# Brilliant vs Acorn

The clearest difference is ads: Acorn at none against Brilliant's shown. Brilliant's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and chart position (#68 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Brilliant sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Acorn sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Brilliant ships an update weekly, Acorn monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brilliant | Acorn |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (33K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brilliant-learn-math-and-coding/id913335252/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **33K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#68** | — |
| Size | 104 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Brilliant.org](https://appshunter.io/developer/913335255) | [CCSW LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1848781685) |

## What reviewers say

### Brilliant

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

**Currently charting:** #68 Top Grossing · Education, #135 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| 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 | $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 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


### Acorn

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acorn-math-reading-and-music/id6769925152)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Acorn monthly premium user | $4.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brilliant free?

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

### Is Acorn free?

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

### Do Brilliant or Acorn have ads?

Brilliant shows ads; Acorn does not.

### Which is updated more often, Brilliant or Acorn?

Brilliant ships an update weekly, and Acorn monthly. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on November 9, 2026 and Acorn on November 5, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*