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Chegg Study - Homework Helper

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Chegg Study - Homework Helper 4+

Homework answers & college app, chegg, inc., designed for ipad.

• #106 in Education
• 4.7 • 123 Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

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Get ready for finals with the Chegg Study® app. Used by millions of students, the Chegg Study app helps you get school help and personalized support for each of your courses—from homework to exam prep. Use Chegg this semester to study your courses inside out. Tap into our huge library of millions of fully explained, step-by-step solutions, and flashcards for subjects including Math, Business, Physics, Engineering, Chemistry, and more. Get school help for 80 subjects and hundreds of courses and flashcards. The Chegg Study app is the homework helper that have you covered for your toughest classes, assignments, and school homework. Get expert, 24/7 study help and support from expert tutors. Snap a photo of any homework question and submit it with our question scanner to our Chegg experts. You will get detailed answers in as little as 30 minutes.* Be your problem solver, understand tough concepts, and get the answers you need with detailed explanations, solutions, and answers provided. Search our library of over 60 million fully solved homework questions and get the answers you need. See how to solve them with our question scanner feature. The fine print: Your Chegg Study subscription will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within the 24 hours prior to the end of your current subscription period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. For bug reports and general feedback, email [email protected] or tweet @Chegg #iOSapp. Privacy Policy: http://www.chegg.com/privacypolicy/ Terms of use: http://www.chegg.com/termsofuse/ *Experts’ response time for answers and solutions varies by question and subject. The average response time is 46 minutes. **Available for select problems only.

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Ratings and Reviews

123 Ratings

Questions take a bit too long to be answered

Great app 🌟🌟🌟

This app has saved me like fresh oxygen. Lerve it. Love it!!!!👍🏾

Very slow response time

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The developer, Chegg, Inc. , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

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The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:

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The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• Contact Info
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Privacy practices may vary based on, for example, the features you use or your age. Learn More

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English, Spanish, Turkish

• Chegg Study USD 14.99
• Chegg Study Basic USD 14.99
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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 5 best homework help websites (free and paid).

Other High School , General Education

Listen: we know homework isn’t fun, but it is a good way to reinforce the ideas and concepts you’ve learned in class. But what if you’re really struggling with your homework assignments?

If you’ve looked online for a little extra help with your take-home assignments, you’ve probably stumbled across websites claiming to provide the homework help and answers students need to succeed . But can homework help sites really make a difference? And if so, which are the best homework help websites you can use? 

Below, we answer these questions and more about homework help websites–free and paid. We’ll go over: 

• The basics of homework help websites
• The cost of homework help websites 
• The five best homework websites out there 
• The pros and cons of using these websites for homework help 
• The line between “learning” and “cheating” when using online homework help 
• Tips for getting the most out of a homework help website

So let’s get started! 

The Basics About Homework Help Websites–Free and Paid

Homework help websites are designed to help you complete your homework assignments, plain and simple. 

What Makes a Homework Help Site Worth Using

Most of the best sites allow users to ask questions and then provide an answer (or multiple possible answers) and explanation in seconds. In some instances, you can even send a photo of a particular assignment or problem instead of typing the whole thing out! 

Homework help sites also offer more than just help answering homework questions. Common services provided are Q&A with experts, educational videos, lectures, practice tests and quizzes, learning modules, math solving tools, and proofreading help. Homework help sites can also provide textbook solutions (i.e. answers to problems in tons of different textbooks your school might be using), one-on-one tutoring, and peer-to-peer platforms that allow you to discuss subjects you’re learning about with your fellow students. 

And best of all, nearly all of them offer their services 24/7, including tutoring! 

What You Should Should Look Out For

When it comes to homework help, there are lots–and we mean lots –of scam sites out there willing to prey on desperate students. Before you sign up for any service, make sure you read reviews to ensure you’re working with a legitimate company. 

A word to the wise: the more a company advertises help that veers into the territory of cheating, the more likely it is to be a scam. The best homework help websites are going to help you learn the concepts you’ll need to successfully complete your homework on your own. (We’ll go over the difference between “homework help” and “cheating” a little later!) 

You don't need a golden piggy bank to use homework help websites. Some provide low or no cost help for students like you!

How Expensive Are the Best Homework Help Websites?

