Brilliant is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.0. Brilliant wins on 5 of the 5 scores, Memrise on 0.
Curious adults and teens who want to understand math and science by solving problems
Learners who want to understand and speak everyday language
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Brilliant | Memrise |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning | Learning |
| Category rank | #5 of 12 | #10 of 12 |
| Developer | Brilliant Worldwide | Memrise Limited |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Brilliant better than Memrise?
Brilliant is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.0. Brilliant wins on 5 of the 5 scores, Memrise on 0.
Which is cheaper, Brilliant or Memrise?
Brilliant: Free: 2 lessons a day with ads; Premium unlocks unlimited lessons and Koji. Memrise: Free with ads; Pro listed at $61.99 a year or $329.99 lifetime in the US App Store. On value for money, Brilliant scores higher.
Do Brilliant and Memrise work on the same devices?
Yes, both run on iPhone & iPad, Android, Web.
Which is more private, Brilliant or Memrise?
Brilliant scores higher on privacy (7.7/10). App Store label links purchases, location, contact info, content, IDs and usage data to you, but none is listed as tracking. The free plan shows some ads; Premium is ad-free.
Strengths and weaknesses
Brilliant
- Learn-by-doing lessons build intuition, not rote memory
- Koji nudges you toward answers instead of giving them away
- Beautiful design makes hard topics approachable
- Free plan is capped at two lessons a day, in order, with ads
- No certificates and little help for school exams
Brilliant teaches math, science, data and coding by making you solve things, not watch things. Each lesson is a short run of interactive puzzles, and Koji, its new AI tutor, can sketch on your screen and talk you through a stuck moment. The design is excellent. The free plan allows two lessons a day with ads, so Premium is where it makes sense. Skip it if you need exam prep or credentials.
Full Brilliant review
Memrise
- Real people speaking real, everyday language
- AI chat partner for speaking practice
- An Editors' Choice app on the App Store
- The free plan is limited and shows ads
- No offline mode
- Community courses were moved out of the app
Memrise teaches the language people actually speak. Lessons are built around short videos of native speakers in everyday situations, and then you practice talking with MemBot, its AI chat partner. Official courses cover the popular languages, and newer extras add exam prep and stories. The free plan is limited and shows ads, there's no offline mode, and the old community courses no longer live in the app.
Full Memrise review
