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Brilliant alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll online course platforms

Top picks

  • Khan Academy logo

    Best overall

    Khan Academy

    Free

  • edX logo

    Best free option

    edX

    Starting price: From $50 per verified course

Common reasons people leave Brilliant: free plan is limited to a daily lesson, and no recognised certificates or college credit. We ranked 6 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Brilliant, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Khan Academy currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Khan Academy logoKhan AcademyFree—NoWeb, iOS, Android3 of 383.8
2edX logoedXFree plan + paidFrom $50 per verified courseNoWeb, iOS, Android7 of 757.5
3Coursera logoCourseraFree plan + paid—NoWeb, iOS, Android2 of 355.9
4Codecademy logoCodecademyFree plan + paid—NoWeb, iOS, Android4 of 454.4
5DataCamp logoDataCampFree plan + paid—NoWeb, iOS, Android5 of 550.3
6Photomath logoPhotomathFree plan + paid$9.99 a monthNoiOS, Android7 of 750.0
  1. Khan Academy logo

    1. Khan AcademyTop pick

    Best for: Students, parents and teachers wanting free, mastery-based practice in school subjects

    FreeWeb, iOS, Android

    83.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Brilliant

    Free maths and science lessons with practice exercises, covering school curricula end to end.

    Pros

    • Core library is free with no ads
    • Mastery-based practice with progress tracking
    • Teacher and parent tools for assigning work

    Cons

    • Focused on school-level subjects, not professional skills
    • No certificates of the kind employers recognise
    • No way for others to publish courses
    Visit Khan Academy Compare with BrilliantDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.15100
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Khan Academy a good Brilliant alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Organisation
    Nonprofit
    Checked Nov 8, 2026blog.khanacademy.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Price
    Free
    Checked Nov 8, 2026blog.khanacademy.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Audience
    Individual learners to whole school systems
    Checked Nov 8, 2026blog.khanacademy.org(opens source in a new tab)
  2. edX logo

    2. edX

    Best for: Learners who want courses and credentials from top universities

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    57.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Brilliant

    Free-to-audit university courses in STEM from MIT, Harvard and others for deeper study.

    Pros

    • Courses from Harvard, MIT, Berkeley and other top schools
    • Free audit option on many courses
    • Clear paths to certificates and degrees

    Cons

    • Verified certificates and programmes are expensive
    • Audit access can be time-limited
    • Fewer practical, short courses than Udemy
    Visit edX Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is edX a good Brilliant alternative?

    Verified facts

    7 of 7 verified
    Founded
    2012 by Harvard and MIT professors
    Checked Nov 8, 2026edx.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Example course
    CS50's Introduction to AI with Python (Harvard)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026edx.org(opens source in a new tab)
    MicroMasters credit
    Up to 25% of a graduate degree
    Checked Nov 8, 2026edx.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    From $50 per verified course
    Checked Nov 8, 2026edx.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Professional certificates
    From around $500
    Checked Nov 8, 2026edx.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Executive education
    From around $2,500
    Checked Nov 8, 2026edx.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    Yes, audit track with temporary access
    Checked Nov 8, 2026edx.org(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Coursera logo

    3. Coursera

    Best for: Learners who want university- or company-branded certificates and degrees

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    55.9

    score / 100

    Why switch from Brilliant

    University-taught maths, CS and science courses with certificates, many free to audit.

    Pros

    • Courses and degrees from well-known universities and companies
    • Many courses can be audited for free
    • Coursera Plus covers most of the catalogue

    Cons

    • Certificates and graded work cost extra
    • Lecture-based format with little live support
    • Independent creators can't publish their own courses
    Visit Coursera Compare with BrilliantDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1577
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Coursera a good Brilliant alternative?

    Verified facts

    2 of 3 verified
    Coursera Plus trial
    7 days
    Source changed Nov 8, 2026coursera.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Catalogue
    10,000+ courses in Coursera Plus
    Checked Nov 8, 2026coursera.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Partners
    458 partners across 38 countries
    Checked Oct 29, 2026coursera.org(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Codecademy logo

    4. Codecademy

    Best for: Beginners who want a structured, hands-on path into programming without setting up tools

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    54.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from Brilliant

    Interactive in-browser coding lessons if you mainly use Brilliant for its programming courses.