First of all, just because a homework help site costs money doesn’t mean it’s a good service. Likewise, just because a homework help website is free doesn’t mean the help isn’t high quality. To find the best websites, you have to take a close look at the quality and types of information they provide! 

When it comes to paid homework help services, the prices vary pretty widely depending on the amount of services you want to subscribe to. Subscriptions can cost anywhere from $2 to $150 dollars per month, with the most expensive services offering several hours of one-on-one tutoring with a subject expert per month.

The 5 Best Homework Help Websites 

So, what is the best homework help website you can use? The answer is that it depends on what you need help with. 

The best homework help websites are the ones that are reliable and help you learn the material. They don’t just provide answers to homework questions–they actually help you learn the material. 

That’s why we’ve broken down our favorite websites into categories based on who they’re best for . For instance, the best website for people struggling with math might not work for someone who needs a little extra help with science, and vice versa. 

Keep reading to find the best homework help website for you! 

Best Free Homework Help Site: Khan Academy

• Price: Free!
• Best for: Practicing tough material 

Not only is Khan Academy free, but it’s full of information and can be personalized to suit your needs. When you set up your account , you choose which courses you need to study, and Khan Academy sets up a personal dashboard of instructional videos, practice exercises, and quizzes –with both correct and incorrect answer explanations–so you can learn at your own pace. 

As an added bonus, it covers more course topics than many other homework help sites, including several AP classes.

Runner Up: Brainly.com offers a free service that allows you to type in questions and get answers and explanations from experts. The downside is that you’re limited to two answers per question and have to watch ads. 

Best Paid Homework Help Site: Chegg

• Price: $14.95 to $19.95 per month
• Best for: 24/7 homework assistance  

This service has three main parts . The first is Chegg Study, which includes textbook solutions, Q&A with subject experts, flashcards, video explanations, a math solver, and writing help. The resources are thorough, and reviewers state that Chegg answers homework questions quickly and accurately no matter when you submit them.  

Chegg also offers textbook rentals for students who need access to textbooks outside of their classroom. Finally, Chegg offers Internship and Career Advice for students who are preparing to graduate and may need a little extra help with the transition out of high school. 

Another great feature Chegg provides is a selection of free articles geared towards helping with general life skills, like coping with stress and saving money. Chegg’s learning modules are comprehensive, and they feature solutions to the problems in tons of different textbooks in a wide variety of subjects. 

Runner Up: Bartleby offers basically the same services as Chegg for $14.99 per month. The reason it didn’t rank as the best is based on customer reviews that say user questions aren’t answered quite as quickly on this site as on Chegg. Otherwise, this is also a solid choice!

Best Site for Math Homework Help: Photomath

• Price: Free (or $59.99 per year for premium services) 
• Best for: Explaining solutions to math problems

This site allows you to t ake a picture of a math problem, and instantly pulls up a step-by-step solution, as well as a detailed explanation of the concept. Photomath also includes animated videos that break down mathematical concepts to help you better understand and remember them. 

The basic service is free, but for an additional fee you can get extra study tools and learn additional strategies for solving common math problems.

Runner Up: KhanAcademy offers in-depth tutorials that cover complex math topics for free, but you won’t get the same tailored help (and answers!) that Photomath offers. 

Best Site for English Homework Help: Princeton Review Academic Tutoring

• Price: $40 to $153 per month, depending on how many hours of tutoring you want 
• Best for: Comprehensive and personalized reading and writing help 

While sites like Grammarly and Sparknotes help you by either proofreading what you write via an algorithm or providing book summaries, Princeton Review’s tutors provide in-depth help with vocabulary, literature, essay writing and development, proofreading, and reading comprehension. And unlike other services, you’ll have the chance to work with a real person to get help. 

The best part is that you can get on-demand English (and ESL) tutoring from experts 24/7. That means you can get help whenever you need it, even if you’re pulling an all-nighter! 

This is by far the most expensive homework site on this list, so you’ll need to really think about what you need out of a homework help website before you commit. One added benefit is that the subscription covers over 80 other subjects, including AP classes, which can make it a good value if you need lots of help!  

Best Site for STEM Homework Help: Studypool

• Best for: Science homework help
• Price: Varies; you’ll pay for each question you submit

When it comes to science homework help, there aren’t a ton of great resources out there. The best of the bunch is Studypool, and while it has great reviews, there are some downsides as well. 

