Comparison

Brilliant vs CogniMap

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

CogniMap

Features
Read full description

CogniMap — Your Personal Mental Map Every place you've ever been holds a memory. A feeling. A version of you that existed there. CogniMap lets you build your own mental map — a living record of the places that have shaped who you are, drawn not by geography, but by emotion and memory. What is a Mental Map? In geography, a mental map is the personal, subjective picture of the world we carry in our minds. It's not about accuracy — it's about meaning. The places we remember most vividly loom large. The places tied to strong emotions feel closer. CogniMap brings this concept to life on your iPhone or iPad. How It Works Pin any place — a childhood home, a café where something changed, a park you return to for peace — and attach an emotion: Love, Nostalgia, Calm, Fear, or Dislike. Then set its salience: how strongly that place lives in your memory. Switch between two views: Geo View — See your memories layered over a real 3D map, anchored to the places where they happened. Mental View — Watch your world transform into an abstract constellation of memory, where places cluster by feeling and grow in size with significance. Features Attach photos to bring each memory to life Navigate between geographic and mental map perspectives Emotion layers: Love, Nostalgia, Calm, Fear, Dislike Built on Google Maps for precise, beautiful 3D geography Why CogniMap? We all carry invisible maps inside us — maps of meaning, not miles. CogniMap makes yours visible. Use it to reflect on the places that matter, rediscover forgotten memories, or simply understand yourself a little better through the geography of your own life. See the map only you could draw.

Screenshots

Brilliant4 screens
CogniMap4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CogniMap at none against Brilliant's 19. CogniMap also leads on ads (none vs shown). Brilliant's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and chart position (#75 vs unranked). On price 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. CogniMap asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brilliant ships an update weekly, CogniMap monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Brilliant versus CogniMap: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrilliantCogniMap
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (33K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews79.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings33K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#75 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size102 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrilliant.orgToru Kawaguchi

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

CogniMap

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
None

CogniMap

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CogniMap free?
CogniMap is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Brilliant or CogniMap have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; CogniMap does not.
Which is updated more often, Brilliant or CogniMap?
Brilliant ships an update weekly, and CogniMap monthly. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on October 1, 2026 and CogniMap on September 19, 2026.

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