# Brilliant vs The Great Courses

Brilliant and The Great Courses both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 79% of Brilliant's written reviews are positive against 40% of The Great Courses's. Brilliant also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). The Great Courses's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Brilliant sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and The Great Courses sells 3 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 — 4.7 for Brilliant against 4.8 for The Great Courses. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33K and 17K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Brilliant's written reviews are positive against 40% of The Great Courses's.

Brilliant ships an update weekly, The Great Courses fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brilliant | The Great Courses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (33K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brilliant-learn-math-and-coding/id913335252/reviews) | **[4.8 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-great-courses/id1017813651/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **33K** | 17K |
| Positive reviews | **78.9% of reviews** | 39.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#55** | #97 |
| Size | 104 MB | 120 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Brilliant.org](https://appshunter.io/developer/913335255) | [The Great Courses](https://appshunter.io/developer/636818508) |

## What reviewers say

### Brilliant

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

**Currently charting:** #55 Top Grossing · Education, #159 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| 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 | $74.99 | per year |
| Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts | $96.99 | per year |
| Brilliant Premium: Fun, challenging problems in math and science by experts | $111.99 | per year |
| Brilliant Premium | $111.99 | per year |
| 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 | $159.99 | per year |
| Brilliant Premium with Tutor | $167.99 | 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


### The Great Courses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-great-courses/id1017813651)

**Currently charting:** #97 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

Access thousands of educational videos from world-renowned professors and experts. Explore a vast range of subjects, from history and science to personal development, with flexible learning options available online and offline. Start your learning journey with a free trial.

**Highlights:** Thousands of educational videos, Courses by world-class professors, Diverse subject matter, Online and offline access, Flexible learning pace, Free trial available

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TGCPlus Monthly Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Subscription | $44.99 | per 3 months |
| TGCPlus Annual Subscription | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic, use it all the time
- 👍 Excellent content and Outstanding Educators
- 👍 best app you'll ever subscribe to
- 👍 Math courses are phenomenal!
- 👍 Loving the content in the app!

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Ok content, weak app
- 🐛 Broken
- 🐛 Technical problems trying to cast
- 🐛 Great content, poor streaming
- 🐛 Far fewer courses than before? App VERY buggy

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- Audio goes out of sync with video
- App constantly logs users out
- Downloading content doesn't work offline

**Requested features**

- Can we get a ton of courses on AI please, it's a mite urgent
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Allow audio-only downloads
- Ability to download an entire course in one go


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brilliant free?

Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is The Great Courses free?

The Great Courses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Brilliant or The Great Courses?

The Great Courses is rated higher. Brilliant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 33K ratings, while The Great Courses averages 4.8 from 17K ratings.

### Do Brilliant or The Great Courses have ads?

Brilliant shows ads; The Great Courses does not.

### Which is updated more often, Brilliant or The Great Courses?

Brilliant ships an update weekly, and The Great Courses fortnightly. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on October 28, 2026 and The Great Courses on October 28, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Brilliant or The Great Courses?

Brilliant currently peaks at #55 in the App Store charts, and The Great Courses at #97. 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.*