Let’s start with the good stuff. Studypool offers an interesting twist on the homework help formula. After you create a free account, you can submit your homework help questions, and tutors will submit bids to answer your questions. You’ll be able to select the tutor–and price point–that works for you, then you’ll pay to have your homework question answered. You can also pay a small fee to access notes, lectures, and other documents that top tutors have uploaded. 

The downside to Studypool is that the pricing is not transparent . There’s no way to plan for how much your homework help will cost, especially if you have lots of questions! Additionally, it’s not clear how tutors are selected, so you’ll need to be cautious when you choose who you’d like to answer your homework questions.  

What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Homework Help Sites?

Homework help websites can be a great resource if you’re struggling in a subject, or even if you just want to make sure that you’re really learning and understanding topics and ideas that you’re interested in. But, there are some possible drawbacks if you don’t use these sites responsibly. 

We’ll go over the good–and the not-so-good–aspects of getting online homework help below. 

3 Pros of Using Homework Help Websites 

First, let’s take a look at the benefits. 

#1: Better Grades Beyond Homework

This is a big one! Getting outside help with your studies can improve your understanding of concepts that you’re learning, which translates into better grades when you take tests or write essays. 

Remember: homework is designed to help reinforce the concepts you learned in class. If you just get easy answers without learning the material behind the problems, you may not have the tools you need to be successful on your class exams…or even standardized tests you’ll need to take for college. 

#2: Convenience

One of the main reasons that online homework help is appealing is because it’s flexible and convenient. You don’t have to go to a specific tutoring center while they’re open or stay after school to speak with your teacher. Instead, you can access helpful resources wherever you can access the internet, whenever you need them.

This is especially true if you tend to study at off hours because of your extracurriculars, work schedule, or family obligations. Sites that offer 24/7 tutoring can give you the extra help you need if you can’t access the free resources that are available at your school. 

#3: Variety

Not everyone learns the same way. Maybe you’re more of a visual learner, but your teacher mostly does lectures. Or maybe you learn best by listening and taking notes, but you’re expected to learn something just from reading the textbook . 

One of the best things about online homework help is that it comes in a variety of forms. The best homework help sites offer resources for all types of learners, including videos, practice activities, and even one-on-one discussions with real-life experts. 

This variety can also be a good thing if you just don’t really resonate with the way a concept is being explained (looking at you, math textbooks!).

Not so fast. There are cons to homework help websites, too. Get to know them below!

3 Cons of Using Homework Help Websites 

Now, let’s take a look at the drawbacks of online homework help. 

#1: Unreliable Info

This can be a real problem. In addition to all the really good homework help sites, there are a whole lot of disreputable or unreliable sites out there. The fact of the matter is that some homework help sites don’t necessarily hire people who are experts in the subjects they’re talking about. In those cases, you may not be getting the accurate, up-to-date, and thorough information you need.

Additionally, even the great sites may not be able to answer all of your homework questions. This is especially true if the site uses an algorithm or chatbot to help students…or if you’re enrolled in an advanced or college-level course. In these cases, working with your teacher or school-provided tutors are probably your best option. 

#2: No Clarification

This depends on the service you use, of course. But the majority of them provide free or low-cost help through pre-recorded videos. Watching videos or reading info online can definitely help you with your homework… but you can’t ask questions or get immediate feedback if you need it .

#3: Potential For Scamming 

Like we mentioned earlier, there are a lot of homework help websites out there, and lots of them are scams. The review comments we read covered everything from outdated or wrong information, to misleading claims about the help provided, to not allowing people to cancel their service after signing up. 

No matter which site you choose to use, make sure you research and read reviews before you sign up–especially if it’s a paid service! 

When Does “Help” Become “Cheating”?

Admittedly, whether using homework help websites constitutes cheating is a bit of a grey area. For instance, is it “help” when a friend reads your essay for history class and corrects your grammar, or is it “cheating”? The truth is, not everyone agrees on when “help” crosses the line into “cheating .” When in doubt, it can be a good idea to check with your teacher to see what they think about a particular type of help you want to get. 

