I can split these and work through them one at a time — the ones with an answer get checked, the blank ones get coached. Or keep it as a single question.
Plaito — what it is & how to start
Plaito (a nod to Plato, with the AI built in) is your relentless, patient AI tutor. It reads a photo of a homework question and works through it with you — checking your answer step by step, or coaching you when you're stuck, with hints before answers. The idea is simple: it guides you towards the answer, rather than just handing it over. Any subject, any year level. This is a beta and can occasionally make a mistake, so always sanity-check its arithmetic.
📈 See my progress & review → — a private, on-device summary of what you've practised and where you're improving.
Honestly, it's easier than it looks. "API key" sounds technical, but the whole thing is just: make an account, add a few dollars, click Create key, and copy-paste a long password into this app. No coding, no installing anything. Most parents are done in about five minutes — and you only do it once per device. The links below each open in a new tab, so keep this page open to paste back into.
Is it safe? Yes — there's nothing to leak. There's no company server and no account. Everything — your key, your settings, your progress — is stored only in this browser on this one device. Nothing is ever sent anywhere except directly to the AI provider you choose, to answer each question. Because nothing is collected centrally, there's no pool of data to breach.
One device at a time. Because it all lives in this browser, you'll do this quick setup once on each device you want to use — the laptop, the iPad, a phone. They don't share. Two minutes each, then it's remembered until you clear your browsing data.
What's an API key, and why do I need one?
The "tutoring brain" is rented directly from an AI company. An API key is like a prepaid SIM card for AI: you load a little credit, and each question sips about a cent of it. It's pay-as-you-go, separate from any ChatGPT Plus or Claude subscription — no monthly fee. $5–10 typically lasts a whole school term, and you can watch exactly what's spent on the provider's website. Claude even gives you $5 of free credit to start, so you can try it at no cost. Pick one of the two below.
Option A — Claude key (Anthropic)
Open console.anthropic.com (opens in a new tab — keep this one open to paste into) and sign in. You can use an existing Claude login.
Open Billing and add a small amount of credit (e.g. $5–10). Leave auto-reload off so it can never run away.
Open API Keys → Create Key. Name it study-buddy.
Copy the key (it starts with sk-ant-) — it's shown only once.
Back here: in setup, choose Claude (Anthropic), paste the key, and finish. Done.
A note on "ChatGPT": your key pays OpenAI for whichever model Plaito uses under the hood — currently GPT-5.4, chosen for its strong reasoning (which matters most for maths). The same key and the same credit also cover the spoken voice, so it's one balance for everything.
Nicer voice (optional) — ElevenLabs
If you're using ChatGPT, you already get a good voice for free from the same key — no need for this. ElevenLabs is mainly worth it if you're using Claude (which has no voice of its own) and want something more natural than the device's built-in voices. It's optional and free to start.
Sign up at elevenlabs.io (new tab — the free tier covers roughly 10 minutes of speech a month, plenty to try).
Click your profile (bottom-left) → API Keys → Create API Key. Name it study-buddy.
If it offers permissions, enable Text to Speech and Voices (read) — or just leave it unrestricted. A restricted key is the usual reason a key gets rejected.
Copy the key (it starts with sk_).
Back here: paste it into the Premium voice box in setup and click Connect voices. Starred ⭐ voices will appear in the voice list.
Mac tip — free upgrade: even without ElevenLabs, you can download much better system voices at System Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Manage Voices (look for "Premium" English voices). They'll show up in the voice list automatically.
Keeping your keys safe
A key only ever belongs in this app's setup box — never paste it into an email, message, or chat.
If a key is ever exposed, revoke it on the provider's site (takes seconds) and create a new one. The most you can lose is the small credit you loaded.
Tips for good results
Photograph one question at a time, or snap the page and drag a box around one question.
Clear handwriting helps the tutor read your working — neat is accurate.
Checking an answer? Make sure your working is inside the highlighted box.
If an answer looks wrong, tell the tutor in the chat — it'll recheck, and that's half the learning.
📲 Add Plaito to your home screen
For the best experience, add Plaito to your home screen — it opens like a real app, full-screen with no browser clutter, one tap away.
