Best Free Online Tools for Teaching Maths

Mathematics has more high-quality free digital tools than almost any other subject — because many are built by universities, open-source communities and non-profits rather than commercial companies. Here are the best.

Desmos Graphing Calculator

Desmos is the finest free graphing tool available. Students type any function and see it plotted instantly — with sliders to explore how changing parameters affects the graph. Teachers use Desmos Activity Builder to create guided, interactive activities where students explore concepts through discovery rather than instruction. Desmos is approved for use in standardised tests in many countries. Completely free, no account required for the calculator.

Best for: Functions, transformations, systems of equations, calculus, statistics (ages 11–18).

GeoGebra

GeoGebra is a dynamic mathematics environment combining geometry, algebra, spreadsheets, graphing, statistics and calculus. It is more powerful than Desmos for geometry constructions — students build shapes, measure angles and explore proofs interactively. The GeoGebra resource library contains thousands of pre-built interactive activities for every topic. Completely free and open-source.

Best for: Geometry proofs, constructions, coordinate geometry, 3D graphing.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy provides a complete, free K-12 (and beyond) maths curriculum with video lessons, practice exercises and an adaptive mastery system. Students earn points and badges as they progress. The teacher dashboard shows every student's mastery level by topic in real time. Used by millions of students for self-paced learning and homework support. Completely free.

Best for: All ages, all topics. Especially powerful for differentiation — advanced students work ahead while others consolidate.

Mathletics

Mathletics offers curriculum-aligned practice activities, timed arithmetic challenges (Times Tables Rock Stars style) and a global leaderboard. The free trial is limited but some schools access it through district licences. Check whether your school or local authority has a Mathletics subscription before assuming it requires payment.

Mathway

Mathway solves maths problems step by step — from basic arithmetic to calculus. Students enter a problem and see the solution method, not just the answer. Best used as a learning tool to check work and understand process, not as a shortcut to avoid thinking. Free for basic solutions; step-by-step explanations require a paid plan (use alongside worked examples in class instead).

Symbolab

Similar to Mathway but stronger for secondary and A-level topics — derivatives, integrals, matrices, limits and differential equations. Shows full workings for free. Excellent for self-checking homework in higher-level maths. Free with a daily limit on step-by-step solutions.

Photomath

Photomath uses the phone camera to scan a handwritten or printed maths problem and solve it with step-by-step explanation. The free version covers arithmetic through basic algebra. More controversial in classrooms than Mathway because students can photograph worksheet problems directly — but useful for checking independent practice and for students stuck at home without a teacher to ask.

Google Sheets for statistics

For statistics and data handling, Google Sheets is a free, fully functional spreadsheet with built-in statistical functions (AVERAGE, STDEV, CORREL, SLOPE) and chart tools. Teaching students to use a real spreadsheet rather than a toy stats tool gives them a genuinely transferable skill. Free for all Google accounts.

Choosing by topic and age