Best Chegg Alternatives That Are Actually Free in 2026

TL;DR

• Chegg's $15.95/month Study plan is overkill when free alternatives cover the same ground
• AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity have largely replaced Chegg's Q&A for most subjects
• For textbook solutions specifically, Quizlet and Studocu are your best free bets
• Combining 2-3 free tools gives you better coverage than Chegg alone

Table of Contents

• Why Students Are Leaving Chegg
• The 12 Best Free Chegg Alternatives
• Best Chegg Alternative by Use Case
• Chegg vs. Free Alternatives: Honest Comparison
• How to Build Your Free Homework Help Stack
• FAQ

Why Students Are Leaving Chegg

Chegg built its reputation on two things: textbook solutions and expert Q&A. For years, it was the go-to resource for students who needed step-by-step homework help. But the landscape has shifted dramatically since 2024.

AI tools now do what Chegg experts used to do. You can paste a homework question into ChatGPT and get a detailed step-by-step answer in seconds. Chegg's expert answers often took hours to arrive, and the quality was inconsistent because Chegg pays its experts very little.

The price keeps climbing. Chegg Study costs $15.95/month. For a student on a tight budget, that's $191 per year for a service that free alternatives increasingly match.

Chegg has an academic integrity problem. Many universities have flagged Chegg as a source of academic integrity violations. Some professors specifically state that using Chegg solutions constitutes cheating. Whether you agree or not, using Chegg can create problems that free alternatives avoid.

The answer quality has declined. As Chegg scaled up, the quality of expert answers has gone down. Many students report receiving incomplete, incorrect, or copy-pasted answers from Chegg experts.

All of this means there's never been a better time to find free Chegg alternatives that actually work. Here are the best options.

The 12 Best Free Chegg Alternatives

1. Gradily (Best Overall Chegg Alternative for Written Work)

What it replaces: Chegg Q&A for essays, Chegg Writing

Cost: Free (3 assignments), then $9.99/month

Gradily does something no other Chegg alternative can: it learns YOUR writing style. Upload a few past assignments and it analyzes your vocabulary, sentence structure, tone, and even your common mistakes. When it completes homework for you, the result sounds like you on your best day, not like an AI.

Why it beats Chegg:

• Chegg expert answers took hours and quality was hit-or-miss. Gradily generates in 30 seconds.
• Voice matching means the output won't trigger AI detectors like copy-pasted Chegg solutions do
• Three modes: write the whole thing, fix your draft, or refine your ideas
• Downloads as .docx ready for submission
• Grade prediction before you submit

Where Chegg is still better: Chegg has a massive textbook solutions database. If you need the exact answer to problem 4.7b from your Stats textbook, Chegg's archive is harder to beat.

Bottom line: For any written assignment, Gradily is the best Chegg replacement available. It's cheaper ($9.99 vs $15.95), faster, and the voice matching means you won't get flagged for AI use.

Try Gradily free →

2. ChatGPT (Best Overall Chegg Alternative)

What it replaces: Chegg Q&A, Chegg Writing tools

Cost: Free tier available; Plus is $20/month

ChatGPT has essentially replaced Chegg's core Q&A service for most students. You type a question, you get a detailed answer, often with step-by-step explanations. The free tier is surprisingly capable for most homework questions.

Why it's better than Chegg:

• Instant responses instead of waiting hours for an expert
• You can ask follow-up questions to dig deeper
• Covers every subject, not just the ones Chegg has experts for
• Image upload lets you scan homework problems

Why Chegg might still be better:

• Chegg has a massive database of specific textbook solutions
• ChatGPT sometimes gives wrong answers (especially in math) and sounds confident about it
• Chegg answers come from human experts (theoretically)

Best for: General homework Q&A across all subjects. The closest 1-to-1 replacement for Chegg Study.

3. Quizlet (Best for Flashcards and Study Sets)

What it replaces: Chegg flashcards, textbook solutions

Cost: Free with ads; Plus is $7.99/month

Quizlet has over 700 million study sets created by students. This means that for most textbooks and courses, someone has already created flashcards covering the key concepts, vocabulary, and even specific homework answers.

Why it's better than Chegg:

• Massive library of pre-made study sets
• Spaced repetition system helps you actually remember material
• Community-driven content means more perspectives on the same topic
• Free tier is genuinely useful (not just a teaser)

Why Chegg might still be better:

• Quizlet doesn't provide step-by-step solutions
• Quality of community content varies
• Some textbook-specific sets have errors

Best for: Exam preparation, vocabulary, and finding answers to common textbook questions.

4. Studocu (Best for Course-Specific Documents)

What it replaces: Chegg textbook solutions, study guides

Cost: Free with uploads; Premium is $9.99/month

Studocu is a document-sharing platform where students upload lecture notes, past exams, study guides, and homework solutions. It covers over 20,000 institutions worldwide.

