Brilliant is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.4. Brilliant wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Photomath on 1.
Curious adults and teens who want to understand math and science by solving problems
Middle school, high school and early college students checking their math
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Brilliant | Photomath |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning | Learning |
| Category rank | #5 of 10 | #6 of 10 |
| Developer | Brilliant Worldwide | |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | — |
Common questions
Is Brilliant better than Photomath?
Brilliant is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.4. Brilliant wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Photomath on 1.
Which is cheaper, Brilliant or Photomath?
Brilliant: Free: 2 lessons a day with ads; Premium unlocks unlimited lessons and Koji. Photomath: Free step-by-step solutions; Photomath Plus is $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year. On value for money, Photomath scores higher.
Do Brilliant and Photomath work on the same devices?
Only Brilliant runs on Web.
Which is more private, Brilliant or Photomath?
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
Photomath
- Step-by-step explanations are free
- Reads handwriting as well as print
- No ads, and no account needed
- Needs an internet connection to solve
- Plus costs $9.99 a month
- Less reliable for advanced college math
Point your camera at a math problem, printed, handwritten or on a screen, and Photomath solves it with step-by-step explanations, multiple methods and graphs. The free explanations go a long way. Plus adds AI-powered animated tutorials, hints and textbook solutions. It needs an internet connection, updates have slowed under Google, and it's built for school math more than advanced engineering.
Full Photomath review
