Best Brains vs Kumon vs Brighterly: Which Is Better in 2025

 

Note: Brighterly and Kumon and Best Brains are all standout learning options. However, as shown by the above table, Brighterly’s clear distinctive feature is its commitment to personalization and tutor-guided learning instead of the classroom-based format of Best Brains or Kumon’s worksheets.

What is Brighterly?

Brighterly is a math-focused tutoring platform that provides tailored, guided learning in a 1:1 style for children in grades 1 to 9. The service predominantly focuses on learning by understanding and matching the unique needs of each kid.

Why do parents prefer Brighterly over Best Brains or Kumon?

Parents consistently choose the Brighterly math tutoring platform over Best Brains or Kumon because they want their children to be at the center of the private learning paradigm. Unlike the other two services, Brighterly strongly emphasizes personal needs and goals to build the most tailored learning process.

However, there’s much more I’d like to tell you about the e-service. Follow me up for some of its other standout peculiarities.

Brighterly features

• Carefully picked professional Brighterly math tutors
• Flexible and adaptive learning format
• Free resources for convenient home learning

Carefully picked professional Brighterly math tutors

As of February 2025, Brighterly has 200,000+ registered parents, and the number keeps constantly growing. The most complimented feature of the platform? Undeniably, it’s Brighterly math tutors. Let’s discuss how the scrutinous hiring process allows this service to create the dream team of professionals.

Although every math tutor is highly encouraged to join the Brighterly team, only a few succeed. That’s because candidates must undergo stringent interviews to show their subject proficiency and in-depth interest in children’s psychology.

All is done for a good reason — Brighterly math tutoring platform wants to match the highest industry standards and rely on the following principles:

Clarity over memorizing

As proved by the Cognitive Load Theory, things that learners don’t understand create a severe mental workload, making it harder to retain information. 

Brighterly math tutors prioritize effective communication while doing their best to explain the “Why” behind every “How.” As understanding is the main priority here, your child will retain better focus and grasp of math topics.

Friendly environment

Brighterly tutors try to make friends with children. The purpose is to build an atmosphere where the youngsters can freely share their thoughts and fears.

Customized learning

When your child learns at Brighterly, you can be sure they will follow a personalized path that hasn’t previously been used for other learners. Any Brighterly math program is designed explicitly for specific needs, guaranteeing adaptability.

All-in-one safe learning solution

Brighterly tutoring can be used as a fully-fledged resource for enhancing academic performance. It’s also ideal as a supplementary learning service to help children better understand specific topics. Whatever the purpose, your kid will surely satisfy their initial needs.

Flexible and adaptive learning format

When discussing the Brighterly math tutoring platform, we talk about adaptable programs that meet the state-accepted standards. Let me explore this further.

• The 1:1 learning format cherished by Brighterly creates a stress-free environment and guarantees that each kid can reveal themselves. Such an approach ensures close oversight and the tutor’s concentration on initial needs.
• The personalized approach extensively advertised by the Brighterly math tutoring platform is safeguarded through two core components:
  • Initial diagnostics allows matching your kid with the best fitting tutor and creating the schedule to meet their objectives.
  • Close cooperation with the tutor and ongoing Brighterly math program adjustments based on your kid’s performance, pace, and interests.
• Brighterly math program aligns flawlessly with Common Core standards. It means you can use the platform as a learning resource to improve academic performance and as extensive help for exam preparation, such as the SAT. 
• Practice over memorization is the main STEM principle and the foundation for Brighterly learning. Here, kids learn through practice. Once they have a hands-on experience with the topic, they can easily memorize the theoretical part.

Free resources for convenient home learning

Brighterly math tutoring platform is generous in terms of free resources you and your kid can use at home for extra learning practice. Here’s what they have in store:

• Theoretical resources give an in-depth glimpse into the topics covered in grades 1-9.
• Brighterly math worksheets are collections of colorful and fun tasks in a convenient printable format (like the ones in the above screenshot). They are ideal for home practice as they come with the solutions section and will definitely retain the youngster’s attention.
• Brighterly practice tests usually follow the theoretical parts and are introduced for immediate knowledge checks. Ask the child to click the correct answer, and the result will be displayed on the screen immediately. Easy, fast, effective — that’s how it is. 

