Wolfram Alpha
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 11 math software by recommenders
People recommend Wolfram Alpha for math answers and step-by-step solving, but critics say it handles plain-language questions poorly.
People recommend Wolfram Alpha for math answers and step-by-step solving, but critics say it handles plain-language questions poorly.
37 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 28
- criticize it
- 9
- approval share
- 76%
Recommended in 11 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 28 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3.1 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 11 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Shows step-by-step working
“works well for these sorts of approximations, and shows its work more clearly than the AI chatbots I've used”
Comment from 15 Jan 2026 in “The 500k-ton typo: Why data center copper math doesn't add up” “I learned calculus thanks to wolfram alpha step by step solving feature”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “The CTF scene is dead” “that was helpful if I got stuck on an intermediary step”
Comment from 23 Aug 2026 in “Why Sal Khan't: On Learning by Making but Teaching by Telling” Accurate math answers
“use something decent like wolframalpha on your phone/laptop/desktop you won't run into precision issues”
Comment from 5 Apr 2026 in “The threat is comfortable drift toward not understanding what you're doing” “Wolfram alpha is the better calculator for that sort of thing.”
Comment from 1 Dec 2025 in “Google unkills JPEG XL?” Go-to tool for quick math
“I mostly go straight to Wolfram Alpha for those now”
Comment from 17 Mar 2026 in “Kagi Small Web” “I would just use Wolfram Alpha or SageMath”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “Ti-84 Evo” Useful for school and college
“in college it is a game changer and I still use it to do school work”
Comment from 31 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: Do you still physical calculators?” “I used it a lot in college but never since.”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “Ask HN: Where are the good search engines for mathematical formulas?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Not better than Google
“I couldn't find any tasks it could solve with it, that it couldn't solve with just Google and Python.”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Making Wolfram Tech Available as a Foundation Tool for LLM Systems” “I personally think Wolfram Alpha isn't any better than Google.”
Comment from 4 Jan 2026 in “Lessons from 14 Years at Google” Extra translation layer, rigid syntax
“Alpha works very hard to force you into a natural-language syntax that takes away much of the fun”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “What Is Ruliology?” “Wolfram alpha was always an extra translation layer between machine and human.”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Making Wolfram Tech Available as a Foundation Tool for LLM Systems”
Other math software people recommend
The four most recommended other math software, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfram Mathematica | 103 | 55 | 65% | 12 | 21 yrs5 owners | — |
| Wolfram AlphaThis page | 28 | 9 | 76% | 11 | — | Approved |
| SageMath | 16 | 3 | 84% | 8 | — | Approved |
| SymPy | 13 | 7 | 65% | 8 | — | — |
| Maple by Maplesoft | 9 | 3 | 75% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
36 of the 38 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It got you 90% of the way there once you’d translated the problem.”
“that was helpful if I got stuck on an intermediary step”
“I used it a lot in college but never since.”
“it’s just the wrong tool for the job”
“The AI gave you as right a reasonable answer as could be made for the ambiguity of the questions”
“it could definitely be clearer”
“it says 202 grams and if you put in”
“wolfram alpha has a poor understanding of language and a very good understanding of math”
“It was helpful, because we did it ourself”
“I learned calculus thanks to wolfram alpha step by step solving feature”
“I would just use Wolfram Alpha or SageMath”
“Shouldn't one use e.g a Wolfram Alpha MCP endpoint for math in AI?”
“use something decent like wolframalpha on your phone/laptop/desktop you won't run into precision issues”
“I mostly go straight to Wolfram Alpha for those now”
“WolframAlpha usually got to the correct answer, but often used a non-human strategy for integration.”
“these tools made it easier for me to understand what I was doing wrong”
“was a genuinely useful and good tool, perfect for the times”
“One thing me.Stephen never made available is for people to copy results of Wolfram Alpha”
“its useful to just "know" instantly which choice has real solutions”
“Wolfram alpha was always an extra translation layer between machine and human.”
“It's really interesting to watch, I've been a fly on the wall for years.”
“I couldn't find any tasks it could solve with it, that it couldn't solve with just Google and Python.”
“Alpha works very hard to force you into a natural-language syntax that takes away much of the fun”
“You can play around with this”
“it is greeting me with emojis, cracking some jokes”
“wolfram alpha where I need more than the specific answer”
“in college it is a game changer and I still use it to do school work”
“I'm a fan of Xcas and Wolfram Alpha now.”
“I've never, not once in my life, had any desire to use a physical calculator when I could use a full blown computer instead.”
“works well for these sorts of approximations, and shows its work more clearly than the AI chatbots I've used”
“which for the past 15 years has featured the ability to display references of similar magnitude”
“At this point I trust W|A less than ChatGPT. No clue what they've done to the engine in the last few years, but it's a steaming pile of dogshit now.”
“I personally think Wolfram Alpha isn't any better than Google.”
“Wolfram (still) fails this kind of test at the moment.”
“Wolfram alpha is the better calculator for that sort of thing.”
“This already exists: https://www.wolframalpha.com/”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.