That said, a general rule of thumb to keep in mind is to make sure that the assignment you turn in for credit is authentically yours . It needs to demonstrate your own thoughts and your own current abilities. Remember: the point of every homework assignment is to 1) help you learn something, and 2) show what you’ve learned. 

So if a service answers questions or writes essays for you, there’s a good chance using it constitutes cheating. 

Here’s an example that might help clarify the difference for you. Brainstorming essay ideas with others or looking online for inspiration is “help” as long as you write the essay yourself. Having someone read it and give you feedback about what you need to change is also help, provided you’re the one that makes the changes later. 

But copying all or part of an essay you find online or having someone write (or rewrite) the whole thing for you would be “cheating.” The same is true for other subjects. Ultimately, if you’re not generating your own work or your own answers, it’s probably cheating.

5 Tips for Finding the Best Homework Help Websites for You

Now that you know some of our favorite homework help websites, free and paid, you can start doing some additional research on your own to decide which services might work best for you! Here are some top tips for choosing a homework help website. 

Tip 1: Decide How You Learn Best 

Before you decide which site or sites you’re going to use for homework help, y ou should figure out what kind of learning style works for you the most. Are you a visual learner? Then choose a site that uses lots of videos to help explain concepts. If you know you learn best by actually doing tasks, choose a site that provides lots of practice exercises.

Tip 2: Determine Which Subjects You Need Help With

Just because a homework help site is good overall doesn’t mean that it’s equally good for every subject. If you only need help in math, choose a site that specializes in that area. But if history is where you’re struggling, a site that specializes in math won’t be much help. So make sure to choose a site that you know provides high-quality help in the areas you need it most. 

Tip 3: Decide How Much One-On-One Help You Need 

This is really about cost-effectiveness. If you learn well on your own by reading and watching videos, a free site like Khan Academy is a good choice. But if you need actual tutoring, or to be able to ask questions and get personalized answers from experts, a paid site that provides that kind of service may be a better option.

Tip 4: Set a Budget

If you decide you want to go with a paid homework help website, set a budget first . The prices for sites vary wildly, and the cost to use them can add up quick. 

Tip 5: Read the Reviews

Finally, it’s always a good idea to read actual reviews written by the people using these homework sites. You’ll learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of what the users’ experiences have been. This is especially true if you intend to subscribe to a paid service. You’ll want to make sure that users think it’s worth the price overall!

What’s Next?

If you want to get good grades on your homework, it’s a good idea to learn how to tackle it strategically. Our expert tips will help you get the most out of each assignment…and boost your grades in the process.

Doing well on homework assignments is just one part of getting good grades. We’ll teach you everything you need to know about getting great grades in high school in this article.

Of course, test grades can make or break your GPA, too. Here are 17 expert tips that’ll help you get the most out of your study prep before you take an exam.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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What is chegg.

From homework and study help to cheaper textbooks, Chegg is a great resource for students

Quick Links

How chegg's individual subscriptions work, chegg's other services, chegg's textbook and e-book rentals, which subjects does chegg offer help with, how to use chegg's app and website, is chegg legal, using chegg for textbooks and homework help.

Conscientious students are always looking for anything that helps them succeed, from stand-out Chromebooks for students to helpful e-reader apps . But aside from Google products and Amazon Kindles , an education technology company that's experienced rapid growth over the years can help students stress less and learn more. Odds are that anybody who went to college between 2007 and 2023 has heard of Chegg, at least in passing. But what is Chegg, and why the strange name?

Chegg is an education technology company that offers student services such as textbook rental and study help that's come far from its humble beginnings. But understanding all Chegg has to offer requires a bit more explanation.

Chegg, an educational technology company, provides students with physical textbook rentals, e-book rentals, a subscription-based study help service, textbook solutions for study purposes, and more.

The company began as the dream child of Iowa State University students Josh Carlson, Mike Seager, and Mark Fiddleke, who launched CheggPost (its original name before changing to Chegg) in late 2000 as a Craigslist-like message board website for college students. When Osman Rashid and Aayush Phumbhra came aboard as co-founders, CheggPost hadn't taken off.