    Pros

    • Write and run code in the browser with no local setup
    • Clear skill and career paths that sequence courses for you
    • Wide catalogue covering web, data, AI, security and cloud

    Cons

    • Free plan only gives limited course access
    • Career paths and interview prep need the more expensive Pro plan
    • Guided exercises can feel too hand-held for experienced developers
    Visit Codecademy Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.352
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Codecademy a good Brilliant alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Yes (Basic)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026codecademy.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Mobile apps
    iOS and Android
    Checked Nov 8, 2026codecademy.com(opens source in a new tab)
    In-browser coding
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026codecademy.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Owner
    Skillsoft
    Checked Nov 8, 2026codecademy.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. DataCamp logo

    5. DataCamp

    Best for: Analysts and beginners who want hands-on Python, SQL and AI practice without setting anything up

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    50.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Brilliant

    Hands-on data science, statistics and Python exercises for learners heading toward data work.

    Pros

    • Write and run code in the browser from the first lesson
    • Large catalogue of data, AI and BI courses in tracks
    • Recognised data analyst and data scientist certifications

    Cons

    • Free plan only opens the first lesson of each course
    • Exercises are short and guided, so deeper projects need work elsewhere
    • Narrow focus on data and AI rather than general software development
    Visit DataCamp Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.346
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is DataCamp a good Brilliant alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Free plan
    First lesson of every course
    Checked Nov 8, 2026support.datacamp.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Courses
    700+
    Checked Nov 8, 2026support.datacamp.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Billing
    Yearly or monthly
    Checked Nov 8, 2026support.datacamp.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud notebook
    DataLab
    Checked Nov 8, 2026support.datacamp.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Mobile app
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026support.datacamp.com(opens source in a new tab)
  6. Photomath logo

    6. Photomath

    Best for: Students and parents who want quick, step-by-step help with school math problems on a phone

    Free plan + paidiOS, Android

    50.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from Brilliant

    Free step-by-step solutions when you just need help with a maths problem.

    Pros

    • Camera scanning works on handwritten problems and word problems
    • Free tier already shows step-by-step solutions
    • Covers elementary math through calculus

    Cons

    • Phone-only; no full web or desktop version
    • Richer visual explanations need a Plus subscription
    • Easy to copy answers without learning the method
    Visit Photomath Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.338
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Photomath a good Brilliant alternative?

    Verified facts

    7 of 7 verified
    Free plan
    Yes (Basic, $0)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026photomath.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Plus (annual)
    $69.99 per year
    Checked Nov 8, 2026photomath.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Plus (monthly)
    $9.99 per month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026photomath.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Owner
    Google (since 2023)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026photomath.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Levels
    Elementary through college
    Checked Nov 8, 2026photomath.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $9.99 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026photomath.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Plus plan (annual)
    $69.99 a year, billed annually
    Checked Nov 8, 2026photomath.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Brilliant alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Khan Academy logo

Best Brilliant alternative for most people

Khan Academy

Free maths and science lessons with practice exercises, covering school curricula end to end.

Khan Academy logo

Best Brilliant alternative for a free option

Khan Academy

Free maths and science lessons with practice exercises, covering school curricula end to end.

edX logo

Best Brilliant alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

edX

Free-to-audit university courses in STEM from MIT, Harvard and others for deeper study.

Coursera logo

Best Brilliant alternative for iPhone and Android

Coursera

University-taught maths, CS and science courses with certificates, many free to audit.

Codecademy logo

Best Brilliant alternative for working in the browser

Codecademy

Interactive in-browser coding lessons if you mainly use Brilliant for its programming courses.

Brilliant alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Brilliant?

Khan Academy ranks first right now. Free maths and science lessons with practice exercises, covering school curricula end to end. edX and Coursera follow it in our ranking.

Brilliant vs Khan Academy: what's the difference?

Brilliant is free with paid plans; Khan Academy is free to use. Both run on Web, iOS and Android.

Is Brilliant free?

Brilliant is free with paid plans. Family plan: 6 seats. Checked on Brilliant's own site, November 2026.

How much do Brilliant alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked Brilliant alternatives: edX, From $50 per verified course; Photomath, $9.99 a month. Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to Brilliant?

Yes. Khan Academy (free), edX (free plan + paid), Coursera (free plan + paid) and Codecademy (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Brilliant?

None of the 6 alternatives in this list is open source.

Why do people switch from Brilliant?

The complaints we hear most: free plan is limited to a daily lesson; no recognised certificates or college credit; short lessons are lighter than a full university course.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Brilliant, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.