Why it's better than Chegg:

• Course-specific materials (not generic textbook solutions)
• Past exams and study guides give you an edge for test prep
• Lecture notes from students at your specific school
• Upload-based free tier: share your notes, get access to others

Why Chegg might still be better:

• Studocu requires you to upload documents to earn free access
• Not every course is well-represented
• Document quality is uneven

Best for: Finding course-specific notes, past exams, and study guides from students at your school.

5. Wolfram Alpha (Best for Math and Science)

What it replaces: Chegg Math Solver

Cost: Free basic; Pro is $7.25/month for students

If your main reason for using Chegg was math help, Wolfram Alpha is a direct upgrade. It computes answers rather than predicting them, so its math accuracy is significantly higher than any language model.

Why it's better than Chegg:

• Actually computes answers instead of relying on human experts or AI guessing
• Covers calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, statistics, physics, chemistry
• Handles complex computations that ChatGPT gets wrong regularly
• Graphs functions and visualizes data

Why Chegg might still be better:

• Full step-by-step solutions require the paid tier
• Wolfram Alpha doesn't handle non-STEM subjects
• Interface requires some learning for complex inputs

Best for: Any student taking math, physics, chemistry, or statistics courses. This is the single best Chegg alternative for STEM students.

6. Khan Academy (Best for Learning from Scratch)

What it replaces: Chegg tutoring

Cost: Completely free (nonprofit)

Khan Academy provides free courses with video lessons, practice problems, and progress tracking across math, science, humanities, and test prep.

Why it's better than Chegg:

• Completely free with no paywall or hidden costs
• Video explanations for visual learners
• Practice problems with instant feedback
• Structured courses from basics to advanced topics
• Khanmigo AI tutor for personalized help (limited free access)

Why Chegg might still be better:

• Khan Academy doesn't answer specific homework questions
• Coverage of college-level courses is limited
• Not useful for finding specific textbook solutions

Best for: Students who need to learn or relearn a concept from the ground up. Especially strong for math from algebra through calculus.

7. Perplexity AI (Best for Research)

What it replaces: Chegg research tools, expert Q&A

Cost: Free; Pro is $20/month

Perplexity combines AI answers with real-time web search and provides inline citations. Every claim comes with a source you can click and verify.

Why it's better than Chegg:

• Answers include actual, verifiable sources
• Real-time information (Chegg's answers can be outdated)
• Academic focus mode searches scholarly sources
• Excellent for research papers and fact-based assignments

Why Chegg might still be better:

• Perplexity doesn't have textbook-specific solutions
• No step-by-step math problem solving
• Answers are AI-generated, not human-verified

Best for: Research papers, fact-checking, and any assignment that requires cited sources.

8. Brainly (Best Community-Based Q&A)

What it replaces: Chegg Q&A

Cost: Free with limits; Plus is about $6/month

Brainly is a peer-to-peer homework help platform where students answer each other's questions. It combines community answers with an AI assistant.

Why it's better than Chegg:

• Community answers often provide multiple approaches to the same problem
• AI assistant gives instant answers while you wait for community responses
• Covers K-12 and college-level questions
• Free tier allows several questions per day

Why Chegg might still be better:

• Answer quality is inconsistent (it's crowd-sourced)
• Some answers are too brief to be useful
• Free tier is more limited than it used to be

Best for: Quick factual questions and homework problems where you want multiple perspectives.

9. Course Hero (Closest Direct Chegg Competitor)

What it replaces: Everything Chegg does

Cost: Free with uploads; Premier is $9.95/month

Course Hero is essentially Chegg's direct competitor, offering textbook solutions, Q&A, study guides, and course-specific documents.

Why it's better than Chegg:

• Free access by uploading your own study materials
• AI-powered explanations for textbook problems
• Course-specific documents from students at your school
• Often has solutions for textbooks Chegg doesn't cover

Why Chegg might still be better:

• Free tier is very limited without uploads
• Premium price is comparable to Chegg
• Interface can be cluttered

Best for: Students willing to upload their own notes in exchange for access to a massive library of study materials.

10. Google Gemini (Best for Explained Answers with Sources)

What it replaces: Chegg Q&A, research tools

Cost: Free

Gemini connects to Google Search, giving it access to real-time information and the ability to link to actual sources. This makes it stronger than ChatGPT for research-based questions.

Why it's better than Chegg:

• Completely free with a generous usage limit
• Links to real, verifiable sources
• Integrated with Google Workspace for easy document creation
• Handles multi-step reasoning well

Why Chegg might still be better:

• No textbook-specific solution database
• Math problem-solving is decent but not exceptional
• Sometimes overly cautious about helping with homework

Best for: Research assignments, essay preparation, and questions where you need sourced answers.

11. Slader/Mathway (Best for Textbook Math Solutions)

What it replaces: Chegg textbook solutions (math specifically)

Cost: Free basic; Premium is $9.99/month

Mathway solves math problems step by step and covers everything from basic algebra to calculus. Slader (now part of Quizlet) provided free textbook solutions for popular math textbooks.

