Comparison

MathBoard vs Brilliant

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MathBoard

This app offers a customizable math learning experience for children, adapting to various skill levels from basic arithmetic to algebra. It provides interactive tools like a scratchboard and a problem solver to teach problem-solving logic, not just memorization.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step problem solver
  • Random equation generation
  • Customizable number ranges
  • Intelligent wrong-answer generation
  • Built-in scratchboard
  • Multiple student profiles
  • Progress tracking
Read full description

MathBoard® is a powerful and highly configurable math learning app designed for children of all ages. From simple addition and subtraction in early grades to more advanced multiplication, division, and even algebraic equations, MathBoard adapts to meet each student’s level and pace. More than just drills, MathBoard encourages students to truly learn how to solve problems—not just guess the answers. With multiple question styles (including multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank), a built-in scratchboard for working out problems, and an interactive Problem Solver, MathBoard guides students step by step through the logic behind each answer. The app includes a variety of math activities such as Find the Sign, Equality/Inequality, and Match Math, making learning both engaging and effective. Difficulty levels automatically adjust based on your settings, ensuring that practice stays aligned with the student’s progress. What Teachers Are Saying “This is the best integer practice app or program I have found in 34 years of teaching math.” — Tim Seiber, Math Teacher “MathBoard has charm without losing track of its fundamental purpose.” — MacWorld (4 out of 5 mice) “A stunning app for teaching math. The number of customization options available makes this a brilliant app for making math fun.” — androapple Key Features • Step-by-step Problem Solver for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division • Random equation generation for basic operations, squares, cubes, and square roots • Fully customizable number ranges and equation formats (e.g. 6 + x = 12) • Intelligent wrong-answer generation to discourage guessing • Built-in scratchboard for working through problems by hand • Activities and quizzes with countdown or elapsed time options • Multiple student profiles with progress tracking and sharing • Quick reference tables for counting, addition, subtraction, and multiplication • Full support for iCloud Sync • Designed for the latest Apple tech: • Apple Pencil • Apple Magic Keyboard • Text-to-Speech and Speech Input • Windowed multitasking in iPadOS 26

About

Brilliant

Master math and computer science through interactive, visual lessons. This app focuses on active problem-solving and personalized practice to build critical thinking and STEM skills. Ideal for students and lifelong learners seeking to deepen their understanding and confidence.

Highlights
  • Interactive problem-solving lessons
  • Personalized practice sets
  • Visual explanations of concepts
  • Expert-crafted STEM courses
  • Real-time feedback
  • Builds critical thinking skills
Features
Read full description

Brilliant is a superintelligent tutor for math and coding. Our team of experts from MIT and Harvard has built a world-class personalized learning system. For students from grade 5 to college and beyond – you work through problems with a tutor that sees where you’re stuck, can sketch right on your screen, asks the right questions, and guides you to real a-ha moments. Forget memorizing formulas. Brilliant is designed to build real understanding and help you excel. It’s there when you need it, adapts to how you think, and makes learning feel like a fun challenge instead of a chore. Master everything from foundational math and algebra to college-level calculus, Python, computer science, AI, neural networks, algorithms, data analysis, physics, and more. Join over 10 million people using Brilliant to reach their learning goals. WHY BRILLIANT WORKS - One-on-one learning for all
 Private tutoring is the most effective way to learn, but it’s expensive, hard to schedule, and out of reach for most families. Brilliant’s tutor works with you one-on-one, every single day, for a fraction of the cost. No scheduling. No waiting. Just learning.
 - Like someone sitting next to you Brilliant’s tutor can see what’s on your screen and react in real time, from highlighting parts of a problem to creating visualizations that bring hard concepts to life. - Expert-crafted curriculum Every course is crafted by our team of human experts from top institutions around the world. And with new and updated courses added every month, there’s always something new to explore. - Learning that adapts to you Brilliant’s tutor personalizes your experience in real time, adjusting to your skill level, filling gaps before they become problems, and helping you build confidence as you go. - Build true problem-solving skills Brilliant doesn’t give you answers. It guides you through problems and to your own a-ha moments. So while you’re learning, you’re also building critical thinking and analytical skills – and having fun. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING “Koji doesn’t judge. It feels like talking to the most patient teacher.” — Alan “Going through a lesson with Koji is more active, interactive, and guided than traditional learning.” — Lory “She read the problem out loud and figured it out on her own — ‘Oh! I know! Never mind, Mom, I got it!’ I'm seeing those breakthroughs more often.” — Arianne Send feedback to ios@brilliant.org. LIKE US: https://facebook.com/brilliantorg FOLLOW US: https://x.com/brilliantorg Privacy Policy: https://brilliant.org/privacy_policy/ Terms of Use: https://brilliant.org/terms-of-use/

