# Blinkist vs Brilliant

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 #66). Brilliant's advantage is review sentiment (79% vs 48%). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Blinkist | Brilliant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (158K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blinkist-book-summaries-daily/id568839295/reviews)** | [4.7 (33K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brilliant-learn-math-and-coding/id913335252/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **158K** | 33K |
| Positive reviews | 48.1% of reviews | **78.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | #66 |
| Size | 303 MB | 104 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Blinks Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/568839298) | [Brilliant.org](https://appshunter.io/developer/913335255) |

## What reviewers say

### Blinkist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blinkist-book-summaries-daily/id568839295)

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Grossing · Education, #72 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

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:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Blinkist Premium (1 Month) | $12.99 | per month |
| Premium | $14.99 | per month |
| Blinkist Premium (1 month) | $15.99 | per month |
| Blinkist Premium (1 Year) | $79.99 | per year |
| Blinkist Premium (1 Year) | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium | $89.99 | per year |
| Blinkist Premium (1 year) | $99.99 | per year |
| Blinkist Premium (1 year) | $119.99 | per year |
| Pro | $139.99 | per year |
| Pro | $139.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Brilliant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brilliant-learn-math-and-coding/id913335252)

**Currently charting:** #66 Top Grossing · Education, #134 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Brilliant Premium - Personal stats & exclusive problems | $19.99 | per month |
| Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts | $24.99 | per month |
| Brilliant Premium | $24.99 | per month |
| Brilliant Premium with Tutor | $30.00 | per month |
| Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts | $119.99 | per year |
| Brilliant Premium | $127.99 | per year |
| Brilliant Premium | $127.99 | per year |
| Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts | $149.99 | per year |
| Brilliant Premium | $149.99 | per year |
| Brilliant Premium with Tutor | $191.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Progress not saving correctly
- Explanations not loading properly
- Home page not loading
- Difficulty cancelling subscription

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Offline mode
- Spaced repetition practice
- Ability to bookmark/save difficult problems
- More detailed explanations


## Frequently asked 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 #66. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*