Comparison 2026
FastSolve vs DirectTextbook
DirectTextbook finds the cheapest copy of your textbook. FastSolve answers the questions inside it — on Canvas, Blackboard, ALEKS, and six more platforms.
Updated September 2026
Answers the Question, Not the Price
DirectTextbook tells you where a textbook is cheapest. FastSolve reads the homework question on your screen and answers it — two completely different jobs.
Works Inside Your LMS
FastSolve natively supports Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Brightspace, ALEKS, Schoology, Knewton, Learnosity, and DeltaMath, filling answers directly on the quiz page.
Under 2 Seconds
Double-click a question and the answer appears in under 2 seconds. Price comparison happens before the course starts; FastSolve is for the moment a quiz timer is running.
Invisible on Screenshare
FastSolve has no overlay and no second tab — invisible even over screenshare. DirectTextbook is a shopping site; it has nothing to offer mid-quiz.
Free Tier, No Credit Card
FastSolve gives you 10 solves a day free with no credit card — the same zero-cost entry as DirectTextbook's price search.
Powered by Claude & GPT-4o
Every FastSolve answer is generated fresh by Claude and GPT-4o, with a 98% accuracy badge on supported question types.
Side by Side
Feature Comparison: FastSolve vs DirectTextbook
| Feature | FastSolve | DirectTextbook |
|---|---|---|
Answers homework questions Generates the answer to the question in front of you | Yes | No |
Compares textbook prices Finds the cheapest copy across 200+ online bookstores | No | Yes |
Works inside your LMS Solves questions on Canvas, Blackboard, ALEKS pages in place | Yes | No |
Buyback comparison & price alerts Sell-back offers compared, email alerts at your target price | No | Yes |
Response time Time from question to answer | < 2 seconds | N/A — shopping tool |
Free to use What you can do without paying | 10 solves/day | Entirely free |
Chrome extension Runs on the page you already have open | Yes | Website |
What produces the result The engine behind each tool | Claude & GPT-4o | 200+ store price feeds |
Deep Dive
Why FastSolve is the Best DirectTextbook Alternative
Two Tools, Two Completely Different Jobs
This is not a head-to-head between rival solvers, because DirectTextbook is not a solver at all. DirectTextbook (directtextbook.com, operating since 2002) is a textbook price-comparison engine: you enter an ISBN or title and it compares real-time buy, rent, and sell prices across more than 200 online bookstores. It never touches homework. FastSolve is a Chrome extension that reads the question on your LMS page and fills in the answer. Comparing them is really comparing where you get the book versus how you handle what's inside it.
What DirectTextbook Actually Does
DirectTextbook searches prices at major retailers like Amazon, Chegg, AbeBooks, and eBay alongside smaller vendors, covering new, used, rental, and digital copies. It also compares buyback offers when you sell books at semester's end, and offers price and stock alerts plus booklists. It does not sell books itself — it links you out to the store with the best price — and its search is entirely free. The site says it has helped 35 million students save over $200 million since 2002. What it has never offered is homework help: no AI, no answers, no solver.
What FastSolve Actually Does
FastSolve is an AI Chrome extension for coursework, not shopping. It detects questions on Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Brightspace, ALEKS, Schoology, Knewton, Learnosity, and DeltaMath, and auto-fills the answer — multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, essays, matching, even coding and image-based questions — in under 2 seconds, powered by Claude and GPT-4o. It is invisible even over screenshare, and the free tier covers 10 solves a day with no credit card. Pro is $9.99/week, $19.99/month, or $99/year.
Does FastSolve Integrate With DirectTextbook?
No — and there is nothing to integrate. DirectTextbook pages are search results and price tables, not quiz questions, so a homework solver has no work to do there. FastSolve runs where the assignments tied to your textbook actually live: the nine platforms listed above. If your course uses one of them, FastSolve fills answers in place; if your homework lives somewhere else, you can still screenshot a question and let the AI read the image rather than getting native auto-fill.
Where the Money Actually Goes
Neither tool asks much of your wallet up front. DirectTextbook is free and exists to shrink the biggest line item of a semester — the books — by comparing prices across 200+ stores before you buy. FastSolve is free for 10 solves a day, then $9.99/week, $19.99/month, or $99/year for unlimited solving. They are complementary purchases in the same semester budget: one cuts what the course materials cost, the other helps with the coursework itself.
Which Is Right for You?
DirectTextbook vs FastSolve: Who Should Choose What?
Choose FastSolve If:
- You need the question in front of you answered, not a cheaper copy of the book
- Your coursework lives on Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Brightspace, ALEKS, Schoology, Knewton, Learnosity, or DeltaMath
- You want answers auto-filled in place, invisible on screenshare
- You want a free way to try it — 10 solves a day, no credit card
Choose DirectTextbook If:
- You are shopping for a textbook and want the cheapest of 200+ stores in one search
- You want to rent instead of buy, or sell books back at the best buyback price
- You want price and stock alerts on a title before the semester starts
- You only need cheaper books, not help with the homework inside them
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions: FastSolve vs DirectTextbook
DirectTextbook is a free price-comparison engine for textbooks: enter an ISBN and it compares buy, rent, and sell-back prices across more than 200 online bookstores, then links you to the cheapest one. FastSolve is an AI Chrome extension that answers homework questions inside your LMS — Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Brightspace, ALEKS, Schoology, Knewton, Learnosity, and DeltaMath — auto-filling the answer in under 2 seconds. One saves you money on the book; the other helps you answer what's inside it.
No, and there is nothing for it to work on — DirectTextbook pages are price searches and store listings, not homework questions, so FastSolve has no plans to integrate with it. FastSolve solves questions where they actually appear: on Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Brightspace, ALEKS, Schoology, Knewton, Learnosity, and DeltaMath quiz pages. Buy the book through DirectTextbook, then let FastSolve help with the assignments that follow — the two never overlap.
DirectTextbook is entirely free — price comparison, buyback comparison, and price alerts all cost nothing, and you pay only the bookstore you ultimately buy from. FastSolve has a free tier of 10 solves a day with no credit card required; Pro is $9.99/week, $19.99/month, or $99/year for unlimited solving.
No. DirectTextbook is a shopping search engine — it compares bookstore prices and buyback offers, and it has no AI, no solver, and no presence on quiz pages. If you need the actual answer to a question, that is a solver's job: FastSolve generates answers with Claude and GPT-4o in under 2 seconds, directly inside supported LMS platforms.
DirectTextbook has operated since 2002 and compares real-time prices from major retailers — Amazon, Chegg, AbeBooks, eBay — alongside smaller vendors, and it says it has helped 35 million students save over $200 million. It does not sell books itself, so your actual purchase happens at whichever store it links you to; check that seller's condition notes and return policy as you would with any marketplace.
Use each for its own stage of the semester. Before classes start, DirectTextbook is the right tool: compare 200+ stores and pay the least for your books, then set a buyback alert for the end of term. Once assignments begin, FastSolve takes over: it answers the questions on your Canvas, Blackboard, or ALEKS screen in under 2 seconds. They are complements, not competitors — the two can be used side by side in the same semester.
Use FastSolve on your LMS
Canvas
Solve Canvas questions in 2s
Blackboard
Solve Blackboard questions in 2s
ALEKS
Solve ALEKS questions in 2s
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