Derive vs Symbolab
The Symbolab alternative that checks your own working, line by line.
Do the problem yourself, in your own handwriting. Derive finds the step where your working breaks, tells you why, and shows you the next move. On iPad, Mac, Windows and the web.
- Drop in any PDF and write on it
- 7-day trial, cancel in the app
- 30-day refund
The short answer
Choose Derive if you…
- Want to learn from your own working in a real notebook, not just see a worked answer
- Want a personal tutor that catches your mistakes in real time, right on the line you wrote
- Take your notes by hand on an iPad, Mac, Windows or the web and want the checking there
- Want 3D graphs, runnable code and practice exams built from your own notes
On Android? There is no app yet, but Derive runs in your browser at web.derivenotes.com.
Derive and Symbolab, feature by feature.
Checked against Symbolab’s published information on 9 October 2026. Sources are listed at the foot of the page.
With a catch, named underneathDerive pricing
7 days free with a card, then billed unless you cancel. Cancel in the app any time. 30-day refund.
Where Derive pulls ahead.
01
It finds your step, not just the answer
- Checks every line against the one above
- Flags the exact step that broke
- Tutor card: why, and what to try next
- Live as you write, on iPad, Mac, Windows and web
02
Graphs and code, right in the notebook
- Lasso an equation, graph it in 2D or 3D
- Drop in a code cell and run it
- Working, graph and code on one page
03
Practice exams from your own notes
- Turns your pages into a practice test
- Marks your handwritten answers
- Built from your course, not a question bank
Where Symbolab is better
Worth knowing before you choose.
- Costs less, free plan gives basic steps
- Android app, plus a Chrome extension for any website
- Type or snap a problem, worked steps in seconds
- 500+ calculators
- 300M+ users (Symbolab’s figure)
Bring your problem sets with you.
- 1
Save your questions as PDFs
- Worksheet, past paper or problem set
- Downloaded as a PDF
- 2
Drop the PDF into Derive
- Every page searchable
- Ready to write on
- 3
Work it out yourself
- Write your working onto the page
- Each line checked as you write
Nothing to cancel first. You can keep Symbolab for quick answers while you work through your own steps in Derive.
Questions
Switching from Symbolab, answered.
Can I bring my Symbolab work into Derive?
Symbolab saves solved problems rather than pages of handwriting, so the simplest move is to bring the questions. Drop any PDF into Derive, such as a worksheet or past paper, and write your working straight onto it.
How is Derive different from Symbolab’s step-by-step solutions?
Symbolab is a solver: you type or photograph a problem and it shows a worked solution, with AI chat about its steps and a check of your final answer for subscribers. Derive works on your own handwriting: it checks every line of your working against the one above, flags the step where it breaks, and explains why with a tutor card. You learn from the mistake you made, on the page you wrote.
Does Derive work on Windows and Android?
Derive has apps for iPad, Mac and Windows, and runs in the browser at web.derivenotes.com. There is no Android app yet, so on an Android tablet or Chromebook use the browser version: same notebooks, same checking, synced with your other devices.
Can Derive just give me the answer?
Derive is built for working a problem through yourself. It checks your steps as you write, tells you why a step is wrong and what to try next, so you finish the problem with your own working. If you only want a quick answer to a typed problem, Symbolab is the better fit.
Can I turn the AI off?
Yes. Recognition and the tutor run only with your consent, and you can switch them off at any time in settings. With them off, your content is not sent to our AI providers.
How do I try it?
Start a 7-day trial. You add a card, but nothing is charged for 7 days, we email you before it ends, and cancelling is self-serve in the app. If you pay and it is not for you, email us within 30 days for a full refund.
Try it on your next problem set.
Bring your Symbolab notebooks with you, write the way you already do, and see what Derive catches.
Start your 7-day trial7 days free with a card, then billed unless you cancel. Cancel in the app any time. 30-day refund.
Comparison checked on 9 October 2026 against Symbolab’s published information. Products change; if something here is out of date, email matt@derivenotes.com and we will correct it. Symbolab, and the other product names on this page, are trademarks of their respective owners. Derive Notes Pty Ltd is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by them; the names are used only to identify the products being compared.
Sources: Symbolab: home and features · Symbolab Help: Notebook and Practice · Symbolab: Verify Solution · Symbolab: step-by-step solver (verify needs a subscription) · Symbolab: Upgrade to Pro · Symbolab: AI Chat · Symbolab: Graphing Calculator · Symbolab on the App Store: AU · US · CA · NZ · Symbolab on Google Play · Symbolab Chrome extension