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Brilliant vs Khan Academy: Which Is Better for Learning Math?
Updated · By Edulist · 9 sources
Brilliant vs Khan Academy: side by side
| Brilliant | Khan Academy | |
|---|---|---|
| Ages and grades | About 5th grade through adult | K–12 and college |
| Price | Free: 2 lessons/day; Premium $20/mo billed yearly ($240) or $30 monthly | Free; Khanmigo AI tutor $4/mo or $44/yr per family |
| Family plan | 6 seats for $40/mo billed yearly | Free for everyone; Khanmigo family plan |
| Teaching style | Interactive problems; drag, tap and experiment | Videos and articles, then practice |
| Structure | Learning paths; not grade-level courses | Full grade-level courses with unit and course tests |
| AI tutor | Koji (limited preview on free tier) | Khanmigo (paid add-on) |
| Subjects | Math, coding, science, data | Math, science, ELA, social studies, computing, test prep |
| Motivation | Streaks, XP and leaderboards | Mastery points and progress |
| Test prep | Mappings to SAT and ACT math | Official SAT Prep with College Board |
| Parent tools | Progress dashboard; Single Child plan | Free parent dashboard and assignments |
| Accreditation | No | No |
| Scholarship/ESA fit | Says it accepts AZ ESA; FL reimbursement possible | Free; Khanmigo may qualify as software |
| Type | App, Course | App, Course |
| Scholarship programs on Edulist | None yet | None yet |
Who should choose which
Choose Brilliant if…
Brilliant fits motivated kids from about 10 through adults who enjoy puzzles, want intuition over memorized steps, and are curious about coding, data and science alongside math.
Choose Khan Academy if…
Khan Academy fits every budget and age from kindergarten up, families who need complete grade-level courses with unit tests, and teens doing algebra through calculus, AP or SAT prep.
Not sure yet? Save both and decide later. Your wishlist shows which scholarships can pay for each.
Brilliant vs Khan Academy: the short answer
Khan Academy is a free school's worth of courses. Brilliant is a paid puzzle book that teaches.
Khan Academy follows the familiar path: watch a short lesson, practice, take unit tests, and move through a full course from kindergarten math to AP Calculus. Brilliant skips the lecture. Learners drag, tap and experiment with interactive problems and get instant feedback, with an AI tutor nudging them along.
If your child needs grade-level math, start with Khan Academy. If your child already has the basics and wants to think harder, Brilliant is the better add-on.
Teaching approach
Khan Academy is a nonprofit with complete courses in math, science, ELA, social studies, computing and test prep. Skills move from familiar to proficient to mastered, and course challenges check retention. Every course and parent tool is free; the optional Khanmigo AI tutor costs $4 a month.
Brilliant builds learning paths in math, coding, science and data from short concepts and practice sets, each a few minutes long. Its AI tutor, Koji, can see what's on screen and asks guiding questions. Streaks, XP and leaderboards build a daily habit. Brilliant says learners are ready once they can do the four basic operations.
What a lesson looks like
Khan Academy, Algebra 1 slope: your teen watches a 6-minute video on slope, reads a worked example, then does a practice set with hints until it's marked proficient. The unit test comes later.
Brilliant, the same idea: your teen drags points on a graph to see how the line tilts, predicts what happens when the rise doubles, and answers a few quick challenges. If stuck, Koji asks a question rather than giving the answer. About 15–30 minutes a day is typical.
Price and value
As of October 2026:
| Brilliant | Khan Academy | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 2 lessons a day, in order, with ads | Everything, no ads |
| Individual | $20/mo billed yearly ($240) or $30 monthly | Free; Khanmigo $4/mo or $44/yr |
| Family | 6 seats, $40/mo billed yearly | Free; Khanmigo family plan |
| Trial | Occasional promotions; card required | Not needed |
Khan Academy wins on value by default. Brilliant's family plan, at $40 a month billed yearly for six people, is good value if two or more people will use it, including a parent.
Who should choose Brilliant
- Kids ages 10 and up who love puzzles and "why" questions
- Strong students finishing elementary math (a natural next step after Beast Academy)
- Teens curious about coding, data or science
- Parents who want to learn alongside their kids on a family plan
Who should choose Khan Academy
- Any family on a budget
- Kids from kindergarten up who need grade-level courses
- Students catching up on gaps or reviewing before a test
- Teens prepping for the SAT or working through AP courses
Alternatives to both
- Art of Problem Solving: rigorous courses and classes for advanced students.
- Math Academy: adaptive, fast-moving full courses.
- Beast Academy: comics-based problem solving for ages 6–13.
- IXL: skill drills and diagnostics. See IXL vs Khan Academy.
- CodeCombat: game-based coding.
See the best math apps for kids and math for gifted kids.
Can you use a scholarship for either?
Khan Academy is free, so you only need funding if you add Khanmigo. Brilliant says it accepts Arizona ESA payments through ClassWallet and that families in Florida's PEP and FES-UA programs can submit Premium for reimbursement as instructional materials. Those are Brilliant's statements, not program endorsements; each program decides. Read what ESA funds can buy, save Brilliant to your wishlist, and apply once to the scholarships for your state.
Alternatives to Brilliant and Khan Academy
Neither one feels right? These cover similar ground.
Sources
Questions
Is Brilliant worth it if Khan Academy is free?
For a curious, self-driven learner, often yes, because Brilliant's interactive problems build intuition in a way videos don't. For a child who mainly needs to keep up with school math, Khan Academy covers it for free. Try Brilliant's free tier first; two lessons a day is enough to judge.
Is Brilliant good for kids?
Brilliant says learners are ready once they can add, subtract, multiply and divide, which usually means around age 10. It works best for motivated kids who like puzzles. Younger children still building basics will do better with Khan Academy or Beast Academy.
Can Brilliant replace a math curriculum?
Not on its own for most families. Brilliant isn't organized as grade-level courses with grades or credit, and it isn't accredited. It works well as enrichment next to a structured course.
Which AI tutor is better, Koji or Khanmigo?
Both are designed to guide rather than hand over answers. Koji is built into Brilliant's interactive lessons and sees what's on screen; Khanmigo works across Khan Academy's courses and adds a writing coach, for $4 a month. Choose based on which platform your child uses.
Keep exploring
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