Academic & Study Help
Math Help
The best free YouTube channels for math help - from arithmetic and algebra through calculus and beyond, taught step by step with no paywall and no signup.
5 personally vetted, completely free channels that teach this step by step
Scroll down to explore each channel - and use the copy buttons on each one to drop a comment letting them know you found them through The Vault Library.
Math Help, For Everyone Who Decided Years Ago That They Were Just Bad at Math
There is a lie a lot of us picked up somewhere around seventh grade: that people are either math people or not, and you already know which one you are. It is nonsense. Nobody is born knowing algebra. The people who are good at math are mostly people who had a patient teacher explain the one step they happened to miss, and then kept going.
That is the whole thing this page exists to fix. Every channel below is a patient teacher, and every one of them is free.
The real reason math stops making sense
Math is a staircase. Every step stands on the one below it. Fractions hold up algebra, algebra holds up calculus, and so on all the way up. The moment math stopped making sense for you was almost certainly a moment you missed one step - and then every step after it felt impossible, because it was built on a stair that was not there.
The fix is not to try harder on the hard part. The fix is to go back and find the missing stair. That is the one thing a good video teacher can do that a crowded classroom often cannot: let you rewind to the exact step you missed and watch it as many times as you need.
How to actually use these channels
Do not just watch. Watching math is like watching someone lift weights and expecting to get stronger. Pause the video, copy the problem, and try the next step yourself before they do it. Get it wrong. Getting it wrong and seeing why is the entire mechanism by which anyone learns math.
Start with the channel that matches where you actually are, not where you wish you were. If algebra is shaky, do not start with calculus to save face. Fix the stair that is missing, and the ones above it get easier on their own.
For parents helping a kid
You do not need to remember how to do the math yourself. You need to find the right video and sit next to them while they watch it. The channels below explain it better than most of us could from memory anyway, and there is no shame in learning it again right alongside your kid.
Every teacher below is free. No course, no signup, no catch. Pick one, find the missing stair, and start climbing.
5 free channels worth your time
The Organic Chemistry Tutor
Visit channel on YouTube →Despite the name, The Organic Chemistry Tutor is one of the most useful math channels on the entire platform - he covers algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and statistics alongside chemistry and physics. He posts constantly, the videos are completely free, and there is no course being sold at the end. His style is simple and relentless: he works through problem after problem, showing every step, until the method clicks. If you have a test coming up and need to practice a specific type of problem, there is a very good chance he has a video that walks through exactly that.
To help keep us growing, copy this and put it on the first video you watched. We would really appreciate it.
Professor Leonard
Visit channel on YouTube →Professor Leonard films his actual college math lectures - full length, start to finish - and posts them free. This is not highlights or a teaser for a paid course; it is the whole class, from precalculus through calculus and statistics, taught the way a great professor teaches it in the room. He is thorough, clear, and never skips the reasoning, so you understand why the math works and not just how. If your own instructor moves too fast, Professor Leonard is like getting to sit in on the same class taught by someone who genuinely loves the subject.
To help keep us growing, copy this and put it on the first video you watched. We would really appreciate it.
blackpenredpen
Visit channel on YouTube →blackpenredpen is a math teacher who has built one of the most active math channels on YouTube, working through calculus and algebra problems with obvious joy. Everything is free, there is no course funnel, and he posts constantly - he even runs a separate channel of daily calculus practice. His videos are perfect when you have hit one specific hard problem and need to see someone work it all the way through, carefully, without skipping the tricky step in the middle. If you want a teacher who makes hard math feel like a puzzle worth solving, this is the channel.
To help keep us growing, copy this and put it on the first video you watched. We would really appreciate it.
Eddie Woo
Visit channel on YouTube →Eddie Woo is a public high school math teacher in Australia who started filming his real classroom lessons for a sick student and ended up teaching millions. His channel is completely free with nothing for sale, and because the videos are actual class recordings, you learn alongside the students in the room - questions, mistakes, and all. He has a gift for making math feel human and understandable, covering everything from basic algebra to senior level topics. If math has always felt cold or intimidating, Eddie Woo is the teacher who makes it click.
To help keep us growing, copy this and put it on the first video you watched. We would really appreciate it.
3Blue1Brown
Visit channel on YouTube →3Blue1Brown is different from the step by step channels, and worth knowing for it. Grant Sanderson uses stunning animations to show you why the math works - what a derivative really is, what is actually happening inside calculus, linear algebra, and probability. It is completely free with no course being sold. This is not the channel for grinding through tonight's homework, but it is the one that finally makes a concept make deep sense, the kind of understanding that makes everything else easier. Watch it alongside the problem solving channels and the whole subject opens up.
To help keep us growing, copy this and put it on the first video you watched. We would really appreciate it.
Frequently asked questions
Which channel should I start with for math?
If you want full lessons in order, start with Khan Academy or Professor Leonard. If you are stuck on one specific type of problem, search The Organic Chemistry Tutor or blackpenredpen - one of them almost certainly has a video working exactly that problem, step by step.
Are these math channels really free?
Yes. Every channel here teaches for free with no course to buy and no email signup. A couple offer optional donation support like Patreon, but nothing is locked behind it - the lessons are all there for anyone.
Can these help with college math like calculus?
Absolutely. Professor Leonard posts full college calculus lectures, The Organic Chemistry Tutor and blackpenredpen work through calculus problems in detail, and 3Blue1Brown helps the concepts finally make deep sense. Together they cover college math thoroughly.
My child is behind in math. Can this actually help?
It can, because video lets you go back to the exact step they missed and rewatch it as many times as needed. Find where the confusion actually started - often a grade or two below the current topic - and rebuild from there. The channels here make that possible for free.