Tell us what you think
Plaito is in beta and we'd love your feedback — what's working, what's confusing, what you wish it did. It helps shape what comes next.
The patient, methodical, wise AI tutor. Any age, any subject.
v5.30 beta · pub 14 Jun 26 00
🧪 Beta — double-check the tutor's arithmetic.
🎒 Let's get set up for class
This app has no company behind it — no accounts, no server, nothing collected. Everything it needs lives right here on your device, which is why we set it up once at the top. Takes about two minutes, then it folds away.
1 · Tell us a bit about yourself
Your first name (if you like), year level, where you're studying, and any topics of focus. The name just lets the tutor talk to you more personally, and the rest pitches the terminology, methods, and practice level just right for you. It all stays on this device.
2 · Pick a look
3 · Connect an API key
The tutoring brain is rented from an AI company — that's what the key is for. Like a prepaid SIM for AI: load a little credit with Claude or ChatGPT, and each question sips about a cent. $5–10 usually lasts a whole school term. It's pay-as-you-go, separate from any subscription you might already have — no monthly fee.
ChatGPT also gives you a good built-in voice from the same key — nothing else to set up.
Claude keys: console.anthropic.com → API Keys. ChatGPT keys: platform.openai.com → API keys. The key stays in this browser, is only ever sent to that provider, and stays saved here until you clear browsing data.
4 · Pick a voice
The tutor reads questions and explanations aloud. The dropdown groups every voice by where it comes from: ChatGPT (OpenAI) if you're using an OpenAI key, Premium (ElevenLabs) if you've added one, and your device's built-in voices (free, quality varies). Hit ▶ Test and pick your favourite. (Mac tip: System Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Manage Voices downloads nicer built-in ones for free.)
Using ChatGPT? You already get a good voice free — skip this. Using Claude? Claude has no voice, so for natural speech add ElevenLabs (optional): sign up free at elevenlabs.io, paste the key here, and ⭐ voices join the list.
📸 Show me what you're working on
Snap or upload a photo of anything you're stuck on. Finished, half-done, or not started, I'll see where you're at and pick up from there.
3
Question on this screen? ⌃⌘⇧4 to screenshot it, then ⌘V anywhere on this page. You can also drag an image in or choose a file.
📄 Got it. Highlight the part you want help with — one question, a few, or the whole thing. I'll keep the rest of the page in view for context, so nothing's lost. (Box more than one part and I'll take them one at a time.)
reviewing the question
🕘 This session — tap any question to revisit it
Question
The question, read back
How to approach it
Hints — one at a time (full points if you don't need them!)
🔒
Have a go first. Stuck, or had a crack? Either way, let's work through it together — the tutor's way.
Answer
Let's work it out together — the tutor's way.
Strategy — your call at each step
Worked solution
Ask Plaito
📈 Progress & review — stored only on this device
Privacy
The short version: Plaito has no server and no accounts, so there's nowhere for us to collect or store your data. Everything Plaito needs lives in your own browser on this device.
What's stored, and where
Your API key(s), your year-level/subject notes, your theme, and your progress log are saved in this browser's local storage — on your device only. They're never sent to us (there is no "us" server to send them to), and they stay until you clear your browser data. Don't tick "remember" on a shared computer.
What leaves your device, and to whom
When you ask for help, the question (your photo and any text) is sent directly to the AI provider you chose — Anthropic (Claude) or OpenAI (ChatGPT) — to generate the tutoring. If you turn on premium voices, the text to be spoken is sent to OpenAI or ElevenLabs to make the audio. That's the only place your question content goes, and only to the provider you picked. Your key is sent only to that same provider.
Analytics
Plaito uses Google Analytics to count visits and understand broad usage (how many people, roughly where, which devices). This sets cookies and sends standard visit data to Google. It does not capture your questions, your working, or your API keys. If you'd rather not be counted, a tracker-blocking browser or extension will stop it.
Children
Plaito is designed to be used by students, often with a parent setting it up. Because we collect nothing ourselves, the main privacy consideration is the third parties above (your chosen AI provider, and Google Analytics), each of which has its own privacy policy worth a look.
We're in beta. Always learning.
Your feedback is welcome — it shapes what comes next.
Opens your email to send to hello@plaito.study. Nothing is sent automatically.