FAQ
Questions parents and students ask.
Homework that ends. Misses that return. Here's what that means in practice — and what it costs.
Getting it done
Tonight's homework
- How does a student finish homework without copying?
- Guide Me is the default on every new question. Sugar restates what the problem is asking, asks what you'd try first, then gives one step and stops so you write the next line yourself. Get a step wrong and it names the exact mistake instead of solving the problem for you. You end the night with your own work on the page.
- Why is this better than pasting the problem into ChatGPT?
- A general chatbot hands over a finished solution and forgets you the moment the tab closes. LemonSugar Ai guides you through the step you're missing, checks that you understood it, and saves the miss by name so it comes back tomorrow. One is a finished worksheet; the other is a gap that actually closes.
- Is it an answer tool or a tutor?
- A tutor. Answer mode exists for the times you genuinely need the solution in front of you, but it is never the default and it is never automatic — you choose it. Guide Me and Explain both end with a question back to you.
Proving it stuck
Teach back and tomorrow
- What is teach-back?
- After an explanation, a Teach back pill appears. You explain the idea in your own words and Sugar grades your explanation, pointing at the part that's missing rather than the part that's phrased oddly. It's the fastest way to tell the difference between understanding a step and watching it happen.
- How do misses come back tomorrow?
- Anything you got wrong is saved as a short, plain-language name — the real thing you missed — linked to the class and, if you gave us one, the test date. It returns in Practice tomorrow, then spaces out as you get it right, and reopens in the days before the exam.
- What does "You're done for today" mean?
- Exactly that. When the day's cards are finished, the app says you're done and stops asking for more. There are no points, no streaks and no badges to protect — nothing is left blinking to pull a student back in.
For parents
Who it's for and who pays
- Who pays — the parent or the student?
- A parent. Thrifty is $99 a year, less than one tutor hour, and it's bought by an adult. Lo-Fi is $0 and needs no card at all.
- Do students ever pay?
- No student under 18 is ever asked for a card. If a 13–17 year old hits a paid feature, we route the decision to their parent instead of showing them a checkout. Adults 18 and over can pay for themselves if they want to.
- What ages is it for?
- 13 to 26 — middle school through university. Under 13 can't sign up. If a student is 13–17, a parent approves the account by email before the student starts.
- What should a parent actually use?
- Set the class and the test date, then leave the student to it. You approve the account by email, you're the one who buys Thrifty if the free plan runs short, and the product's job is to tell your student the night is over rather than keep them on a screen.
Still wondering?
Read the loop end to end, see Guide Me beat by beat, or check what a year costs.
Something not answered here? Contact support.