Brilliant
LinkedIn Learning
| Feature | Brilliant | LinkedIn Learning |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $11.99/mo | From $19.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | stem-learners, students, career-changers, lifelong-learners | professionals, job-seekers, corporate-teams, career-changers |
| Founded | 2012 | 2015 |
| Interactive Lessons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Daily Challenges | ✓ | ✗ |
| Visual Explanations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Progress Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Offline Access | ✓ | ✗ |
| Community | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Courses | ✗ | ✓ |
| Certificates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learning Paths | ✗ | ✓ |
| Linkedin Integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Offline Viewing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Exercises | ✗ | ✓ |
| Recommendations | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Brilliant Pros
- Highly interactive visual learning approach
- Excellent for building mathematical intuition
- Short daily lessons that fit busy schedules
- Covers fundamentals through advanced topics
✗ Brilliant Cons
- Limited free content (only a few lessons per course)
- Focused on STEM only (no humanities/language)
- Can feel too gamified for serious learners
✓ LinkedIn Learning Pros
- Certificates display directly on LinkedIn profile
- 16,000+ courses covering business, tech, and creative
- High production quality with industry experts
- Personalized learning paths and recommendations
✗ LinkedIn Learning Cons
- No free plan (only 1-month trial)
- Content can feel surface-level for advanced topics
- Not recognized as formal education credentials
The Verdict
Brilliant is built for stem learners and students, with a focus on interactive-lessons and daily-challenges. LinkedIn Learning targets professionals and job seekers and leads with video-courses and certificates.
On pricing, Brilliant is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $11.99/mo compared to $19.99/mo for LinkedIn Learning. That $7.999999999999998/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Brilliant has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. LinkedIn Learning requires a paid subscription from day one.
Feature-wise, LinkedIn Learning offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Brilliant takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for career changers — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Brilliant has a slight overall edge — but if certificates display directly on linkedin profile matters most to you, LinkedIn Learning may still be the right call.