Comparison

Blinkist vs Brilliant

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

Head to head
About

Blinkist

Access key insights from thousands of top books and podcasts in just 15 minutes. Turn spare moments into valuable learning time with audio and text summaries. Boost your career, personal growth, or curiosity with this efficient learning tool.

Highlights
  • 9,000+ book and podcast summaries
  • 15-minute key insights
  • Audio and text formats
  • Daily microlearning sessions
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Offline mode
  • Blinkist AI for content summarization
Features
Read full description

WANT TO LEARN FASTER AND SMARTER? With Blinkist, you can absorb the most important ideas from 9,000+ top books and podcasts in just 15 minutes. Blinkist summarizes their key insights into short, easy-to-digest audio and text summaries. That means you can turn spare moments - on your commute, during workouts, or even while doing chores - into valuable learning time. Boost your career, focus on personal growth, or simply stay curious, Blinkist makes it easy to fit learning into your busy life. Over 42 million people use Blinkist to read more and learn faster. Join them today. ——————— WHY CHOOSE BLINKIST Blinkist is designed to help you learn faster and make positive changes quickly: 95% of users read more than before 91% have developed better habits 87% already have made positive life changes No matter your goal, Blinkist helps you make the most of your time. ——————— WHAT YOU GET WITH BLINKIST *9,000+ summaries for smarter learning Access the key ideas from the world’s top nonfiction and fiction books and podcasts in just 15 minutes. *Daily microlearning session Start your day with a bite-sized book summary, handpicked by our team. *Personalized recommendations Set your goals and get tailored suggestions, based on your interests. *Audio and text summaries No time to read? With Blinkist you can also listen to summaries while commuting, exercising, or multitasking. *Expert-curated Guides and Collections Dive deeper into must-know topics with audio Guides, curated by our experts. *Blinkist Pro with Blinkist AI Take your learning to the next level with Blinkist Pro. With Blinkist AI, you can summarize articles, PDFs, and videos and get the key ideas from any content in seconds. *Offline mode Learning without Wi-Fi! Download summaries to listen or read offline. *Send-to-Kindle feature Prefer reading on your Kindle? Send Blinkist summaries directly to your device for a seamless reading experience. *2-for-1 Premium account Share Blinkist with someone close to you! With Premium, you can give a friend or family member a free additional account. *Science-backed learning for better retention Our summaries are designed using neuroscience-based techniques to help you retain key concepts and ideas more effectively. *Clear, focused summaries Our expert writers turn complex ideas into easy-to-understand, clear summaries. ——————— BASIC, PREMIUM & PRO: CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLAN FOR YOU - Blinkist Basic - the Daily Pick One free daily summary handpicked by our editorial team. - Blinkist Premium - the Full Package 9,000+ summaries Expert-led Guides Personalized recommendations Offline mode to read or listen to anywhere Send-to-Kindle feature 2 for 1: Share a free account with family or friends - Blinkist Pro - for the Learning Champion Blinkist Pro gives you everything included in Blinkist Premium, PLUS Blinkist AI, the revolution of learning: Summarize Any Content: Quickly turn articles, PDFs, or videos into key takeaways. Ask follow-up questions and become 10x more productive ——————— WHAT THE PRESS IS SAYING "Blinkist is an intriguing app that encourages you to read more nonfiction books... It’s a fun and fascinating way to discover new and interesting topics" — The New York Times "Blinkist offers a terrific service—great ideas distilled down to their very essence. For those of us who are deeply curious about new ideas on success, happiness, innovation, progress, and more, it’s a great start." — Forbes ——————— RISK-FREE LEARNING Not sure if Blinkist is the right fit? No worries! Simply contact Apple Support within the first 14 days to request a refund—quick, easy, and stress-free. Get started today—there’s zero risk and endless learning waiting for you! Terms of Use: https://www.blinkist.com/en/tos Privacy Policy: https://www.blinkist.com/privacy.html Questions or Suggestions? Our customer support team is just an email away: support@blinkist.com

About

Brilliant

This app offers a personalized learning experience for math and coding, acting as a virtual tutor. It guides users through problems, fostering understanding and problem-solving skills with expert-crafted content. Suitable for learners from grade 5 through college and beyond.

Highlights
  • Personalized one-on-one learning
  • Interactive problem-solving guidance
  • Expert-crafted curriculum
  • Adaptive learning system
  • Builds critical thinking skills
  • Covers math, coding, science, and more
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

Blinkist4 screens
Brilliant4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Blinkist at none against Brilliant's shown. Blinkist also leads on ratings volume (158K vs 33K) and chart position (#15 vs #68). Brilliant's advantage is review sentiment (79% vs 48%). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Blinkist sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and Brilliant sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Blinkist against 4.7 for Brilliant. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 158K and 33K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 48% of Blinkist's written reviews are positive against 79% of Brilliant's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Blinkist versus Brilliant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlinkistBrilliant
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (158K ratings) — better4.7 (33K ratings)
Positive reviews48.1% of reviews78.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings158K — better33K
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#15 — better#68
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size303 MB104 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBlinks LabsBrilliant.org

Customer experience

Blinkist

All ratings157,918 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews1,156 reviews
Positive48.1%
Neutral8.0%
Negative43.9%

Brilliant

All ratings33,328 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews3,693 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative13.3%

User reviews

Blinkist

From 158K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient way to learn
  • 👍 Engaging narration
  • 💡 Diverse content selection
  • 🚀 Convenient for busy schedules
  • 👍 Helpful for personal development

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app performance
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔇 Poor audio quality
  • 📚 Shallow book summaries
  • 🤖 Overuse of AI narration

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

Blinkist

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login issues
  • Inability to access content during free trial
  • Automatic renewal problems
  • Syncing issues between devices
  • Playback bugs during offline use

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to organize saved books
  • Option to listen to books continuously
  • Improved Bluetooth controls
  • More language options
  • Longer, more in-depth book summaries

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

10 purchases

Blinkist

Subscriptions10
  • Blinkist Premium (1 Month)$12.991 Month
  • Premium$14.991 Month
  • Blinkist Premium (1 month)$15.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Blinkist Premium (1 Year)$79.991 Year
  • Blinkist Premium (1 Year)7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Blinkist Premium (1 year)7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Blinkist Premium (1 year)7 Days trial$119.991 Year
  • Pro7 Days trial$139.991 Year
  • Pro$139.991 Year
10 purchases

Brilliant

Subscriptions10
  • Brilliant Premium - Personal stats & exclusive problems$19.991 Month
  • Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts$24.991 Month
  • Brilliant Premium$24.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Brilliant Premium with Tutor$30.001 Month
  • Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts$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 Premium with Tutor7 Days trial$191.991 Year

Questions

Is Blinkist free?
Blinkist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Blinkist or Brilliant?
Blinkist is rated higher. Blinkist averages 4.8 out of 5 from 158K ratings, while Brilliant averages 4.7 from 33K ratings.
Do Blinkist or Brilliant have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; Blinkist does not.
Which is updated more often, Blinkist or Brilliant?
Blinkist ships an update weekly, and Brilliant weekly. Most recently, Blinkist was updated on November 9, 2026 and Brilliant on November 9, 2026.
Which is more popular, Blinkist or Brilliant?
Blinkist currently peaks at #15 in the App Store charts, and Brilliant at #68. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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