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• Is Brilliant.org Worth it: Pros & Cons Highlighted by Users

Is Brilliant.org Worth it: Pros & Cons Highlighted by Users

If you’re considering a learning platform for yourself or for your child and Brilliant.org is one of your options, it can be helpful to find out “Is Brilliant org worth it?” As a tutor with years of experience in helping kids improve their knowledge and grades, I want to help you find the best option for your child. Here, I’m going to share Brilliant org reviews and evaluate the platform on a range of factors to help you understand whether it’s the right option.

Key points

• Range of features: 7/10. Brilliant offers video tutorials and interactive tasks, but is limited on personalization.
• Learning approach: 7/10. Some users report an excellent approach, but others find it limited to certain learning styles.
• User interface and experience: 8/10. Customers largely report a clean and intuitive interface and design.
• Effectiveness: 7/10. Reviews are mixed on effectiveness, with some saying their knowledge improved and others disagreeing.
• Customer support: 8/10. Most users report fast and efficient customer service support, with a small number saying they struggled.
• Pricing model: 7/10. Brilliant.org is an affordable option for non-personalized education, but some users question the value for money.

Average rating: 7/10

Math & reading from 1st to 9th grade

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Brilliant org review: How does it work?

Brilliant.org is an online platform offering learning to users of all ages, from school-age learners to older learners in higher education or adults who want to upskill. This Brilliant.org review 2025 will cover reviews from learners of all ages.

Its online learning consists of video tutorials and interactive activities, where users take part in a range of tasks that follow on from more instructional learning.

Brilliant.org has a number of subject specialisms, which include science, computer programming, coding, math, calculus and technology. 

What are the pros and cons of Brilliant.org?

Here, I’m going to objectively review Brilliant.org pros and cons at a glance so you can get a good overview of the platform.

Online users have offered both positive and negative feedback about the platform, so I’ll summarize the most common review topics mentioned on Trustpilot, Reddit and other review websites, and what this means for you as a potential user.

Brilliant org reviews: Benefits

• App is easy to use
• Good range of STEM courses
• Engaging online content

App is easy to use

Many users on have reported that the mobile and web app is easy to use and navigate, which is an important element of user experience. This user also highlighted that there are lots of topics to learn from.

Good range of STEM courses

As you can see from multiple Brilliant.org reviews 2025, customers rate Brilliant.org’s course selection. These STEM courses allow students with broad but related interests to meet their educational needs through one platform.

Engaging online content

Some users have highlighted that they find the Brilliant.org content engaging and easy to understand. This is important for educational resources — especially for kids with short attention spans. This Brilliant .org review also highlighted that Brilliant.org’s customer service team responds quickly.

Review of Brilliant.org: Complaints

• Poor value for money and sneaky subscriptions
• Impersonal learning content with buggy platform
• Course quality declining over the years

Poor value for money and sneaky subscriptions

This review of Brilliant.org highlights that the user doesn’t find the educational content to be good value for money, and they were renewed without warning. Many other users have highlighted that they find Brilliant.org’s automatic renewal with no warning to be unexpected, with a significant number of customers unable to claim refunds.

Impersonal learning content with buggy platform

This user has complained that the platform can sometimes be buggy, glitching out unexpectedly. They have also highlighted the lack of personalized learning, which can make education more difficult for students with specific needs and learning gaps.

Course quality declining over the years

This user, who has been a loyal customer of Brilliant.org’s platform for years, with an impressive streak of using the platform daily for over 4 years, has stated that the quality of its courses has declined in that time. They are disappointed in the lowered standards of the course.

Rating: 7/10

It’s clear from the many positive Brilliant.org user reviews that users value its courses (as well as the range available), customer support and the content in its lessons. However, the platform loses a few points for the many customers who’ve complained about its auto-renewals and the reviews that state the content is on the decline.

Brilliant.org reviews: How well does its approach work?

The feedback on Brilliant.org’s approach is a little more mixed. Some users have highlighted that the platform is good for introductory knowledge, but for users who need to deeply understand topics, the content is too light-touch to be meaningful. This Brilliant org review Reddit also highlights that the learning is one-way, meaning students can’t get clarity or additional support.

 

Others, however, rate the learning approach more highly. This Brilliant.org review Reddit discussed the fact that Brilliant.org builds students’ knowledge over time so they can solve increasingly more difficult problems. It helps learners develop their own logic and problem-solving skills independently — however, they stressed that it is not a standalone education solution.

Some users have highlighted the fact that, while they find Brilliant.org useful for revisiting material they have explored previously, they don’t find it effective for learning new topics. This user calls the learning “rote” and “shallow”, suggesting it is repetitive and doesn’t cover topics in the required depth.

This Brilliant.org review labelled the content dry and uninteresting with limited challenges. While the platform talks a lot about its interactive learning, some users report that the interactivity is limited to slider and quiz-based activities, and doesn’t offer the level of collaboration that they expected.

Rating: 7/10. 

