Maths Tutor vs Maths App: Which Works Better for KS3 and GCSE?

A maths tutor gives responsive, relationship-led teaching; a maths app gives practice at scale and low cost. For KS3 and GCSE, each fills a different gap. This comparison covers cost, feedback quality, depth, and the situations where each option outperforms the other.

How each approach to maths help works

A human maths tutor — whether in-person or online — works through dialogue. They ask questions, listen to a student's reasoning, and adapt the lesson in real time. If a Year 10 student writes down the wrong method for solving simultaneous equations, a tutor notices immediately and probes why: is it a procedural slip, a conceptual misunderstanding, or anxiety about showing working? They then adjust accordingly.

A maths app works differently. Most use algorithms to track which topics a student has practised and which answers they got right or wrong. Adaptive platforms like Sparx Maths will set personalised homework based on curriculum level; graphing tools like Desmos let students visualise functions interactively. Apps are available at any hour, require no scheduling, and cost a fraction of a tutor's hourly rate.

Neither is inherently superior — they solve different problems.

Cost comparison

Cost is often the deciding factor for families. The table below shows typical UK prices as of 2026:

Option | Typical cost | What you get
Private maths tutor (in-person) | £30–£60 per hour | Personalised lesson, immediate feedback, relationship
Online maths tutor | £20–£45 per hour | Flexible scheduling, shared screen tools, recorded sessions
Maths app (free tier) | £0 per month | Core practice questions, limited topic coverage
Maths app (premium) | £5–£15 per month | Full curriculum access, progress tracking, worked solutions

A family paying for one tutor session per week at £35/hr spends around £140/month. A premium maths app costs under £15/month for the same period — roughly a tenth of the price. The value comparison only makes sense, however, when you consider what each delivers in practice.

Quality of feedback compared

This is where tutors and apps diverge most sharply. The Education Endowment Foundation's one-to-one tuition evidence rates the approach as delivering an average of five additional months of progress for pupils, with strong evidence behind it. The mechanism is feedback quality: a skilled tutor can distinguish between a student who has forgotten a formula and one who never understood the underlying concept.

Apps, by contrast, typically score answers as correct or incorrect. Even the most sophisticated adaptive platforms struggle to identify why a student made an error — they can only infer difficulty from repeated wrong answers on similar questions. The EEF's digital technology toolkit rates ed-tech at around four months of additional progress on average, with wider variation depending on implementation.

For straightforward procedural practice — solving equations, calculating percentages, practising times tables — the feedback gap matters less. For deeper reasoning tasks, such as multi-step GCSE problem-solving or proof at the higher tier, it matters considerably more.

When a maths tutor is the better choice

A tutor is the stronger option when:

A conceptual gap is blocking progress. If a Year 9 student cannot grasp fractions, no amount of app drilling will fix a foundational misunderstanding. A tutor can unpick where the confusion started.

Exam anxiety is affecting performance. A student who understands the material but freezes in timed conditions benefits from a tutor who can rehearse exam technique and build confidence through dialogue.

GCSE mock preparation is urgent. Mocks typically run in November and February. A focused six-week tutor programme before mocks gives structured, targeted preparation that apps cannot replicate.

The student needs external accountability. Some students disengage from self-directed app practice. A scheduled session with a named tutor creates commitment.

When a maths app is the better choice

An app is the stronger option when:

Daily low-stakes practice is the goal. The DfE's KS3 maths programmes of study require broad topic coverage. Apps make it easy to practise a different area every day without needing to book a session.

Homework support is needed outside school hours. If a Year 8 student is stuck on a homework question at 9 pm, an app with worked examples or a step-by-step solver fills the gap.

Consolidating a recently taught method. Once a tutor or teacher has explained a new technique, app practice cements it efficiently.

Budget is genuinely constrained. Free tiers on apps like Desmos or Photomath give meaningful mathematical support at no cost.

Popular maths apps for UK students

Several platforms are widely used in UK secondary schools and at home:

Mathswatch — curriculum-aligned video explanations and practice questions mapped to GCSE and KS3 topics; widely used by schools as a homework platform.

Sparx Maths — adaptive homework and independent learning tool used across many English secondary schools; sets personalised tasks based on class teacher assignments.

Photomath — scan-and-solve camera tool with step-by-step solutions; useful for checking working and understanding methods.

Desmos — free graphing calculator and interactive activity builder; particularly strong for visualising functions, transformations, and statistics at GCSE higher tier.

Each has a different strength. The right choice depends on whether a student needs curriculum-structured practice, method explanations, or visual mathematical exploration.

Can you combine both?

Yes — and increasingly, families do. A common hybrid approach is to use an app for 15–20 minutes of daily topic practice and reserve one weekly tutor session for addressing gaps or deepening understanding. The tutor can also direct which topics the app should focus on that week, creating a structured programme that uses both tools efficiently.

This combination is particularly effective in Year 11, where the volume of GCSE content to cover makes daily practice essential but personalised feedback on exam questions remains critical.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best maths app for GCSE students?

There is no single best option, as needs vary. Mathswatch and Sparx Maths are the most widely used by UK schools because they align closely with GCSE specifications from AQA, Edexcel, and OCR. Desmos is excellent for graphing and higher-tier topics. Many students use more than one, depending on the task.

How much does a maths tutor cost in the UK?

Private maths tutors in the UK typically charge between £20 and £60 per hour, depending on location, experience, and whether sessions are in-person or online. London rates tend to be at the higher end. Group tuition and online-only tutors are generally more affordable.

Is a maths app enough for GCSE preparation?

For most students, an app alone is not sufficient for GCSE preparation. Apps are strong for consolidating methods and building fluency, but GCSE questions increasingly require multi-step reasoning and clear written working — skills that benefit from a tutor or teacher's feedback. Using an app alongside school lessons, and a tutor where needed, gives the best outcomes.

What should I look for in a maths app for KS3?

Look for an app that is aligned to the English national curriculum for KS3 (covering Number, Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics), provides clear worked examples rather than just right/wrong scoring, and tracks progress over time. Apps that let you select specific topics are more useful than general quiz formats when targeting known gaps.

For personalised AI tutoring that combines the best of both, visit aitutors.me.