Note: Want to know your kid’s current math level right away? Brighterly offers free diagnostics tests with immediate results for your handy use. Check them out and assess your child’s math knowledge!

Brighterly reviews from parents: Key benefits

With a solid 4.6 average score at Trustpilot, the Brighterly math tutoring platform has gained much attention from parents in the US and beyond. Here’s a complete rundown of the service’s main strengths. 

Experienced Brighterly math tutors

An undisputable #1 on the list of Brighterly benefits! As Sade Akins sincerely shares, “Brighterly teachers are the best. Their teaching is student-centered.” Another comment comes from Tena, “My daughter absolutely enjoys Brighterly. Her teacher is so nice, super knowledgeable, and helpful.” 

Academic progress

Brighterly math tutoring platform is a resource that can indeed help your kid progress in their academic pursuit (even if they previously haven’t expressed much interest in the subject). The comment from T Write gives some clues: “I am very excited that my daughter is understanding fractions much better. Her teacher showed her a much easier method of differentiating fractions that are larger than the other.”

Inclusivity

Brighterly can help your child succeed in math even if they face some kind of disability. For instance, Ligia Mejia mentions, “Our son has an intellectual disability, learning disability and ADHD… despite all his challenges, the tutor still manages to keep his attention to help him learn.” 

Understanding math

Lastly, Brighterly proves effective in helping children understand the subject. Here’s just one comment on this from Kristin Crowder: “Naqsh has already helped my child reopen skills they had covered but couldn’t piece together properly. They are building a much sturdier foundation of math understanding.”

Brighterly cost per month

When comparing Brighterly vs Best Brains vs Kumon cost, the prices featured by the former turn out to be the most flexible and adjustable. Think about it: this site allows you to save up to 37% with the yearly plan. 

In the price comparison below, I include monthly fees for a minimum 1-month and maximum 1-year plan. Check out which Brighterly cost option best suits you.

• Learning membership plan with 1 lesson per week: from $124 to $105 per month.
• Learning membership plan with 2 lessons per week: from $211 to $161 per month.
• Learning membership plan with 3 lessons per week: from $298 to $234 per month.

Best Brains features

Best for: those who want to practice in small groups with a specific focus on logical thinking.

Can this service take the crown in the Brighterly vs Kumon vs Best Brains competition? These are some of the notable features of the platform.

Small group setting

Best Brains offers weekly sessions in a small group format, focusing on critical thinking and analytical problem-solving. This compact format allows a tutor to focus on individual needs and pay the maximum attention to each child’s learning plan.

• Weekly material introduction

Best Brains aims to build a strong theoretical knowledge base. It doesn’t introduce repetitive drills or overburden with memorization exercises. Instead, it teaches new concepts every week, ensuring children have enough time to grasp and practice the theoretical part with Best Brains worksheets.

• Focus on critical thinking

The main focus of Best Brains is on logic and criticism. Like Brighterly, it teaches kids to understand the “Why” behind the “How.” However, unlike the former, it joggles the fun gamified format for more analytical tasks. You won’t find any fun Best Brains math worksheets in PDF either.

Best Brains reviews: Pros & cons of the platform

Will the platform stand out when comparing Brighterly vs Best Brains vs Kumon reviews? Well, here are the highlights of its main pros and cons based on some trustworthy reviews from Reddit and Yelp.

Benefits of Best Brains	Disadvantages of Best Brains
✅ Achieving better academic performance, “My son did Best Brains for three years. It really helped him develop his math and English skills.”	❌ Poor accessibility for offline studying, “Best Brains has been around less than 10 years and only has about 150 centers.”
✅ Brilliant tutors, “Ms Farah runs a tight ship and in the one year of coming here — I have NEVER seen the teachers ever be in a grumpy mood or lose patience while teaching so many kids.”	❌ Difficult registration process, “I’ve tried the website, filled out multiple requests for info forms, called and left voicemails, but still no callback.”
✅ Help with psychological boundaries, “Our son is no longer afraid of going to school and has developed a cheerful disposition.”	❌ Somewhat chaotic learning process, “New teachers every week, five-year-olds screaming next to him, and improper teaching methods.”