In 2005, Chegg launched as a textbook rental company and became incorporated with Rashid, Phumbhra, and Carlson as co-founders. In 2012, the company expanded to e-book rentals, and in 2013, Chegg went public. A year later, Chegg launched its Chegg Study service and Chegg Tutors. In the following years, Chegg introduced internship, writing, and math services, becoming the well-rounded student services edu-tech company it is today.

But what about the name? Per The New York Times , the co-founders of Chegg got the funny moniker from the philosophical paradox, "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" out of frustration with the age-old after-graduation problem — you can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without a job.

• Textbook rentals and purchases
• E-book rentals
• Textbook sales through GoRentals (an independent buyer separate from Chegg)
• Textbook solutions
• Expert Q&A tutoring
• Chegg Math Solver
• Chegg Writing (including Plagiarism Checker, Grammar Checker, expert proofreading, and instant citations)

Chegg Study

Chegg study pack.

• Chegg's Thinkful Bootcamp courses with career coaching
• Chegg Honor Shield for educators giving online tests
• Chegg Internships.com internship services
• Chegg's Career Center blog

Chegg offers individual subscription plans for student study services, depending on a consumer's needs. Each membership has a flat monthly subscription fee, while the bundle option incorporates several services.

Math Solver

Chegg's Math Solver offers solutions to math problems in pre-algebra, algebra, pre-calculus, calculus, and linear algebra. You can use a free version to get up to three daily solutions online (with ads) or on the app (without ads), along with a basic explanation of the math problem. The paid version, at $9.95 monthly, offers unlimited math help, basic explanations, explanations of sub-steps, ad-free usage on the app and the web, and a graphing calculator.

Chegg Writing

With Chegg Writing, you get writing help via unlimited paper scans, expert proofreading (for all subjects), plagiarism detection, grammar checks, and the ability to create and save citations in over 7,000 styles. The subscription also gets you feedback from experts on up to 30 papers per month. When coupled with other helpful student tools like Chrome reading mode for research or Android reading mode for listening, research papers don't have to look intimidating. You can sign up for a free three-day trial before committing to $9.95 monthly.

Chegg Study is the name of a popular homework help service (and the name of the edu-tech company's app) that allows you to post questions you're struggling with and get answers in as little as 15 minutes. You can use Chegg Study on the web or with the app. Though slightly more expensive at $14.95 monthly, this membership provides expert support at all hours, explanations of solutions to problems, study tools, and test prep for your courses. Plus, you can post up to five new questions a month to get study help from experts.

You also get access to tutoring. When you post a question that hasn't been asked on Chegg, a Chegg tutor responds with a detailed answer within as little as 15 minutes.

The Chegg Study Pack incorporates all of Chegg's helpful study tools, including Chegg's Math and Writing services, plus Chegg Study's expert answers and study help. If you need access to more than one of Chegg's memberships, the Study Pack is the best value at $19.99 monthly.

As one of the most popular services offered by Chegg, the Chegg Study Pack bundles all the powerful features of Chegg Writing and Chegg Math, including its plagiarism checker and grammar help. You also get access to Chegg Study for your courses, and instead of Chegg Study's basic five new questions per month, you can post up to 20. You also get access to up to five solution titles per month for homework help.

Most of Chegg's other services require extra fees. Here's a breakdown of what each service costs and what you get for your money.

Chegg's Thinkful Bootcamp courses

You have to apply to a Thinkful course before you can begin, and the cost of this service varies depending on your chosen course. The price isn't listed on the information page, but according to a few online reviews, the cost ranges from about $5,000 to $16,000, and they offer payment plans. It also states on the website that you don't have to pay your tuition until you've been hired in your chosen field.

Chegg's Honor Shield

Honor Shield is free to use if you're an educator in the US, Canada, or the UK. First, you need to verify you're an educator, a process that takes up to five days. Then you can upload exams for your students to take. Honor Shield prevents students from searching for answers to exam questions by blocking these answers across its website during the exam timeframe.

Chegg internship services

Chegg offers educational modules that, when you complete, allow you to search for internships. Chegg partners with companies in various industries via internship postings. If you're a student or graduate, you can search for internships via this Chegg service and apply through the platform.

