Comparison

Brilliant vs Philosophy Books

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

Philosophy Books

Access a curated collection of 30 essential English philosophy books offline. Searchable content allows for quick access to classic works from renowned thinkers. All in one convenient application.

Highlights
  • 30 must-read philosophy books
  • Searchable content
  • Offline access
  • All-in-one app
  • Classic English texts
Features
Read full description

30 MUST-READ ENGLISH PHILOSOPHY BOOKS ! SEARCHABLE! NO INTERNET NEEDED ! ALL IN ONE APP ! The Republic - Plato The Prince - Niccolò Machiavelli The Bible Beyond Good and Evil - Freidrich Nietzsche The Art of Warfare - Sun Tzu The Critique of Pure Reason - Immanuel Kant Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary - Voltaire Fear and Trembling - Soren Kierkegaard Self Reliance - Ralph Waldo Emerson Common Sense - Thomas Paine Tao Te Ching - Lao Tsu Candide - Voltaire The Quran The Communist Manifesto - Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx The Social Contract - Jean-Jacques Rousseau On Liberty - John Stuart Mill Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Freidrich Nietzsche Meditations - Marcus Aurelius The Analects – Confucius The Buddhist Sutras Confessions - Jean-Jacques Rousseau Utilitarianism - John Stuart Mill A Vindication of the Rights of Woman - Mary Wollstonecraft Letters on England - Voltaire Second Treatise Of Government - John Locke Utopia - Thomas More The Theory of Moral Sentiments – Adam Smith The Antichrist - Friedrich Nietzsche On War — Carl von Clausewitz Prior Analytics and Posterior Analytics – Aristotle

Screenshots

Brilliant4 screens
Philosophy Books4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Brilliant at Free against Philosophy Books's $1.99. Brilliant also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 19 months) and review sentiment (79% vs 50%). Philosophy Books's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 19) and ads (none vs shown). On device support 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

Brilliant is free to download; Philosophy Books costs $1.99 up front. Brilliant sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Philosophy Books asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brilliant ships an update weekly, Philosophy Books every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Brilliant versus Philosophy Books: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrilliantPhilosophy Books
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.7 (33K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews79.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings33K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 19 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#78 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrilliant.org俊 姜

Customer experience

Brilliant

All ratings32,990 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews3,651 reviews
Positive79.0%
Neutral7.7%
Negative13.4%

Philosophy Books

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

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

Philosophy Books

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

Philosophy Books

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Philosophy Books free?
Philosophy Books costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Brilliant or Philosophy Books have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; Philosophy Books does not.
Which is updated more often, Brilliant or Philosophy Books?
Brilliant ships an update weekly, and Philosophy Books every 19 months. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on October 17, 2026 and Philosophy Books on October 13, 2026.

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