Comparison

Brilliant vs Histopia

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

Histopia

Explore history through engaging lessons, quizzes, and ancient strategy games. Collect historical cards, track your progress, and personalize your profile. Unlock new content and compete on leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Bite-sized history lessons
  • Quizzes and challenges
  • Ancient strategy games
  • Collectible historical cards
  • Progress tracking
  • Leaderboards and achievements
Features
Read full description

Histopia — Learn History. Play Every Day. Turn your curiosity into a daily adventure. Explore history through bite-sized lessons, quizzes, ancient strategy games, art puzzles, and collectible cards. Meet Timmy, your friendly history guide, and discover the people, ideas, and events that shaped our world. Learn something new, grow your collection, and make progress one discovery at a time. LEARN AT YOUR OWN PACE Follow a learning path through the past with short, approachable lessons. • Discover history through explanations and illustrations • Test your knowledge with quizzes and fill-in-the-gap challenges • Track your progress through each lesson • Earn XP and coins as you learn • Build a daily streak and celebrate your milestones EXPLORE SIX HISTORY COURSES • World History — Civilizations and events across the ages • History of Art — Artists, movements, and creative ideas • History of Gaming — The evolution of games and play • History of the USA — The people and events that shaped a nation • History of China — Dynasties, inventions, and cultural change • History of Russia — People, rulers, and revolutions Earn coins through learning and play, then use them to unlock more courses. DISCOVER DAILY CHALLENGES Make time for a little play and a little history. • Trivia Arena — Test your historical knowledge • Masterpieces — Piece together a painting and discover its story • Senet — Explore a board game from ancient Egypt • Royal Game of Ur — Try a classic from ancient Mesopotamia • Nine Men’s Morris — Form mills and outthink your opponent • Hnefatafl — Plan your escape or command the attackers • Mehen — Discover a game inspired by ancient Egypt • Word Search — Find hidden words • Tower of Hanoi — Solve a timeless logic puzzle Explore the rules and history behind the board games, bookmark your favorites, and complete daily quests for extra rewards. BUILD YOUR COLLECTION Collect cards featuring historical figures, events, and artifacts. • Open card packs using coins earned in the app • Discover cards across different rarities • Explore their lore and attributes • Equip three cards to boost your XP and coin earnings GROW YOUR LEGACY Climb leaderboards for XP, coins, and completed lessons. Show your level, streak, achievements, and personal style as you progress. Unlock badges, work toward your next milestone, and protect your learning streak with streak freezes. MAKE HISTOPIA YOURS Create an avatar, choose a title, and personalize your profile with frames and backgrounds. Enjoy Histopia’s classic parchment theme, switch to Dark Mode, or choose High Contrast. EXPLORE BEYOND THE LESSONS Browse the library and discover historical events on a timeline and world map. Share thoughts in the community, ask questions, and see what other explorers are achieving. START FREE. EXPLORE MORE WITH PREMIUM. Learn, earn coins, unlock courses, and enjoy daily challenges for free. Free minigame play uses energy, with recharge options available in the shop. Optional Histopia Premium includes: • An ad-free experience • 3× XP and coins from lessons • Unlimited minigame energy • Access to past daily challenges • Premium profile styling and exclusive cosmetics Whether you love history, trivia, strategy games, art, or collecting, there’s always another discovery waiting. Start your journey with Histopia. Learn a little. Play a little. Discover more. Terms of Use (EULA): https://histopia-app.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://histopia-app.com/privacy

Screenshots

Brilliant4 screens
Histopia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Histopia at none against Brilliant's shown. Histopia also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Brilliant's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (33K vs 2). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 16 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Histopia sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Histopia 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 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brilliant ships an update weekly, Histopia every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Brilliant versus Histopia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrilliantHistopia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (33K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings33K — better2
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#69 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB70 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBrilliant.orgCabin Software LTDA

Customer experience

Brilliant

All ratings32,990 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews3,664 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative13.3%

Histopia

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Histopia

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
2 purchases

Histopia

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$9.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Histopia free?
Histopia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Brilliant or Histopia?
Histopia is rated higher. Brilliant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 33K ratings, while Histopia averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Brilliant or Histopia have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; Histopia does not.
Which is updated more often, Brilliant or Histopia?
Brilliant ships an update weekly, and Histopia every 6 weeks. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on October 25, 2026 and Histopia on October 13, 2026.

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