Course Hero (Premier) review 2027

What problem does Course Hero solve for college students?

Course Hero is a library of student-uploaded course notes and study guides, plus textbook solutions and AI, and it is cheap on the annual plan. For a student revising a specific course, that archive of course-specific material can be a lifesaver before an exam. It also includes expert Q&A, textbook solutions and literature study guides. Our verdict names it the pick for course notes and study guides, and it is still the right fit for college students revising a specific course. The catch is that its answers to our questions were the weakest of the paid services, and its model raises the most integrity questions.

How did Course Hero score in our tests?

We scored Course Hero across five weighted criteria, for a total of 7.1 out of 10.

• Answer quality: 18 out of 30. This measures correctness and explanation of our 30 test questions, graded blind by two teachers.
• Coverage: 20 out of 20. This measures subjects, textbook editions, grade levels and how often our questions already had an answer.
• Study tools: 14 out of 20. This measures flashcards, practice tests, step-by-step solvers, writing feedback and tutoring access.
• Learning & integrity: 6 out of 10. This measures whether the tool teaches the method rather than hands over the answer, and its honour-code policies.
• Value: 13 out of 20. This measures the monthly price and what the free tier gives.

Coverage was the one criterion where Course Hero took every point available. Answer quality and integrity are where it gave the most ground.

What are Course Hero's standout strengths?

The archive is the reason to use it. Course Hero carries notes and past materials for many specific university courses, which is exactly what a student needs when the exam is set by one department on one reading list. It also offers textbook solutions and literature study guides, and expert Q&A is included rather than sold as an extra. On the annual plan it is cheap.

Our measured results back that up. Course Hero earned a teacher grade of 71/100, and it took the full 20 out of 20 for coverage, meaning our questions often already had an answer waiting in the library.

How does the AI assistant and expert Q&A work?

An AI assistant reads the question you type or photograph and generates an answer from patterns learned from large amounts of text. It can produce steps and explanations, but it does not check a course syllabus, and it can be confidently wrong. Expert Q&A works differently: you post a question, and a person with subject knowledge writes an answer, usually within hours or days. That answer can be more careful, but it depends on who picks up the question and how much detail they give. Course Hero offers both, alongside textbook solutions.

What do you get, and what does it cost?

The parts of Course Hero are straightforward. The price is $9.95/mo billed yearly, or $39.95 monthly. Levels covered are college, across most college subjects. Live help comes in the form of expert Q&A. Textbook solutions are included, an AI assistant is included, and there are apps for iOS, Android and web.

How does Course Hero compare with its rivals?

Khan Academy scored 8.8 and is free, with Khanmigo at $4/mo. It covers K–12, early college and SAT/MCAT/LSAT, and its AI tutor is Socratic, guiding rather than answering. Course Hero has the course-specific notes and textbook solutions Khan Academy does not, but Khan Academy took the highest teacher grade in our test.

Quizlet scored 8.2 at $7.99/mo, or $35.99/yr, with a free tier. It covers all levels and subjects through user-made sets, and its Plus tier adds textbook solutions. Course Hero's edge is its university course archive; Quizlet's is the flashcard and Learn mode system students already use.

Chegg Study scored 7.9 at $15.95/mo, or $19.95/mo for the Study Pack. It offers step-by-step solutions for 9,000+ textbooks and expert answers, and it beat Course Hero on answer quality in our grading. Course Hero is cheaper on the annual plan and stronger on course notes.

Wyzant scored 8.0, with tutors setting hourly rates typically from about $35 to $80 and no subscription. It is the only service where our essay questions got real feedback, and it has live tutors in 300+ subjects. Course Hero cannot match one-to-one teaching, but it costs far less per month.

Feature comparison

Set side by side, the shared spec labels show where each service puts its effort.

Where does Course Hero fall short?

Answer quality and integrity are the two places it lost. Its answers to our questions were the weakest of the paid services, and it scored lower than Chegg in our grading. Uploaded materials raise the same integrity questions as answer services, plus copyright ones. The month-to-month price of $39.95 is also high for what the answers deliver.

Is Course Hero good value?

The price summary is $9.95/mo billed yearly, with a $39.95 monthly option. On the annual plan the cost is low for a large archive of course notes, textbook solutions and expert Q&A. Month to month, that value is harder to justify.

Who should buy Course Hero?

College students revising a specific course. If your exam follows one module's notes, past papers and textbook, Course Hero's archive is built for that job, and the annual plan keeps it cheap. If you need careful explanations of methods, or you want a tutor who sees your work, look at the rivals above instead.