Screenshots

MathBoard4 screens
Brilliant4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Brilliant at Free against MathBoard's $4.99. Brilliant also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (33K vs 448). MathBoard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 19) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Brilliant is free to download; MathBoard costs $4.99 up front. Brilliant sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. MathBoard asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brilliant holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brilliant has 33K ratings behind it against 448, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of MathBoard's written reviews are positive against 79% of Brilliant's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MathBoard ships an update every 2 months, Brilliant weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
MathBoard versus Brilliant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMathBoardBrilliant
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (448 ratings)4.7 (33K ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews79.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings44833K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#75 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB102 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPalaSoftware Inc.Brilliant.org

Customer experience

MathBoard

All ratings448 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.6%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews220 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral10.0%
Negative17.3%

Brilliant

All ratings32,638 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews3,605 reviews
Positive79.1%
Neutral7.6%
Negative13.3%

User reviews

MathBoard

From 448 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great way to keep up math skills
  • 👍 Customizable quizzes
  • 👍 Chalkboard feature for working out problems
  • 👍 Tracks progress and results
  • 👍 Flexible settings to target specific skills

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 🔍 Limited options for restricting problem types
  • 🔍 Clunky number input method
  • 🔍 Voice/audio can be annoying
  • 🔍 Lack of handwriting recognition

Brilliant

From 33K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick exercises, fast improvement
  • 👍 Engaging and easy learning
  • 👍 Effective learning of complex topics
  • 👍 Intuitive and challenging but not intimidating
  • 👍 Wonderful learning tool

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Limited variety of learning methods
  • 🔍 Limited course selection
  • 🔍 Inconsistent explanations and unclear wording

Bugs and requests

MathBoard

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Problems with saving quiz settings
  • Incorrect answers marked as wrong
  • App crashes when interrupted by other apps

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add fractions, decimals, and more advanced math concepts
  • Improve number input with keypad
  • Allow creating custom quizzes
  • Provide more detailed progress tracking and analytics
  • Add parental controls to lock settings

Brilliant

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Progress not saving correctly
  • Explanations not loading properly
  • Home page not loading
  • Difficulty cancelling subscription

Requested features

6 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Offline mode
  • Spaced repetition practice
  • Ability to bookmark/save difficult problems
  • More detailed explanations
Show 1 more
  • More courses in other scientific fields

In-app purchases

None

MathBoard

No in-app purchases

16 purchases

Brilliant

Subscriptions16
  • Brilliant Premium - Personal stats & exclusive problems$19.991 Month
  • Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts2 variants$24.991 Month
  • Brilliant Premium$24.991 Month
Show 13 more
  • Brilliant Premium with Tutor$30.001 Month
  • Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts$74.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts$96.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts$111.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium$111.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts2 variants$119.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium$127.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium7 Days trial$127.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts$149.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium7 Days trial$149.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium7 Days trial$159.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium with Tutor7 Days trial$167.991 Year
  • Brilliant Premium with Tutor7 Days trial$191.991 Year

Questions

Is MathBoard free?
MathBoard costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MathBoard or Brilliant?
Brilliant is rated higher. MathBoard averages 4.4 out of 5 from 448 ratings, while Brilliant averages 4.7 from 33K ratings.
Do MathBoard or Brilliant have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; MathBoard does not.
Which is updated more often, MathBoard or Brilliant?
MathBoard ships an update every 2 months, and Brilliant weekly. Most recently, MathBoard was updated on September 30, 2026 and Brilliant on October 2, 2026.

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