What is Chegg and how much does it cost?

When students struggle with a particular subject, Chegg has become a favorite resource to use, but not always for the right reasons. Whether you’re working with a tricky math problem or test prep question, Chegg’s 24/7 tutors are like having a personal genie in your pocket (except instead of granting three wishes, it answers endless homework questions). Because Chegg enables people to outsource their schoolwork to others, some universities have explicitly forbidden students from using it. Here’s everything you need to know about how Chegg works, what subjects it covers, and how much it costs.

What is Chegg?

Chegg is an American edu-tech company that provides various student services, including online textbook rental, homework help, tutoring, scholarships, and internships. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Students can use Chegg to rent physical textbooks, access e-textbooks, receive assistance with their homework, and connect with tutors for live online help.

The name Chegg comes from a combination of the words chicken and egg, which the founders say is about the Catch-22 feeling of being unable to obtain a job without experience while being unable to acquire experience without a job. Unfortunately, Chegg doesn’t exactly give students the experience necessary to get a job. Still, its stated goal is to improve the overall return on investment in education by helping students learn more in less time and at a lower cost.

The elephant in the room regarding Chegg is the controversy surrounding its methods. There are several recorded cases of students using the website to ask for and find the answers to questions on their worksheets, exams, or assignments. It’s as easy as Chegg subscribers uploading their assignments and receiving solutions within two hours from a willing “Chegg Expert.” As you can imagine, not every student gets away with it. That’s because it’s relatively easy for teachers to catch students that copy those answers verbatim, and Chegg cooperates with universities investigating cases of academic misconduct. Yet, it’s a risk some are still willing to take.

During my time as a student at the University of British Columbia, two students from the Chemistry department were caught cheating using Chegg for several final exam questions, resulting in them receiving a zero and failing the course. The kicker was that the answers to the questions were wrong. The lesson here is that the risk of cheating isn’t worth it. Additionally, college/university materials are copywritten, so you could still get in trouble for uploading assignments even if you don’t receive an answer.

How does Chegg work?

Chegg provides students with various academic services through its website and mobile app. It operates on a subscription-based model, which provides the following services around the clock:

• Textbook rental: Students can rent physical textbooks or access e-textbooks for a fraction of the list price.
• Homework help: Students can ask questions, receive step-by-step solutions from tutors, and access many study tools.
• Tutoring: Live, online tutoring for various subjects, where students can connect with a tutor for one-on-one help.
• Scholarships and internships: A search engine that allows students to search for and apply for scholarships or internships.

Once signed up, you’ll have access to a personalized Chegg dashboard. From there, you can add the courses you’re currently taking and the textbooks you’re using. On the left, you can access study tools such as asking a homework question, using practice tests and flashcards, getting help proofreading essays, and creating citations.

The most popular Chegg service is the Expert Q&A feature. As Chegg puts it, you can “take a pic of your homework question and get an expert explanation” in a matter of hours. However, there usually isn’t any explanation provided with the answer unless you ask for it. Instead of a tutor helping you through the question, this method simply gives you a solution that may or may not be correct.

Chegg also offers a service to buy and rent textbooks. A Chegg subscription provides you with access to over 400,000 titles, and the ability to rent digital textbooks starting at $6.99. Shipping on physical books is free over $50, and you can sell your used textbooks to the company with free shipping.

How much does Chegg cost?

The cost of Chegg varies depending on the services you use, but the case subscription price starts at $14.95 per month. Physical textbook rental typically costs a fraction of the list price, while e-textbook access and tutoring services may have variable pricing.

The basic $14.95 subscription includes a 21-day purchased book return, up to a 90% discount on textbooks, one-month free access to Chegg Study Pack, and the ability to post 20 questions per month to Q&A experts.

The Chegg Study Pack costs $19.95 per month and includes the basic services above, but with unlimited homework questions, plus instructor-made materials, practice sets, and a plagiarism checker.

You can additionally get the Chegg Writing service for $9.95 per month, which includes access to EasyBib, Plagiarism Checker, and Grammar Checker. There’s also the Chegg Math Solver for $9.95 per month, which offers step-by-step solutions to math problems.

Does Chegg have a free trial?

Yes, Chegg offers a seven-day free trial, after which you’ll pay the $14.95 monthly price if you don’t cancel.

To cancel the Chegg subscription, log in to Chegg, head to My Account > Orders, find your subscription, and click Cancel Subscription. You’ll be taken to another page. Confirm your choice once more by hitting the Cancel Subscription button at the bottom of the screen.

Is Chegg worth it?

Naturally, Chegg will not be worth it for every student. Those excelling through their study skills and school learnings probably won’t find much use in Chegg’s homework-helping services. However, Chegg is well worth it as a supplementary form of education or a means to acquire textbooks.

For those who need more hands-on help with homework, the Chegg Study Pack is worth it. For an additional $5 over the base subscription cost, students will find the unlimited homework questions and instructor materials invaluable.

What subjects does Chegg cover?

Chegg offers course help in a variety of academic subjects. Here’s a complete breakdown:

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