Educational resources: Khan Academy vs. Brilliant.org

Quick Verdict

Khan Academy is a strong choice for users seeking a free, comprehensive education across various subjects. Brilliant.org is better suited for those specifically interested in STEM and willing to pay for an engaging, interactive learning experience with a focus on problem-solving.

Khan Academy offers a broader range of subjects and is entirely free, making it accessible to a wider audience.
Brilliant.org focuses specifically on STEM subjects with a gamified, interactive learning experience, but requires a paid subscription for full access.
Both platforms provide personalized learning paths and are accessible on multiple devices.

Key features – Side-by-Side

Attribute	Khan Academy	Brilliant.org
Focus	Offers a wide array of subjects, including mathematics, science, humanities, and economics.	Focuses on STEM subjects, including mathematics, physics, quantitative finance, and computer science.
Learning Style	Video lessons, practice exercises, quizzes, personalized learning paths, and progress tracking.	Interactive courses, problems, and quizzes with personalized learning paths.
Content Presentation	Multimedia resources, including engaging videos and informative articles.	Text, images, and animations to explain complex concepts.
Personalization	Personalized learning paths tailored to each student's needs and adaptive practice features.	Personalized learning paths based on user interests and skill levels.
Feedback	Instant feedback on answers and detailed progress reports.	Immediate feedback to reinforce learning.
Gamification	Not explicitly mentioned.	Incorporates gamification elements, allowing users to earn points, badges, and rewards.
Accessibility	Accessible on multiple devices with offline access and supports multiple languages.	Accessible on computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, with offline access available for premium users.
Community	Features community forums.	Fosters a community of learners.
Pricing	Free	Premium plan starts at $27.99 per user monthly, $13.49 a month for the annual plan or $749.99 for a lifetime subscription. Monthly subscription for $24.99 per month. Annual subscription for $161.88 per year ($13.49 per month). Annual group (3+ people) subscription for $299.88 per year.
Trial	Not available	Offers a 7-day free trial
Target Audience	Preschool through early college academic subjects	Content primarily geared toward high school and introductory college level
Ad-free	Ad-free learning experience with a clean and easy-to-use UI	Not available

Overall Comparison

Khan Academy: Free access to extensive educational resources. Brilliant.org: Premium STEM-focused learning with subscriptions starting at $27.99/month.

Pros and Cons

Khan Academy

Pros:

Extensive library of subjects and topics
Personalized learning pathways tailored to each student's needs
Adaptive practice features that adjust difficulty levels based on user performance
Detailed progress reports to monitor performance
Completely free access to high-quality education
Available on multiple devices (smartphones, tablets, and computers)
Offers official apps for both iOS and Android
Videos translated into several languages with subtitles
Multimedia resources, including engaging videos and informative articles
Community forum for asking questions and getting advice
Offline access to downloaded lessons
Interactive tools and instant feedback to enhance learning
Self-paced learning model
Ad-free learning experience with a clean and easy-to-use UI
Offers supplemental resources that align with classroom teachings

Cons:

No major disadvantages reported.

Brilliant.org

Pros:

Focuses on STEM subjects
Offers interactive courses and challenges
Provides personalized learning paths
Uses a combination of text, images, and animations to explain complex concepts
Offers immediate feedback to reinforce learning
Features a hands-on learning approach
Incorporates gamification elements
Accessible on multiple devices
Offers offline access for premium users
Fosters a community of learners
Offers a 7-day free trial

Cons:

Content primarily geared toward high school and introductory college level
Free subscription provides access to a limited number of courses and puzzles

User Experiences and Feedback

Khan Academy

What Users Love

Empowers learners to study at their own pace
Offers personalized learning experiences
Provides actionable insights for educators with real-time student data
Enhances traditional teaching methods with digital resources
Keeps students interested and motivated with engaging videos and interactive exercises
Allows customized learning experiences, catering to each student's unique pace and style
Offers an ad-free, hassle-free learning experience with a clean and easy-to-use UI

Common Complaints

Not available

Value Perception

Provides free high-quality, standards-aligned supplemental learning resources
Offers practice exercises as invaluable tools for reinforcing learning
Provides instant feedback on answers, allowing learners to track their progress
Helps educators identify which concepts require further reinforcement
Enables users to set learning goals to stay motivated and focused

User Recommendations

Khan Academy's proven learning platform offers free high-quality, standards-aligned supplemental learning resources that cover preschool through early college academic subjects with an emphasis on math and science.
Khan Academy empowers educators with actionable insights by harnessing real-time student data.
Khan Academy has adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA as their baseline to guide them in their development to deliver accessibility materials.

Brilliant.org

What Users Love

Engaging and participatory
Uses storytelling and real-world examples to explain complex concepts
Presents content in a clean, intuitive format
Progress-based learning system makes it easy to track growth

Common Complaints

No major complaints reported.

Value Perception

Offers both free and paid subscriptions
Personalized paths help you learn math at your own pace and reach your goals faster
Accessible to users around the world

User Recommendations

Every journey is different Brilliant's personalized paths help you learn math at your own pace and reach your goals faster.
Brilliant.org was more engaging, participatory, and useful