Some users rate Brilliant.org’s approach of steadily building problem-solving skills highly, while others find it to be limited and not engaging enough. One area that I feel Brilliant.org should improve is its personalization and student support; education is much more effective when it is tailored to students and they can ask questions.

Review Brilliant.org: User orientation & design

When it first comes to accessing Brilliant.org, users must sign up to a premium free trial before they buy. With regards to the complaints that many users have about this auto-renewal, many users state that they don’t receive the email reminder promised by Brilliant.org at sign-up.

Once you sign up and start to take courses, you’ll see that Brilliant.org offers progress tracking and recommends specific content and learning paths. While it does not offer learning content that is highly tailored to users, it does recommend relevant content based on what you’ve been learning already.

You’ll see below the types of interactive puzzles that Brilliant.org offers users, which echoes the previous review I’ve included on the interactivity being limited to sliders that users move up and down. It does not appear there is much more interactivity on the platform, which may disappoint some users who are expecting to be able to manipulate more elements as part of their learning.

When it comes to user feedback on the interface and design, the majority of users praise the platform for its clean and easy-to-navigate platform. 

Rating: 8/10

It’s clear from both my exploration of the platform and users’ reviews that Brilliant.org has a clean and user-friendly interface. This is an important element for online learning platforms because a clunky or difficult user experience can put students off. Brilliant.org could further improve its design by offering higher levels of interactivity and making its initial free trial easier to quit before full subscriptions kick in.

Reviews Brilliant.org: Effectiveness & results

Now, for arguably the most important element of any learning platform — its effectiveness and impact on learners’ knowledge and grades.

These Brilliant.org reviews Reddit highlight that Brilliant.org won’t necessarily achieve vague goals, and that it takes a long time to achieve any sort of goal using the program. This may be problematic for users who have short-term goals, like exam revision or grade improvements. However, if users are looking to improve their knowledge incrementally over time, it may be a suitable platform.

 

Many positive reviews on Brilliant.org’s results come from older adult learners who are primarily using it to keep their knowledge sharp or to upskill in specific areas. This user on Truspilot highlights that their knowledge has vastly increased, thanks to Brilliant’s engaging content and structure that makes them want to continue learning. They also praised the fact that some lessons come with explanations on where learners go wrong, which is useful for improving future knowledge.

This “Is Brilliant.org worth it?” Reddit review highlights the fact that, while they enjoyed their Brilliant.org experience, they don’t feel like they got many results from it. Some users have said that it offers advanced education into topics, but this student doesn’t feel it does. This means it’s a good option for those who are interested in introductions to topics, but for those looking for in-depth knowledge, it could be worth exploring other platforms.

Some users have highlighted that it is a useful supplement to school work and homework, because it offers a different method of learning to traditional classroom education and even explains things in a better way than school learning. 

Rating: 7/10

Reviews on the effectiveness of Brilliant.org are once again mixed, and they will be influenced by students’ own goals. From these reviews, it sounds like Brilliant.org can be a useful supplementary resource for school learners, but is primarily built for adult learners with loose goals or looking to upskill for work. 

Reviews of Brilliant.org: How good is their support?

When choosing a learning platform for you or your child, you need to know that you’ll receive support if you encounter any issues. Many users have praised Brilliant.org for its responsive customer service team, with many highlighting that their issues were fully resolved.

Other users have reported swift action on simple queries, like getting locked out of their account. While these issues take less time to resolve, it’s important that they are fixed quickly to limit disruption to users’ learning journeys.

 

However, to fairly comment on Brilliant.org’s customer service, I must also address some of the more negative feedback. This is Brilliant.org worth it review highlights contacting Brilliant’s support team multiple times with no response. This led this user to deem Brilliant’s level of service “unacceptable.”

Rating: 8/10

So, is the customer support of Brilliant.org worth it? Reviews on Brilliant.org’s customer support are overwhelmingly positive, which means the majority of users have good experiences when they need support. However, because there are a number of complaints, I must factor this in and this loses Brilliant.org a couple of points.

Brilliant.org cost: Is it worth the money?

Another important consideration when it comes to choosing a learning platform is whether or not it offers value for money. Value does not come from price alone, but what you get in return for what you pay. 

Brilliant.org cost varies depending on the subscription plan, with a monthly payment, which costs $27.99 a month. Its cheaper option is via a yearly subscription, which works out at $10.79 a month, but is paid in one lump sum of $129.48 yearly.

Now, let’s look at how customers feel about the pricing. This user highlights that, while Brilliant.org is not a cheap option, it offers value if you use it consistently. This means if you’re prepared to pay for it, you should be prepared to use it frequently.

This user highlights that the courses aren’t of equal value, suggesting some are more effective than others. They also mention the complex nature of the courses, which means they may not be suitable for learners who don’t have strong foundations in their subjects.

Rating: 7/10

Value for money is somewhat subjective, but ultimately, your investment should feel worth the money you pay for it. From these reviews Brilliant.org, it’s clear that certain types of learners will get a lot of value from the platform. However, this isn’t a universal experience, and beginners or those with specific learning styles may not find it a good value. Even its most expensive option of $27.99 a month is affordable for many users, but this is subjective compared to its value.

