# Brilliant vs Benkyo Box

The clearest difference is ads: Benkyo Box at none against Brilliant's shown. Benkyo Box also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Brilliant's advantage is ratings volume (33K vs 5) and chart position (#75 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Brilliant sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Benkyo Box sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Benkyo Box holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brilliant has 33K ratings behind it against 5, 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 100% of Benkyo Box's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brilliant | Benkyo Box |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (33K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brilliant-learn-math-and-coding/id913335252/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/benkyo-box/id6475318444/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **33K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#75** | — |
| Size | 104 MB | 154 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Brilliant.org](https://appshunter.io/developer/913335255) | [autorelease LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1502054942) |

## What reviewers say

### Brilliant

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

**Currently charting:** #75 Top Grossing · Education, #146 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


### Benkyo Box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/benkyo-box/id6475318444)

Create and study custom flashcards with rich media support, including sketching and image annotations. Organize your learning with folders and track your progress with daily study schedules and trend analysis.

**Highlights:** Custom flashcard creation, Image sketching and annotation, Quick entry and CSV import, Folder organization, Daily study scheduling, Progress tracking and trends, Shortcut integration

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Advanced Learner (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Advanced Learner (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |
| Advanced Learner Lifetime | $34.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brilliant free?

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

### Is Benkyo Box free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Brilliant or Benkyo Box?

Benkyo Box is rated higher. Brilliant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 33K ratings, while Benkyo Box averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Brilliant or Benkyo Box have ads?

Brilliant shows ads; Benkyo Box does not.

### Which is updated more often, Brilliant or Benkyo Box?

Brilliant ships an update weekly, and Benkyo Box weekly. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on October 26, 2026 and Benkyo Box on October 24, 2026.

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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.*