Brilliant has only been growing in popularity since it was first founded back in 2012, with it now having over 4 million active users, and this is all thanks to its interactive lessons and activities designed for both students engaged and teachers, granting a digital learning experience where you can educate yourself on a specific topic no matter where you are.
However, since Brilliant offers so many high-quality lessons provided by some very prominent individuals within their respective academic fields, it does mean that Brilliant doesn’t come without a price, but how much actually is it?
Here is the full breakdown of how much does Brilliant cost, its payment plans you can choose from on Brilliant, and which you should consider depending on your position and situation.
How Does Brilliant Work?
Brilliant is an award-winning application program that offers lessons and interactive courses for ages “10 through 110”.
It specifically teaches science, computer science fundamentals, and mathematical fundamentals, and while it is not designed as a complete substitute for actual lessons within the classroom, many students do use it as an additional resource to help with their studies and understanding of certain topics.
Additionally, it should be said that the app isn’t solely tailored toward students since adults and teachers can also freely use it for problem-solving or to figure out a quick equation by scrolling through a few simple menus.
What Are The Payment Plans For Brilliant?
There are 3 subscription plans you can choose from when signing up for Brilliant.
Keep in mind that each payment plan will offer the same features, so you won’t get any bonuses for paying for a longer plan.
Here are the options you can choose from, and their pricing:
- Monthly – $24.99
- Annual – $161.88 ($13.49 per month)
- Annual Group – $299.88
The group subscription will give each user a separate premium account that they can use on the Brilliant app, though the overall price of this subscription can change depending on how many people are involved in the plan.
What Do You Get With A Subscription?
As soon as you pay for any of these subscription plans, you will be granted immediate access to every chapter of all the Brilliant courses that the program has to offer.
While there are over 60 stem courses available to members on Brilliant, the site breaks them all down into 12 main categories, these are:
- Science: Scientific Thinking
- Science: Advanced Physics
- Computer Science: Applied Computer Science
- Computer Science: Foundational Computer Science
- Math: Advanced Mathematics
- Math: Geometry
- Math: Algebra
- Math: Statistics and Probability
- Math: Contest Math
- Math: Road to Calculus
- Math: Logic and Deduction
- Math: Mathematical Thinking
In addition to all the courses, you also get daily challenges that will test your knowledge and put what you have learned over the duration of the course to the test, along with a few quick quizzes and puzzles to complete each time you finish a new course.
Premium members will also be able to use offline mode, allowing them to download courses and educate themselves on the go without the need for an internet connection.
Does Brilliant Offer A Free Trial?
If you are enticed by the prospect of becoming a Brilliant premium member but you’re still a little unsure about whether the teaching style and the resources are right for you, the good news is that you can register for the 7-day free trial which will give you full access to the online learning platform and its popular courses, allowing you to test it out for yourself.
How To Find The Right Course
With such a wide range of courses on offer, it can admittedly be a little overwhelming when you first sign up to Brilliant and see that large list of complex concepts stretching down the center of your screen.
Luckily, Brilliant uses a built-in algorithm that will direct appropriate courses to new users depending on the information they type in when they sign up such as whether they are a student, an expert, or a hobbyist just trying to learn a few:
- Critical thinking skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Essential skills
However, another great way Brilliant suggests specific courses to its users is through its Learning Paths which are essentially a collection of courses based on a specific topic that can save you a tremendous amount of time going between each course by providing you with all you could need as part of a single package.
For example, the “Intermediate Math” learning path starts off by teaching topics you may already be familiar with such as algebra and geometry, but it then takes a step up and starts teaching more advanced and complicated parts of math such as trigonometry and pre-calculus, making it ideal for students who are gearing up for an exam or even experts who just need a refresher on their topic.
There are plenty of learning paths to choose from, and they can be found easily by navigating through the main interface, so don’t be afraid to try them out if you’re a little stuck on where to start or what course to learn next.
Is Brilliant Worth Paying For?
While the interface can be a little hard to navigate at times and finding a suitable course when you first sign up can definitely be harder than it needs to be, all in all, Brilliant is still a fantastic educational site that is well worth the money, as long as you know that you are going to be using it frequently.
In terms of who it is designed for, this really is an impossible question to answer since anyone can benefit from taking the interactive exercises, but those who would definitely benefit from it the most would-be students in advanced education who feel like they need some extra tools and resources outside of the classroom to help with their studies and learning process.
Of course, because of the online courses that are on offer, this would apply primarily to students who are studying some form of math, science, or computer science, however, because there are also a few smaller lessons about more basic elements of these subjects, they are also incredibly useful even if you’re not learning these subjects academically.
Therefore, if you just want to try using Brilliant to help boost your knowledge for a few lessons, or as a quick refresher before a big test or exam, it can be better to go with the monthly subscription, but if you have just started a new academic year and want to use the program as a compliment to your classroom studies, then the yearly option would be much better and more worth your money.
Summary
While Brilliant unfortunately is not a free service, considering just how many interactive courses, puzzles, and quizzes that come with a membership, it is well worth signing up for if you know that it’s going to get a lot of use.
If a few of your buddies are also contemplating taking the plunge and registering for a premium membership, it can be a great idea and much cheaper for everyone individually to pay for the group subscription, but if it’s only you who plans to utilize it, then you will simply need to decide on how long you intend to use it, and whether the annual or monthly subscription will be best suited to your needs.
