Comparison

Brilliant vs micro by THIX

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

Head to head
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/

About

micro by THIX

Simulate the creation and evolution of microorganisms. Explore natural selection, mutation, and inter-microbial conflict in a dynamic, educational sandbox. Experiment with environmental factors and genetic traits to discover new life forms.

Highlights
  • Create bacteria, viruses, and fungi
  • Observe natural selection
  • Learn microbiology interactively
  • Edit genetic attributes
  • Experiment with environmental factors
  • Collect microbes in a library
Features
Read full description

Create bacteria, viruses and fungi. Mix them up. Watch them reproduce, mutate, fight, and evolve. Features: - observe the phenomenon of natural selection - learn microbiology in an innovative way - editable genetic attributes - experiment with spotlight, heat or antiseptics - unlimited possibilities of genetic combinations - name your own microbes - collect microbes in your library

Screenshots

Brilliant4 screens
micro by THIX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Brilliant at Free against micro by THIX's $1.99. Brilliant also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 10 months). micro by THIX's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) 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; micro by THIX costs $1.99 up front. Brilliant sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. micro by THIX asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brilliant holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brilliant has 33K ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Brilliant's written reviews are positive against 61% of micro by THIX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brilliant ships an update weekly, micro by THIX every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Brilliant versus micro by THIX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrilliantmicro by THIX
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.7 (33K ratings) — better4.1 (28 ratings)
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews — better61.1% of reviews
Number of ratings33K — better28
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 10 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#70 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrilliant.orgTHIX LLC

Customer experience

Brilliant

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

micro by THIX

All ratings28 ratings
Positive78.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive61.1%
Neutral16.7%
Negative22.2%

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

micro by THIX

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

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
None

micro by THIX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is micro by THIX free?
micro by THIX costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Brilliant or micro by THIX?
Brilliant is rated higher. Brilliant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 33K ratings, while micro by THIX averages 4.1 from 28 ratings.
Do Brilliant or micro by THIX have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; micro by THIX does not.
Which is updated more often, Brilliant or micro by THIX?
Brilliant ships an update weekly, and micro by THIX every 10 months. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on November 9, 2026 and micro by THIX on November 6, 2026.

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