Comparison

Brilliant vs The Agora

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

The Agora

Engage in live debates with historical philosophers, defending your positions and receiving real-time scoring. Analyze your arguments with detailed feedback and track your philosophical growth over time. This app transforms learning philosophy into an interactive experience.

Highlights
  • Debate historical philosophers
  • Defend your philosophical positions
  • Receive real-time scoring
  • Get detailed debate reports
  • Daily philosophical challenges
  • Track personal growth
Features
Read full description

FOR CENTURIES, YOU COULD ONLY READ THEIR IDEAS. NOW YOU CAN CHALLENGE THEM. Imagine sitting across from Socrates and questioning his beliefs. Imagine challenging Nietzsche on morality. Imagine asking Aristotle what it means to live a good life, then disagreeing with his answer. For centuries, these conversations were impossible. Not anymore. Welcome to The Agora. A DREAM DECADES IN THE MAKING In 1985, Steve Jobs imagined a future where we could do more than read the words of history's greatest thinkers. He imagined asking them questions and receiving answers. Four decades later, The Agora brings that vision to your fingertips. THEIR REAL PHILOSOPHIES. YOUR QUESTIONS. The Agora is built to bring the actual philosophies of history's greatest thinkers into conversation. Their original writings. Their defining arguments. Their ways of reasoning. Question Socrates. Challenge Nietzsche. Debate Aristotle, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Carl Jung, Albert Camus, and more. Ask anything. Disagree with them. Push their arguments further. Every philosopher is designed to defend the ideas that made them one of history's greatest thinkers. These are interactive interpretations of their philosophies, built around the works and arguments they left behind. PHILOSOPHY HAS NEVER BEEN THIS INTERACTIVE. You don't need to know philosophy to begin. Bring a question about your life, a belief you've always held, or an idea you're curious about. Explore different perspectives. Test your arguments. Discover how you think. And when you're ready, go further with guided learning, thought experiments, daily philosophical challenges, and detailed debate reports. HISTORY'S GREATEST MINDS ARE WAITING. For thousands of years, we studied their ideas. Now, for the first time in human history, we have the technology to put those ideas into conversation. The Agora. History's greatest minds. Your questions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Brilliant4 screens
The Agora4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: The Agora at none against Brilliant's shown. The Agora also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). Brilliant's advantage is ratings volume (33K vs 10) and chart position (#70 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, 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 16 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and The Agora sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Agora 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 10, 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 The Agora's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brilliant ships an update weekly, The Agora every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Brilliant versus The Agora: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrilliantThe Agora
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (33K ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33K — better10
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#70 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrilliant.orgBhernaurd Maghirang

Customer experience

Brilliant

All ratings33,167 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews3,673 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative13.4%

The Agora

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
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

The Agora

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
3 purchases

The Agora

Subscriptions2
  • Agora Pro3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Agora Pro Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Agora Pro Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Agora free?
The Agora is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Brilliant or The Agora?
The Agora is rated higher. Brilliant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 33K ratings, while The Agora averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Brilliant or The Agora have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; The Agora does not.
Which is updated more often, Brilliant or The Agora?
Brilliant ships an update weekly, and The Agora every 5 days. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on November 1, 2026 and The Agora on October 28, 2026.

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