Renting textbooks or e-books through Chegg isn't included in any study subscription service. A quick search for some textbooks shows you can rent a math or literature textbook for as low as $12.99 for the semester, but prices vary by title. When you rent a textbook through Chegg, there's an agreed-upon return-by date, and if you don't send it back in time, you may be charged an extended rental fee or the total purchase price of the book minus your rental fees. Chegg offers a seven-day grace period to return your book after a purchase-price charge, resulting in a full refund of that charge. Textbook rentals are up to 90% cheaper than book purchases, and you have 21 days to return the book for a full refund if you change courses.

Renting an e-book is similar, except you receive access digitally and don't have to return the book. When your rental is up, you no longer have access. Chegg's eBook textbooks are compatible with Android, iOS, PC, and other devices and are cheaper than physical textbook rentals, starting from $4.99. The return window for e-book rentals on Chegg is 10 days.

Chegg offers homework help for many subjects, including but not limited to:

• Advanced Math
• Biochemistry
• Biological Sciences
• Cell Biology
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Evolutionary Biology
• Mechanical Engineering
• Operations Management
• Pre-Algebra
• Pre-Calculus
• Statistics and Probability
• Trigonometry

To use Chegg's various homework help features, you can use the web version or the Chegg app, which is available on the App Store and Google Play for free. While the app and website cost nothing to use, most of Chegg's study services are not free beyond a free trial period or have limited usage, so you need a subscription to get the most out of the study tools. Chegg doesn't offer free textbook or e-book rentals, though some of its resources, such as the Career Center blog, are free.

Anybody interested in using Chegg's study services should know you can only link your account to two devices at a time. If you use more than two devices, you might get locked out of your account, per Chegg Study's terms of service. According to Chegg's FAQ page, you can swap a registered device every 30 days by signing in to your account on the new device, using a part of your Chegg subscription (like posting a question), and you'll see a prompt to register the device. Select Manage My Devices and click the Swap button next to the device you want to swap.

Chegg is legal for students to use, but a recent rise in students using Chegg to cheat has made the company seem dubious. In a March 2021 article from Forbes , some students admitted to using the service to cheat. Various Reddit threads exist about using Chegg for this purpose, and a quick Google search titled "Chegg cheating Reddit" yields some concerning results.

Some of these are from professors who caught students cheating with Chegg. Others seem to be from students who extol and promote the behavior (one such example is a thread from 2020 named "[Guide] How to Chegg Without Getting Caught"), even though students who do this are breaking their university's academic honesty code.

On Chegg's Terms of Use page, a section directly addressing students reads:

As current and former students, the Chegg team understands the pressures and time constraints school creates. That being said, we also know from the unfortunate tales of our peers that the risk you take by violating your school’s code of academic integrity is not worth the reward.

The note emphasizes that "copying solutions" or "posting unexplained final answers promotes completion without comprehension," which isn't something Chegg supports. Chegg also has an Honor Code page, further addressing the company's stance against cheating.

As a leading education technology company, Chegg is a valuable resource for assisting students in their academic careers (and beyond) by offering textbook rentals, study memberships and resources, and information for continuing education. When used as intended, Chegg helps students acquire expensive textbooks at a cheaper cost via rentals and can assist with learning outside the classroom through its study resources and subscriptions.

Those using Chegg agree to use these services as a learning tool, and those who abuse these privileges are breaking their academic honor code and risk consequences that could jeopardize their academic career. Those who use Chegg responsibly can save money on textbooks and get solid help understanding their course materials.

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F.T.C. Accuses Ed Tech Firm Chegg of ‘Careless’ Data Security

Chegg, a homework help app, exposed the data of 40 million users, including details about some students’ sexual orientation and religion, regulators said in a legal complaint.

By Natasha Singer

Natasha Singer has covered student privacy since 2013.

The Federal Trade Commission on Monday cracked down on Chegg, an education technology firm based in Santa Clara, Calif., saying the company’s “careless” approach to cybersecurity had exposed the personal details of tens of millions of users.

In a legal complaint, filed on Monday morning, regulators accused Chegg of numerous data security lapses dating to 2017. Among other problems, the agency said, Chegg had issued root login credentials, essentially an all-access pass to certain databases, to multiple employees and outside contractors. Those credentials enabled many people to look at user account data, which the company kept on Amazon Web Services’ online storage system.

