The short answer
The best Chegg alternative depends on whether your problems are already in a library. Chegg's strength is its archive of expert-written solutions to standard textbook problems — if your coursework is mostly numbered exercises from a mainstream textbook, that archive is genuinely valuable. It does nothing for original questions, and you pay monthly either way. If your questions are written by your instructor, you want a tool that works the problem out rather than looks it up.
Why do students look for a Chegg alternative?
Three reasons come up repeatedly, and they are worth separating because different alternatives solve different ones.
- Cost. It is a recurring subscription on a student budget, charged whether or not you used it that month.
- Coverage gaps. The library model only helps when your specific problem has already been solved and posted. Instructor-written questions, updated problem sets and anything freshly authored fall straight through it.
- Workflow. You leave your coursework, search a separate site, and hope the match is close enough — which is slow, and lossy when the question includes a diagram.
How do the main options compare?
| Option | Best for | Main limitation | Starting cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Vision AI | Any question, worked out on the page inside your LMS | Generated reasoning — check it, as you should with any AI | Free, 30 requests, no card |
| Chegg | Standard textbook problems with an archived expert solution | No help for original or freshly written questions | Paid subscription only |
| ChatGPT | Open-ended explanation, writing and brainstorming | Only sees what you paste; no view of your course | Free tier; paid for strongest models |
| Photomath / Symbolab | Pure computation and equation steps | Maths only — no essays, quizzes or reading | Free tier; paid for full steps |
| Course Hero / Studocu | Finding notes and past materials for a specific course | Document library, not a solver | Subscription or upload credits |
What should a good Chegg alternative actually do?
Judge alternatives on three things rather than price alone. It should handle a question that has never been posted anywhere, because that is exactly where a library approach breaks down. It should show its reasoning, so you can check it before relying on it — an answer you cannot follow is one you cannot defend. And it should work where your coursework already lives, so you are not copying questions into a separate tab and losing the diagram in the process.
How does Apex Vision AI compare?
- Any question, not just archived ones. It reads the question in front of you and works it out, so it does not matter whether anyone has posted that problem before.
- Works on the page. It opens inside Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Top Hat and most browser-based platforms, so the diagram, graph and answer choices reach the model exactly as your instructor wrote them.
- Shows the steps. Every answer comes back with the reasoning laid out, plus sources where they exist, so you can verify it against your course material.
- Free to start. 30 requests, no card required — test it on your own coursework before deciding anything.
- Study tools included. Flashcards, practice exams, study guides and an AI tutor sit in the same subscription rather than costing extra.
Is Chegg still better at anything?
Yes, and it is worth being straight about it. For a specific numbered problem from a widely used textbook, Chegg's library of expert-written solutions is deep, and the archived solution is sometimes more thorough and better checked than a generated one. Chegg also answers a slightly different question than an AI tool does: "how did a subject-matter expert solve this exact problem," rather than "how would this be solved." If your coursework is almost entirely standard problems from a mainstream textbook, that is real value. The trade-off is that it does nothing for original questions, and the subscription runs whether or not your problems are in there.
Is a free Chegg alternative any good?
Free tiers vary enormously, and the useful question is what the free allowance actually covers rather than whether one exists. A tool with a generous free tier that only handles typed maths will not help with a biology diagram. Apex Vision AI starts with 30 free requests and no card, which is enough to run it against a real week of coursework — that is a better test than any comparison table, including this one.
How do I cancel Chegg if I switch?
Cancel from your Chegg account settings under the subscription or billing section, before your next renewal date. Cancelling normally stops future billing while leaving access until the end of the period you already paid for, so there is no benefit to cancelling early in a cycle. Take screenshots of the confirmation. If you are switching, the sensible order is to run the alternative alongside Chegg for a week on real coursework, then cancel once you know it covers what you need.
Is it against the rules to use either one?
That depends on your course, not on the tool. Most institutions permit AI and study services for homework, practice and revision, and prohibit them in closed-book or proctored assessments. Published policy guidance is consistent on one point in particular: where an assignment does not explicitly permit AI, the safe assumption is that it is disallowed. Check your assignment brief first, then your syllabus, then your institution's academic integrity policy. Apex Vision AI is designed for the permitted side of that line — it explains reasoning so you can learn and verify — and we do not support using it during proctored work.
How do I switch?
Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store, sign in once, and open it on a question you are already working on. Nothing needs importing and no card is required to start. Run it against a real week of coursework — ideally the assignments Chegg was not covering — then cancel Chegg at the end of your billing period if it holds up. If it does not, you have spent nothing.
Try it on the question you are actually stuck on
Apex Vision AI is a Chrome extension and mobile app that reads the question already open on your screen — including diagrams and answer choices — and explains it step by step, without you copying anything into a separate chatbot. It works inside Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle and Top Hat.
Free plan includes 30 requests a day, no card required. AI answers can be wrong — always check them against your course material.