Brilliant.org comparison to its alternatives

Now, let’s take a look at Brilliant.org compared to some competitors. Here, we’ll use online tutoring platforms Brighterly and Khan Academy; the latter has been referenced by many users as a free alternative to Brilliant.org.

	Brilliant.org	Brighterly	Khan Academy
Trustpilot rating	4.1/5	4.4/5	3.3/5
Best for	Learners of all ages	Grades 1-9	K-12 and college learners
Focus	STEM subjects including science, coding, probability, statistics and math	Math, reading & writing	Math, English, science and many more
Standout feature	Focus on STEM learning and lightly interactive tasks, created for school learners and professional development	Reading, writing and math lessons, award-winning curriculum, free worksheets, free tests	Free for all learners, covers many subjects, suitable for learners up to college age and beyond
Personalization	👎	👍	👎
Student pays	$27.99 a month or $129.48 a year	From $17.3/lesson	Free

Brilliant.org review on Reddit & Trustpilot

In this article, I’ve shared real reviews of Brilliant.org on a range of factors, from its customer service to the results learners get. In the interest of fairness, I’ve shared both positive and negative reviews to give you a good insight into the platform. Now, I’ll cover the most common topics users cover both positively and negatively.

TL;DR: Brilliant.org receives the highest praise from adult learners who enjoy its course content and find the support team responsive. However, others complain about auto-renewal and the fact that the content doesn’t improve their knowledge.

What users love about Brilliant.org

• Lifelong learning opportunities
• Strong learning with a community feel
• Good range of courses and a helpful support team

Lifelong learning opportunities

Many reviewers who speak positively about Brilliant.org are adults looking to keep their knowledge sharp or improve their careers, which makes it a good choice for lifelong learning.

Strong learning with a community feel

Some learners comment that it has a great way of teaching topics like tech, plus it gives learners access to a community of other learners and educators:

Good range of courses and a helpful support team

Users’ final most common topic of praise is for Brilliant.org’s customer service team. Many state that issues are resolved quickly. 

Common complaints about Brilliant.org

• Users unknowingly charged for subscriptions
• Inability to review past content
• Education that doesn’t improve learning

Users unknowingly charged for subscriptions

The most common complaint by far is that users have been charged for subscriptions without warning, with many users claiming they never received refunds.

Inability to review past content

Another complaint from some users is that they can’t review past content. This is detrimental as they struggle to remember everything they’ve learnt previously.

Education that doesn’t improve learning

A final frequent complaint in the Brilliant.org Reddit review is that, while learners enjoy the course content, they don’t feel like it actively improves their knowledge. This could be because Brilliant.org doesn’t adapt to all learning styles.

Verdict: Is Brilliant.org worth it?

In this “Brilliant.org review: Is it worth it?” I’ve rated the platform:

• Range of features: 7/10
• Learning approach: 7/10
• User interface and experience: 8/10
• Effectiveness: 7/10
• Customer support: 8/10
• Pricing model: 7/10

Average rating: 7/10

So, is a Brilliant.org subscription worth it? Let’s summarize.

Brilliant.org is the ideal choice if you:

✅ Are an adult learner looking for professional development or lifelong learning

✅ Want to choose an option with strong support

✅ Are interested in interactive learning

Brilliant.org isn’t the best choice if you:

❌ Don’t want to be tied into a contract without warning

❌ Need short-term results, like improvements in school grades

❌ Need personalized learning

What is a Brilliant.org alternative?

If you’re searching for a math or reading platform that can improve children’s learning and grades, the Brighterly math and reading platform is a standout option. Here are just a few reasons why👇

Tutors beloved by parents and children

Brighterly has a rigorous vetting process that ensures it only hires reading and math tutors with the right experience, qualifications and attitude. This is reflected in tutors’ reviews, where parents and children alike praise their knowledge and ability to improve confidence and grades.

Personalized learning in math and reading

All Brighterly learning is personalized to your child. Their journey begins by taking a diagnostic test that will highlight their strengths and weaknesses.

Brighterly’s tutors use that to create a personalized learning plan that focuses on the areas where your child needs to improve the most.

Free learning resources

In addition to high-quality tutoring, Brighterly also offers learning resources that are completely free. These tools include math worksheets and reading worksheets that are aligned to US educational standards and improve critical thinking.

Additionally, children can prepare for tests easily with Brighterly’s free practice math      tests and reading tests. These resources are a great supplement to children’s classroom and tutoring learning.

Next steps: Excel academically with Brighterly

Brilliant.org is a great option for learners who are learning for fun or improving their careers, plus it is well adapted to certain learning styles. However, if you’re looking for a more personalized, in-depth reading or math program for schoolchildren, Brighterly might be a more suitable option.

With Brighterly, you’ll get:

• Personalized math and reading tutoring from $17.3 a lesson
• Gamified, engaging learning
• Supplementary free learning resources
• Matched to the right tutor
• A demo session to try with no obligation

Try Brighterly reading and math classes for free! 

 Book free lesson and experience a fun, interactive way for your child to improve their grades.