As a result, the agency said, a former Chegg contractor was able to use company-issued credentials to steal the names, email addresses and passwords of about 40 million users in 2018. In certain cases, sensitive details on students’ religion, sexual orientation, disabilities and parents’ income were also taken. Some of the data was later found for sale online.

Chegg’s popular homework help app is used regularly by millions of high school and college students. To settle the F.T.C.’s charges, the agency said Chegg had agreed to adopt a comprehensive data security program.

In a statement, Chegg said data privacy was a top priority for the firm and that the company had worked with the F.T.C. to reach a settlement agreement. The company said it currently has robust security practices, and that the incidents described in the agency’s complaint had occurred more than two years ago. Only a small percentage of users had provided data on their religion and sexual orientation as part of a college scholarship finder feature, the company said in the statement.

“Chegg is wholly committed to safeguarding users’ data and has worked with reputable privacy organizations to improve our security measures and will continue our efforts,” the statement said.

The F.T.C.’s enforcement action against Chegg, a prominent industry player, amounts to a warning to the U.S. education technology industry.

Since the early days of the pandemic in 2020, the education technology sector has enjoyed a surge in customers and revenue. To enable remote learning, many schools and universities rushed to adopt digital tools like exam-proctoring software, course management platforms and video meeting systems.

Students and their families, too, turned in droves to online tutoring services and study aids like math apps. Among them, Chegg, which had a market capitalization of $2.7 billion at the end of trading on Monday, reported annual revenues of $776 million for 2021, an increase of 20 percent from the previous year.

Some online learning systems proved so useful that many students, and their educational institutions, continued to use the tools even after schools and colleges returned to in-person teaching.

But the fast growth of digital learning tools during the pandemic also exposed widespread flaws.

Many online education services record, store and analyze a trove of data on students’ every keystroke, swipe and click — information that can include sensitive details on children’s learning challenges or precise locations. Privacy and security experts have warned that such escalating surveillance may benefit companies more than students.

In March, Illuminate Education, a leading provider of student-tracking software, reported a cyberattack on certain company databases. The incident exposed the personal information of more than a million current and former students across dozens of districts in the United States — including New York City, the nation’s largest public school system.

In May, the F.T.C. issued a policy statement saying that it planned to crack down on ed tech companies that collected excessive personal details from schoolchildren or failed to secure students’ personal information.

The F.T.C. has a long history of fining companies for violating children’s privacy on services like YouTube and TikTok . The agency is able to do so under a federal law, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires online services aimed at children under 13 to safeguard youngsters’ personal data and obtain parental permission before collecting it.

But the federal complaint against Chegg represents the first case under the agency’s new campaign focused specifically on policing the ed-tech industry and protecting student privacy. In the Chegg case, the homework help platform is not aimed at children, and the F.T.C. did not invoke the children’s privacy law. The agency accused the company of unfair and deceptive business practices.

Chegg was founded in 2005 as a textbook rental service for college students. Today it is an online learning giant that rents e-textbooks.

But it is most known as a homework help platform where, for $15.95 per month, students can find ready answers to millions of questions on course topics like relativity or mitosis. Students may also ask Chegg’s online experts to answer specific study or test questions they have been assigned.

Teachers have complained that the service has enabled widespread cheating . Students even have a nickname for copying answers from the platform: “chegging.”

Chegg’s privacy policy promised users that the company would take “commercially reasonable security measures to protect” their personal information. Chegg’s scholarship finder service, for instance, collected information like students’ birth dates as well as details on their religion, sexual orientation and disabilities, the F.T.C. said.

But regulators said the company failed to use reasonable security measures to protect user data, even after a series of security lapses that enabled intruders to gain access to sensitive student data and employees’ financial information .

As part of the consent agreement proposed by the F.T.C., Chegg must provide security training to employees and encrypt user data. Chegg must also give consumers access to the personal information it has collected about them — including any precise location data or persistent identifiers like IP addresses — and enable users to delete their records.

Other online learning services may also hear from regulators. The F.T.C. disclosed in July that it was pursuing a number of nonpublic investigations into ed tech providers.

“Chegg took shortcuts with millions of students’ sensitive information,” Samuel Levine, the director of the agency’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a news release on Monday. “The commission will continue to act aggressively to protect personal data.”

Natasha Singer is a business reporter covering health technology, education technology and consumer privacy. More about Natasha Singer