# Brilliant vs Liminal

The clearest difference is ads: Liminal at none against Brilliant's shown. Liminal 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 5) and chart position (#65 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Brilliant against 4.8 for Liminal. 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 are what separate them: 79% of Brilliant's written reviews are positive against 100% of Liminal's.

Brilliant ships an update weekly, Liminal every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brilliant | Liminal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (33K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brilliant-learn-math-and-coding/id913335252/reviews) | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/liminal-learn-philosophy/id6770075835/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** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#65** | — |
| Size | 104 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Brilliant.org](https://appshunter.io/developer/913335255) | [OMAR DANIEL GRAZIANO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896485759) |

## What reviewers say

### Brilliant

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

**Currently charting:** #65 Top Grossing · Education, #151 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 (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


### Liminal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/liminal-learn-philosophy/id6770075835)

Explore Western philosophy with a comprehensive, self-paced curriculum. Access lessons, philosopher profiles, key terms, and quizzes offline. Learn at your own pace with audio narration and interactive features.

**Highlights:** Comprehensive 4-year philosophy curriculum, 104 lessons and 48 philosopher profiles, Searchable glossary of 82 key terms, Interactive quizzes with explanations, Spaced-repetition flashcards, On-device audio narration, Offline access, no network required

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Liminal Full Access | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brilliant free?

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

### Is Liminal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Brilliant or Liminal?

Liminal is rated higher. Brilliant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 33K ratings, while Liminal averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do Brilliant or Liminal have ads?

Brilliant shows ads; Liminal does not.

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

Brilliant ships an update weekly, and Liminal every 11 days. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on November 4, 2026 and Liminal on October 31, 2026.

---

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