13+ (older in some countries), with some features restricted for under-18s. Claude consumer plans: 18+, so not for most K-12 students.
- Khanmigo is free only for teachers. Learners and parents pay $4/month or $44/year.
- Free tiers have limits. ChatGPT’s free plan switches to a smaller “mini” model after usage limits, and OpenAI announced ads for logged-in US adult free users in January 2026.
- Tutor modes are settings, not guarantees. OpenAI itself acknowledged “inconsistent behavior and mistakes” in study mode. Check answers, and follow your school’s AI rules.
This page compares free AI for homework: what each free AI homework helper’s free tier actually includes, across six tools. For picks across paid and free plans, see our guide to the best AI homework helper for each job.
Almost every big AI company now has a free plan and some kind of “learning” setting. The labels sound alike, but the free tiers, age rules and learning features differ in ways that matter for a student. This page lines them up side by side using each company’s own documentation and published reporting.
How do the free AI homework helpers compare?
Six tools, compared on what you can verify.
| Tool | Owner | Free tier | Learning feature | Minimum age (terms) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | OpenAI | Yes; switches to a “mini” model after usage limits; ads announced Jan 2026 for logged-in US adult free users | Study mode (Jul 29, 2025): Socratic questions, step-by-step help, quizzes; on/off mid-chat | 13+; under 18 needs parental consent (per secondary sources; OpenAI’s page could not be opened) |
| Gemini | Yes | Guided Learning (Aug 6, 2025): open-ended questions, step-by-step, visuals, video, quizzes | Guided Learning open to all ages; quizzes, flashcards, study guides 18+ (as of Aug 2025) | |
| Claude | Anthropic | A free Claude.ai plan exists | Learning mode (Apr 2, 2025, in Claude for Education): asks how you would approach a problem; templates for study guides and outlines | 18+ on consumer plans |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft | Yes (free consumer app) | General assistant; no dedicated study mode documented in our sources | 13+, older in some countries; some features restricted under 18 |
| Khanmigo | Khan Academy | Free for teachers only | AI tutor from Khan Academy | Not confirmed in our sources |
| Perplexity | Perplexity | A free tier exists | Answer engine that cites sources | 13+; minors need a parent or guardian to accept the terms first |
Two notes on reading the table. First, “free tier exists” means exactly that: we could not confirm current message caps for Claude, Perplexity or ChatGPT, and they change often. Second, age rules are the companies’ own terms. They do not replace your school’s rules, and US law (COPPA) separately governs collecting data from children under 13.
Which free AI helper should you use for what?
Match the tool to the job, not to the brand.
| You want to… | Good free starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Be tutored through a problem without being handed the answer | ChatGPT study mode or Gemini Guided Learning | Both are designed to ask questions and scaffold steps |
| Snap a photo of a math or science problem | Google Lens, or Photomath Basic ($0) | Built for camera input; free step-by-step explanations |
| Research a topic and see where facts come from | Perplexity | Answers come with cited sources you can open |
| Turn class notes into quizzes and flashcards (adults) | Gemini study tools (18+) | Quizzes, flashcards and study guides were limited to 18+ |
| An AI tutor from Khan Academy | Khanmigo | Free for teachers; $4/month for learners |
| A free general assistant from Microsoft | Microsoft Copilot | Free consumer app; 13+ |
If your problem lives on paper, a camera tool is quicker than typing into a chatbot. Our Google homework help guide walks through Lens, Circle to Search and Gemini step by step, and Gauth vs Brainly vs Photomath compares the dedicated photo-solver apps and their prices.
What does ChatGPT’s free plan include for students?
Study mode is the headline feature, and it is on the Free plan. OpenAI launched it on July 29, 2025 for Free, Plus, Pro and Team users. It uses step-by-step guidance, Socratic questions, scaffolded responses and quizzes, adapts to your level, and can be toggled on or off in the middle of a chat. OpenAI’s Leah Belsky described the goal as helping to “guide students toward deeper learning.”