How much does Best Brains cost?

Since the service entails multiple studying options in various subjects, the final Best Brains monthly fee you can grab depends on the number of disciplines you’re ready to practice here. These are the variants to consider:

• 1 subject per month: $159
• 2 subjects per month: $259
• 3 subjects per month: $299
• 4 subjects per month: $399

As for me, the 3-subject Best Brains cost per month is the most effective. Still, the final choice ultimately depends on your priorities.

Kumon benefits

Best for: independent students with enhanced problem-solving abilities.

Unlike the two other platforms discussed in this review, Kumon puts much stress on individual learning and parent involvement in after-school studying. Still, it appeals to multiple learners worldwide, and here’s why.

• Worksheet-based learning

The most accurate answer to “What does Kumon do?” is that it provides a series of rigid worksheets that are carefully picked for your kid, depending on their level and progress. The trick is that they should keep working with those worksheets independently. It indeed, strengthens their ability to be more autonomous, result-oriented, and critical. 

• Teacher instructions

Despite its paramount focus on worksheet learning, Kumon includes instructors who closely monitor a child’s progress. In case of any inconsistencies or the need for clarification, they are always ready to step in and provide help.

• Convenient learning format

Kumon offers flexible learning formats in online and offline settings, which parents and learners complement. Still, be aware that the initial price you pay does not include the fee for learning materials or admission (which we’ll discuss a bit later).

Reviews of Kumon from parents: Pros & cons

So, what are the pros and cons of Kumon? Here’s what parents have to say about it.

Is Kumon good?	Is Kumon bad?
✅ Excellent resource for extra learning, “I would highly recommend if your child needs that extra help — especially any time from infants upwards.”	❌ Lack of personalization, “We found that the teachers didn’t have a personalized approach to children, very much get in get out.”
✅ Real help progressing academically, “My daughter is learning so much at such a young age.”	❌ Sometimes overburdening load, “I once did a pattern of math worksheets that I was comfortable with, and staff accused me of doing ONLY 1 math sheet.”
✅ Excellent for exam preparation, “Studying at Kumon made a difference. She went into her exams in a much better place & scored better than she (or we!) expected her to.”	❌ Focus on the result, not the process, “Putting too much pressure on kids to complete tasks in a set period of time.”

How much is Kumon per session?

The final price for Kumon studying per session will be explicitly estimated for each case. Yet, it is in the same range as the Best Brains pricing. So, prepare to pay somewhere between $150-$200 per month per subject.

Relying on the above options, I’d also like to outline that the average Kumon prices per hour will fluctuate between $37.50 and $70, which is quite costly within the industry average.

On top of that, take note of the following hidden charges:

• $50 registration fee
• $30 charge for materials

Conclusion: Which is better Kumon or Best Brains or Brighterly?

Now, you know about all the pros and cons of each of the three learning services. Yet, what should be your final choice? Let me draw the bottom line in this discussion to help you select between Brighterly or Kumon or Best Brains:

• If you’re looking for a resource focusing on logical thinking and analytics, opt for Best Brains or Kumon.
• If you want your kid to develop autonomous learning skills, Kumon or Best Brains are indisputable winners.
• Still, if you are looking for guided learning with detailed feedback and teacher oversight, the Brighterly math tutoring platform can become your perfect solution. 

Still hesitant? Well, Brighterly offers a risk-free demo lesson. Explore all of its benefits right away!

Other platforms comparison

Are you still in search of the best learning resource for your kid? Below, I attach some of my other reviews, which discuss platforms similar to Kumon, Best Brains, or Brighterly:

• Khan Academy: 5 Notorious Alternatives
• Best Learning Spots in 2025
• Brighterly vs Varsity Tutors: Which to Choose?
• Best Tutoring Platforms: 10 Choices