Comparison

Brilliant vs Algorithms

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

Head to head
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/

About

Algorithms

Explore and learn about a wide range of algorithms through clear explanations and animations. Deepen your understanding with interactive simulation modes and discover algorithms related to encryption and security. This app offers a comprehensive journey into the world of computer science concepts.

Highlights
  • Animated algorithm explanations
  • Interactive simulation mode
  • Encryption and security algorithms
  • Data structures explained
  • Sorting algorithms
  • Graph search algorithms
Features
Read full description

Enjoy watching, trying, and learning with this guide to algorithms. The wide-ranging field of algorithms is explained clearly and concisely with animations. Deepen your understanding by exploring concepts in "Sim Mode". Also includes algorithms closer to home involving encryption and security. Come on, let's take a journey into the world of algorithms! ==== Categories and Included Topics ==== [ Sort ] Bubble Sort, Selection Sort, Insertion Sort, Heap Sort, Merge Sort, Quicksort [ Clustering ] k-means Algorithm [ List Search ] Linear Search, Binary Search [ Graph Search ] Breadth-First Search, Depth-First Search, Bellman-Ford, Dijkstra's Algorithm, A* algorithm [ Math ] Euclidian Algorithm, Primality Test [ Data Compression ] Run-Length Encoding, Huffman Coding [ Security ] Hash Functions, Shared-Key Cryptosystem, Public-Key Cryptosystem, Hybrid Cryptosystem, Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange, Message Authentication Codes, Digital Signatures, Digital Certificates [ Data Structures ] Lists, Arrays, Stacks, Queues, Hash Tables, Heaps, Binary Search Trees [ The Web ] PageRank [ Recursion ] Tower of Hanoi ==== Downloading and Viewing All of the Algorithms ==== This app is free to download. A portion of the app's topics can be viewed after choosing to "Purchase all algorithms". ==== On iPad ==== This app is also compatible for use on iPad, where it can be used in both horizontal and vertical orientations. ==== Supported languages ==== - English - Español (Spanish) - Português (Portuguese) - 中文 (简体字) (Chinese (Simplified)) - Русский (Russian) - 日本語 (Japanese) - 한국어 (Korean) The display language can be changed on the settings menu. ==== About VPP Compatible Version ==== We also provide Volume Purchase Program (VPP) compatible version as another app for educational institutions and companies. if need be, visit "Volume Purchase Program" (https://vpp.itunes.apple.com/) and search "Algorithms VPP".

Screenshots

Brilliant4 screens
Algorithms4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Algorithms at none against Brilliant's shown. Algorithms also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 79%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). Brilliant's advantage is ratings volume (33K vs 101) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and Algorithms sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 — 4.7 for Brilliant against 4.7 for Algorithms. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brilliant has 33K ratings behind it against 101, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Brilliant's written reviews are positive against 91% of Algorithms's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brilliant ships an update weekly, Algorithms every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and August 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Brilliant versus Algorithms: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrilliantAlgorithms
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (33K ratings)4.7 (101 ratings)
Positive reviews79.1% of reviews90.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33K — better101
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#61 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size102 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrilliant.orgMoriteru Ishida

Customer experience

Brilliant

All ratings32,638 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews3,586 reviews
Positive79.1%
Neutral7.6%
Negative13.2%

Algorithms

All ratings101 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral3.0%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews202 reviews
Positive90.6%
Neutral5.0%
Negative4.5%

User reviews

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

Algorithms

From 101 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Clear and understandable explanations
  • 🖼️ Excellent visualizations and animations
  • 🧠 Great for learning and understanding algorithms
  • 💡 Thoughtfully designed and implemented
  • 💰 Worth the purchase/price

Room to improve

  • ❓ Lacks code examples/snippets
  • ❓ Missing time complexity (Big O)
  • ❓ Limited number of algorithms
  • ❓ Some users confused about pricing/charges
  • ❓ Simulation block repetition

Bugs and requests

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

Algorithms

Requested features

11 requests
  • Add code examples (Python, C++, JS)
  • Include time complexity (Big O notation)
  • Add more algorithms
  • Include AI-related algorithms (neural networks, reinforcement learning)
  • Add propositional and set logic for programmers
Show 6 more
  • Animated examples of algorithms used together
  • Add more tech-related topics (data engineering, analytics, ML, DB architecture)
  • Add more features
  • Add algorithm practice sections
  • Add Red-black tree
  • Add machine learning algorithms

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
1 purchases

Algorithms

One-time1
  • All of the algorithms$2.99

Questions

Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Algorithms free?
Algorithms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Brilliant or Algorithms?
Brilliant and Algorithms are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 33K and 101 ratings respectively.
Do Brilliant or Algorithms have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; Algorithms does not.
Which is updated more often, Brilliant or Algorithms?
Brilliant ships an update weekly, and Algorithms every 6 weeks. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on September 26, 2026 and Algorithms on August 24, 2026.

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