Brilliant
Schoology
| Feature | Brilliant | Schoology |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $11.99/mo | Free only |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | stem-learners, students, career-changers, lifelong-learners | k12-schools, school-districts, teachers, administrators |
| Founded | 2012 | 2009 |
| Interactive Lessons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Daily Challenges | ✓ | ✗ |
| Visual Explanations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Progress Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Offline Access | ✓ | ✗ |
| Community | ✓ | ✗ |
| Course Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Assessments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Gradebook | ✗ | ✓ |
| Parent Portal | ✗ | ✓ |
| Resources Library | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Schoology Pros
- Strong K-12 focus
- Social learning features
- Good parent communication
- SIS integration
✗ Schoology Cons
- Owned by PowerSchool now
- Interface can be cluttered
- Limited customization on free plan
The Verdict
Brilliant is built for stem learners and students, with a focus on interactive-lessons and daily-challenges. Schoology targets k12 schools and school districts and leads with course-management and assessments.
Schoology uses custom enterprise pricing, while Brilliant starts at $11.99/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Brilliant edges out on user ratings (4.6 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Brilliant has a slight overall edge — but if strong k-12 focus matters most to you, Schoology may still be the right call.