Comparison

Khan Academy vs Brilliant

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

Head to head
About

Khan Academy

Access a vast library of free educational content, including interactive exercises, videos, and articles. Master subjects from math and science to humanities and finance at your own pace, with offline access and personalized learning paths.

Highlights
  • Thousands of interactive exercises, videos, and articles
  • Study math, science, economics, finance, grammar, history, and more
  • Practice exercises with instant feedback and hints
  • Offline content access
  • Personalized learning mastery system
  • Syncs progress with website account
Currently charting
Read full description

You can learn anything. For free. Spend an afternoon brushing up on statistics. Discover how the Krebs cycle works. Get a head start on next semester's geometry. Prepare for upcoming exams. Or, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, learn how fire-stick farming changes the landscape of Australia. Whether you're a student, teacher, homeschooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien trying to get a leg up in earthly biology — Khan Academy's personalized learning library is available to you, for free. - Learn anything, for free: Thousands of interactive exercises, videos, and articles at your fingertips. Study math, science, economics, finance, grammar, history, government, politics, and much, much more. - Sharpen your skills: Practice exercises, quizzes, and tests with instant feedback and step-by-step hints. Follow along with what you're learning in school, or practice at your own pace. - Keep learning when you're offline: Bookmark and download your favorite content to watch videos without an internet connection. - Pick up where you left off: Tailored to your current learning level, our mastery system gives instant feedback and recommendations on exactly which skills and videos to try next. And, if you choose to create a free account, your learning syncs with http://khanacademy.org, so your progress is always up-to-date across all your devices. Learn using expert-created videos, interactive exercises, and in-depth articles in math (arithmetic, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, calculus, differential equations, linear algebra), science (biology, chemistry, physics), economics (microeconomics, macroeconomics, finance and capital markets), humanities (art history, civics, finance, US history, US government and politics, world history), and more (including computer science principles)! Already familiar with the Khan Academy website? Not all functionality is available in this app. Community discussions, computer programming content, test prep, parent tools, teacher tools, and district tools should all be accessed directly at http://khanacademy.org. Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

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

Khan Academy4 screens
Brilliant4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Khan Academy at none against Brilliant's 19. Khan Academy also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (110K vs 32K). Brilliant's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and chart position 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

Both are free to download. Brilliant sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Khan Academy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Khan Academy against 4.7 for Brilliant. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 110K and 32K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Khan Academy's written reviews are positive against 79% of Brilliant's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Khan Academy ships an update every 6 weeks, Brilliant weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Khan Academy versus Brilliant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKhan AcademyBrilliant
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (110K ratings)4.7 (32K ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.3% of reviews79.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings110K — better32K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#60 — better#76
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB107 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperKhan AcademyBrilliant.org

Customer experience

Khan Academy

All ratings109,728 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews1,578 reviews
Positive74.3%
Neutral6.6%
Negative19.1%

Brilliant

All ratings32,174 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews3,583 reviews
Positive79.1%
Neutral7.6%
Negative13.2%

User reviews

Khan Academy

From 110K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Impeccable app
  • 👍 Very easy to learn with
  • 👍 Great for learning math
  • 👍 Excellent math program
  • 👍 Fantastic learning tool

Room to improve

  • 🐛 New writing system issues
  • 🐛 Incorrect grammar
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🐛 Deleted all my progress
  • 🐛 Annoying keyboard issues

Brilliant

From 32K 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

Khan Academy

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Incorrect answers marked wrong
  • Keyboard issues
  • Glitches in interactive diagrams
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Content not loading
Show 2 more
  • Formatting issues in math
  • Bugged answer input

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add dark mode
  • Improve search and navigation
  • Add more content for higher grades
  • Allow redoing exercises
  • Improve writing/drawing tools
Show 5 more
  • Add split screen support
  • Improve progress tracking
  • Add more language options
  • Add more science and coding content
  • Improve SAT/test prep features

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

Khan Academy

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 Khan Academy free?
Khan Academy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Khan Academy or Brilliant?
Brilliant is rated higher. Khan Academy averages 4.6 out of 5 from 110K ratings, while Brilliant averages 4.7 from 32K ratings.
Do Khan Academy or Brilliant have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; Khan Academy does not.
Which is updated more often, Khan Academy or Brilliant?
Khan Academy ships an update every 6 weeks, and Brilliant weekly. Most recently, Khan Academy was updated on September 24, 2026 and Brilliant on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Khan Academy or Brilliant?
Khan Academy currently peaks at #60 in the App Store charts, and Brilliant at #76. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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