Comparison

Brilliant vs Skillshare

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

Skillshare

Access thousands of online courses taught by industry professionals to develop your creative skills. Learn drawing, animation, design, photography, and more at your own pace. Offers free classes and a premium subscription for unlimited access.

Highlights
  • Thousands of online creative courses
  • Professionally led lessons
  • Offline viewing
  • Progress syncing across devices
  • Mini viewer for multitasking
  • Free classes available
Features
Read full description

Explore your creativity on Skillshare, the leading learning app for online courses where millions of creatives come together. Take the next step in your creative journey with thousands of inspiring classes on topics like drawing, animation, creative writing, and much more. With Skillshare you’ll take online classes hand-in-hand with leading professionals that will teach you to use the tools you need to excel in any creative endeavor. Discover lessons in everything from calligraphy and graphic design to photography and arts and crafts. Watch thousands of online classes on the creative education app made for everyone – whether it’s a hobby or professional pursuit. With Skillshare you’ll learn to use essential art tools like Procreate, Fresco, Illustrator, and Photoshop to polish your creative skills with the latest in industry tech. Learn piano, a new language, or digital marketing – the possibilities are endless. Discover online courses for the talent you’ve always wanted to develop with Skillshare today Start your creative career and download Skillshare now. SKILLSHARE FEATURES PROFESSIONALLY LED LESSONS - Discover hundreds of free classes and start learning as soon as you download - Find online courses that teach everything – from public speaking and art design to how to draw - Explore guided lessons that help teach the creative skills you’ve always wanted to develop EXPLORE ONLINE CLASSES FOR ALL CREATIVE NEEDS Develop your skills in: - Drawing - Calligraphy - Graphic Design - Photography - Animation - Arts & Crafts - Illustration - Hand Lettering - Pattern Design - Icon Design - Watercolor - Music - Animation - Creative Writing - Digital Marketing - and more! THE ON THE GO EDUCATION APP - Sync your progress across multiple devices for seamless learning - Skillshare is the learning app that goes where you go, with convenient offline viewing when needed - Multitask with a mini viewer to keep your lessons going and get more done Download Skillshare today and watch hundreds of free online classes to kickstart your creative journey. Start your free trial of Skillshare Premium to get unlimited access to our full library of premium, subscription-only classes. As a Skillshare Premium Member, you can also download classes to watch offline. Questions? Suggestions? Feel free to email us at help@skillshare.com. TERMS After your 30 day trial, payment will automatically be charged to your iTunes Account. Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Your subscription and auto-renewal settings are managed via your iTunes Account Settings. For further information please refer to our privacy policy (https://www.skillshare.com/ss/privacy) and terms of use (https://www.skillshare.com/ss/terms).

Screenshots

Brilliant4 screens
Skillshare4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Skillshare at none against Brilliant's shown. Skillshare also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Brilliant's advantage is review sentiment (79% vs 62%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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 Skillshare sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $18.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Brilliant against 4.8 for Skillshare. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33K and 25K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Brilliant's written reviews are positive against 62% of Skillshare's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brilliant ships an update weekly, Skillshare every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Brilliant versus Skillshare: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrilliantSkillshare
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (33K ratings)4.8 (25K ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews — better61.7% of reviews
Number of ratings33K — better25K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 10 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#54 — better#158
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB64 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperBrilliant.orgSkillshare, Inc.

Customer experience

Brilliant

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

Skillshare

All ratings25,411 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral0.8%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews1,530 reviews
Positive61.7%
Neutral7.6%
Negative30.7%

User reviews

Brilliant

From 33K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick exercises, fast improvement
  • 👍 Engaging and easy learning
  • 👍 Effective learning of complex topics
  • 👍 Intuitive and challenging but not intimidating
  • 👍 Wonderful learning tool

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Limited variety of learning methods
  • 🔍 Limited course selection
  • 🔍 Inconsistent explanations and unclear wording

Skillshare

From 25K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Excellent variety of creative classes
  • 🤓 High-quality instruction from industry professionals
  • 🕰 Flexible learning at your own pace
  • 💡 Inspiring and motivating content
  • 📚 Broad range of topics covered

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Lacking search and organization features in the app
  • 🖥 Limited functionality compared to the website
  • 🔌 Offline viewing issues and inconsistencies
  • 🤖 Buggy and unstable app performance
  • 🔒 Questionable billing and cancellation practices

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

Skillshare

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes and freezes frequently
  • Video playback issues and syncing problems
  • Inconsistent user interface and navigation
  • Inability to access class resources and materials
  • Account management and cancellation difficulties

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to sort and organize saved classes
  • Offline class downloads and viewing
  • Seamless integration between app and website
  • More advanced search and filtering options
  • Picture-in-picture mode for multitasking
Show 1 more
  • Direct class enrollment and feedback from the app

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
8 purchases

Skillshare

Subscriptions8
  • Premium Membership1 Month trial2 variants$18.991 Month
  • Skillshare Monthly Membership1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Monthly Premium Membership1 Month trial2 variants$31.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Monthly Premium Membership7 Days trial$31.991 Month
  • Skillshare Monthly Membership1 Month trial$49.991 Month
  • Skillshare Annual Membership1 Month trial$167.991 Year
  • Annual Premium Membership1 Month trial2 variants$169.991 Year
  • Annual Premium Membership7 Days trial$169.991 Year

Questions

Is Brilliant free?
Brilliant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Skillshare free?
Skillshare is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Brilliant or Skillshare?
Skillshare is rated higher. Brilliant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 33K ratings, while Skillshare averages 4.8 from 25K ratings.
Do Brilliant or Skillshare have ads?
Brilliant shows ads; Skillshare does not.
Which is updated more often, Brilliant or Skillshare?
Brilliant ships an update weekly, and Skillshare every 10 days. Most recently, Brilliant was updated on November 3, 2026 and Skillshare on November 3, 2026.
Which is more popular, Brilliant or Skillshare?
Brilliant currently peaks at #54 in the App Store charts, and Skillshare at #158. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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