Two cautions. Study mode works through custom system instructions, and OpenAI acknowledged “some inconsistent behavior and mistakes across conversations.” And the free plan has usage limits: after you reach them, ChatGPT falls back to a smaller “mini” model. In January 2026 OpenAI also announced ads for logged-in adult free users in the US.
On age, public summaries of OpenAI’s terms say users must be over 13, and under-18 users must confirm parental consent. In September 2025 OpenAI announced additional restrictions for users under 18.
What does Gemini offer for free?
Guided Learning, open to every age group. Google launched it on August 6, 2025 (rolling out from July 31) as “a personal learning companion.” It asks probing, open-ended questions, breaks problems into steps, and pulls in visuals, YouTube videos and interactive quizzes. Google’s VP Maureen Heymans called it “a collaborative thinking partner that helps you get it.”
According to Google’s Workspace update, Guided Learning works in all Gemini languages and regions for users of all ages, while quizzes, flashcards and study guides were limited to 18+ as of August 2025.
College students in the US can get more: Google’s August 2026 offer gives eligible students one year of Google AI Pro free (normally $19.99/month) if redeemed by December 31, 2026. It needs a payment method, renews unless cancelled, and does not apply to school-issued accounts. K-12 students are not the target.
What about Claude, Copilot, Khanmigo and Perplexity?
Each has a catch worth knowing before you sign up.
- Claude. Anthropic introduced learning mode on April 2, 2025 as part of Claude for Education. It asks questions like “How would you approach this problem?” and offers templates for study guides and outlines. Launch partners included Northeastern University, the London School of Economics and Champlain College. Anthropic’s consumer terms require users to be at least 18, so it is not an option for most K-12 students on a personal account.
- Microsoft Copilot. The consumer app is free. Microsoft’s terms set a minimum age of 13, “sometimes older” depending on the country, and say some features may be restricted for under-18 users.
- Khanmigo. Khan Academy’s AI tutor is free for teachers. Learners and parents pay $4/month or $44/year plus tax; districts buy it on a quote. See our AI tutors guide for more.
- Perplexity. An answer engine that cites its sources, with a free tier. Its terms allow users from 13, but anyone under the age of majority may use it only after a parent or guardian accepts the terms.
How do you use a free AI helper without cheating?
Use it to understand the work, never to replace it. The tools above are equally good at tutoring and at doing your homework for you; the difference is what you ask. A routine that works with any of them:
- Try the problem first and write down where you got stuck.
- Turn on the learning mode (study mode, Guided Learning) or say “don’t give me the answer, give me a hint.”
- Explain your reasoning back to the AI and ask it to find the flaw.
- Redo a similar problem with the tool closed.
- Check facts and sources, because AI can state wrong things confidently.
- Disclose the help if your teacher or school requires it. Our guide to citing ChatGPT shows the formats.
A quick worked example of the difference. Asking “solve 2(x − 4) = 10” gets you x = 9 and nothing else. Asking “I distributed and got 2x − 4 = 10, what did I do wrong?” gets you the actual lesson: the 2 multiplies both terms, so the left side is 2x − 8, then 2x = 18 and x = 9. Same tool, same problem, very different learning.
For the full rules of thumb, read how to use AI for homework without cheating. Parents choosing tools for younger children should see safe AI tools by age. School rules vary widely, too: our tracker of AI policies in 32 large US districts found 7 of the 14 districts with policies in force require students to disclose AI use.
Sources
- ChatGPT study mode: Maginative launch coverage; free tier, ads and age summary: Wikipedia: ChatGPT (OpenAI’s own pages blocked our fetcher)
- Gemini: Guided Learning announcement; Workspace Updates on study tools; TechCrunch; 2026 student offer
- Claude: Introducing Claude for Education; Anthropic consumer terms
- Microsoft: Copilot terms of use
- Khan Academy: Khanmigo pricing
- Perplexity: Terms of service
Checked October 14, 2026. Free tiers, prices and age terms change; confirm on each official site.