Why it's better than Chegg:

• Instant math solutions without waiting for an expert
• Covers most popular math textbooks
• Photo scanning for handwritten problems
• Free tier gives you answers (steps require upgrade)

Why Chegg might still be better:

• Free tier doesn't show full solution steps
• Only covers math
• Some complex problems stump it

Best for: Math students looking for textbook-specific solutions.

13. LibGen and Open Textbook Library (Best for Free Textbooks)

What it replaces: Chegg textbook rentals

Cost: Free

If you're paying Chegg for textbook access, you should know that many textbooks are available for free through legitimate open textbook initiatives. The Open Textbook Library (open.umn.edu) hosts peer-reviewed, freely available textbooks for common college courses.

Your university library also likely provides digital access to many textbooks through services like VitalSource or institutional subscriptions. Check with your library before paying for textbook access.

Best for: Eliminating textbook costs entirely.

Best Chegg Alternative by Use Case

If you need...	Use this instead of Chegg
Quick homework answers	ChatGPT or Google Gemini
Math solutions	Wolfram Alpha or Mathway
Textbook solutions	Quizlet or Course Hero
Research help	Perplexity AI
Study flashcards	Quizlet
Past exams and notes	Studocu or Course Hero
Video explanations	Khan Academy
Free textbooks	Open Textbook Library
Tutoring/understanding	Khan Academy or Gradily

Chegg vs. Free Alternatives: Honest Comparison

Let's be fair about what Chegg still does well.

Where Chegg wins:

• Chegg has the largest database of textbook-specific solutions. If you need the answer to problem 47 from Chapter 12 of your specific textbook edition, Chegg probably has it.
• Chegg's all-in-one approach means one login, one interface, one payment. Building a free stack requires using multiple tools.
• For some niche subjects, Chegg's expert answers are still the best available resource.

Where free alternatives win:

• Speed: AI tools answer instantly; Chegg experts can take hours.
• Cost: $0 vs. $191/year.
• Quality: AI explanations are often more detailed and consistent than Chegg expert answers.
• Flexibility: Free tools let you ask follow-up questions and explore concepts.
• Academic integrity: Using ChatGPT to understand a concept is less risky than looking up the exact answer on Chegg's solution database.

The honest verdict: For 80% of what students use Chegg for, free alternatives now do the job equally well or better. The 20% where Chegg still has an edge is specific textbook solutions for less common textbooks.

How to Build Your Free Homework Help Stack

Instead of paying for Chegg, build a free toolkit:

The Basics (everyone needs these):

1. ChatGPT for general Q&A and explanations
2. Quizlet for flashcards and exam prep

Add for STEM students: 3. Wolfram Alpha for accurate math computation 4. Khan Academy for concept learning

Add for humanities students: 3. Perplexity for sourced research 4. Claude for writing feedback

Add for finding course materials: 5. Studocu for notes and past exams 6. Open Textbook Library for free textbooks

This free stack covers everything Chegg does and then some. The only trade-off is switching between multiple tools instead of using one platform.

FAQ

Is Chegg still worth it in 2026?

For most students, no. AI tools have caught up to and often surpassed Chegg's Q&A service. The main scenario where Chegg still makes sense is if you consistently need solutions for a specific textbook that isn't covered by free alternatives. Before subscribing, search for your textbook on Quizlet and Studocu first.

Can I get Chegg answers for free?

There are websites and Discord servers that claim to "unblur" Chegg answers for free. These are sketchy at best and often involve sharing login credentials, which violates Chegg's terms of service. They also expose you to malware and scams. Instead of trying to hack Chegg, just use the free alternatives listed above. They provide better answers anyway.

Does Chegg report to schools?

Yes. Chegg has an "Honor Code" program and has shared student information with universities investigating academic integrity violations. According to reports, Chegg has honored over 1,800 institutional requests for user data. This is another reason many students prefer AI tools, which don't track or report your specific homework questions to your school.

What's the best free Chegg alternative for math?

Wolfram Alpha is the most accurate for computation. For step-by-step solutions of textbook problems specifically, Mathway or Gauth with photo scanning are your best free options. ChatGPT can explain math concepts well but makes computational errors regularly.

Are there any completely free alternatives with no paywall?

Khan Academy is completely free with no paywall, no ads, and no hidden premium tier. It's a nonprofit funded by donations. Google's Gemini AI is also completely free. Socratic by Google is free as well, though it's mobile-only and works best for high school students.

Will using these alternatives get me in trouble with my school?

Using AI tools to understand concepts is no different from using a textbook or visiting office hours. The risk comes from submitting AI-generated work as your own. Check your course syllabus for specific AI policies. Using these tools for studying, practicing, and understanding material is universally acceptable. Check out our full breakdown of whether using AI for homework is cheating.