Comparison

Brilliant vs Sudoku

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 with interactive explanations and adapts to their skill level, fostering deep understanding and problem-solving abilities. 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

Sudoku

Engage in a classic Sudoku experience with multiple difficulty levels suitable for all ages. Enjoy a clean interface, track your game history, and access unlimited solutions with a yearly subscription.

Highlights
  • Multiple difficulty levels
  • Beautiful and concise interface
  • Game history tracking
  • Unlimited Sudoku solutions
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

A new generation of classic Sudoku games: 1. A variety of difficulties, anyone from children to masters can play 2. Beautiful and concise 3. Allows you to see the history of your past Sudoku games SUBSCRIPTION PRICING AND TERMS This App offers an auto-renewing subscription to provide you with unlimited access to the sudoku solution . the price is $4.99/Year for unlocking all content and features. This price is for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Read more about our terms and conditions here: Terms of service: https://weibo.com/5580956204/I55tg3VVB Privacy policy: https://weibo.com/5580956204/HB9vBf59c Email: From2019219@gmail.com

Screenshots

Brilliant4 screens
Sudoku4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Brilliant at 4.7 against Sudoku's 4.1. Brilliant also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and review sentiment (79% vs 47%). Sudoku's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and 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

Both are free to download. Brilliant sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Sudoku sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

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 4.3K, 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 47% of Sudoku's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brilliant ships an update weekly, Sudoku monthly. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Brilliant versus Sudoku: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrilliantSudoku
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (33K ratings) — better4.1 (4.3K ratings)
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews — better46.6% of reviews
Number of ratings33K — better4.3K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#66 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrilliant.orgBeijing Free Calculator Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Brilliant

All ratings33,446 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews3,693 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative13.3%

Sudoku

All ratings4,149 ratings
Positive77.4%
Neutral5.9%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews964 reviews
Positive46.6%
Neutral12.4%
Negative41.0%

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

Sudoku

From 4.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 No ads
  • 👍 Simple and straightforward
  • 👍 Variety of difficulty levels
  • 👍 Separate notes and final number inputs
  • 👍 Good for practicing and improving skills

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Repeated puzzle layouts
  • 🐛 Bugs and errors in puzzle generation
  • 🔒 Requires payment to access basic features (sound, difficulty settings)
  • 👎 Large gap in difficulty between easy and medium levels
  • 👎 Inability to undo/reset a game in progress

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

Sudoku

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzles with no unique solution
  • Game resets when app is closed
  • Candidate numbers disappearing unexpectedly
  • Incorrect highlighting of mistakes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to select and mark multiple cells
  • Option to view statistics and compare scores
  • More granular difficulty settings between easy and hard
  • Ability to save and resume an in-progress game
  • Explanations for advanced solving techniques

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
10 purchases

Sudoku

Subscriptions2
  • Advanced features-1 month$2.991 Month
  • Advanced features-all year$12.991 Year
One-time8
  • 数独高级会员-月$1.99
  • 数独高级会员-年$9.99
  • Sudoku Monthly Membership$9.99
Show 5 more
  • Beginner Skill Course$9.99
  • Permanent Purchase$14.99
  • Sudoku Year Member$29.99
  • Sudoku Year Member$49.99
  • All Skill Courses$59.99

Questions

Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sudoku free?
Sudoku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Brilliant or Sudoku?
Brilliant is rated higher. Brilliant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 33K ratings, while Sudoku averages 4.1 from 4.3K ratings.
Do Brilliant or Sudoku have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; Sudoku does not.
Which is updated more often, Brilliant or Sudoku?
Brilliant ships an update weekly, and Sudoku monthly. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on November 12, 2026 and Sudoku on November 12, 2026.

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