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Brilliant brilliant.org

Free alternatives to Brilliant

Brilliant costs $30/mo on the Premium Individual plan, or $360 a year. Here are 5 free and open-source options, what each one does, and what you give up compared with paying.

Prices checked Aug 12, 2026Can AI replace it? Nah

01At a glance

AlternativeTypeWhere it runsWorks on
eXeLearningOpen sourceHosted or self-hostedWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, Your server
OppiaOpen sourceHosted or self-hostedWeb, Your server
LumiFreeOn your deviceMac, Windows, Linux
GeoGebraFreeHosted or self-hostedWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android
MoodleOpen sourceYou host itWeb, iPhone, Android, Your server

02Each alternative, in detail

eXeLearningOpen source

A desktop lesson authoring tool for interactive exercises, games, equations and quizzes, with decidedly public-sector aesthetics.

Versus paying: It is an authoring and export tool, not Brilliant's polished ready-made adaptive STEM curriculum, guided learning path or motivation system.

Setup: Desktop installer or local browser PWA; the Team Edition is separately self-hosted

138 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

exelearning.net →
OppiaOpen source

Authors branching interactive explorations that respond to wrong answers instead of merely displaying the solution.

Versus paying: Creating responsive branches is manual, and the result does not match Brilliant's broad authored catalog or production-quality interactive visuals.

Setup: Use Oppia.org directly, or deploy the Python and Angular application on a Google App Engine-style stack

Watch for: None on Oppia.org; self-hosting is a developer-grade Google App Engine deployment

6,800 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

oppia.org →
LumiFree

A free desktop H5P editor for interactive lessons, simulations and quizzes; content quality remains your problem.

Versus paying: It edits standalone H5P activities but supplies no sequenced curriculum, adaptive guided path or ready-made STEM library.

Setup: Windows Store or EXE, macOS Intel or Apple-silicon DMG, or Linux Snap, AppImage, deb or pacman package

Watch for: Windows may show SmartScreen, and current macOS builds have had unsigned or damaged-app Gatekeeper reports

lumi.education →
GeoGebraFree

Excellent interactive mathematics authoring and practice, but it stops being Brilliant once the science is not mathematical.

Versus paying: It is excellent for interactive mathematics but becomes a much weaker substitute once the science is not mathematical, and it lacks Brilliant's guided curriculum.

Setup: Use the hosted web apps or install native desktop or mobile apps

geogebra.org →
MoodleOpen source

Hosts authored activities, quizzes and progress, although the actual interactive pedagogy still has to come from you.

Versus paying: It is an LMS shell rather than Brilliant's interactive pedagogy, so the author must build the lessons, feedback and activities from scratch.

Setup: Install PHP and a supported database and web server, create the moodledata directory, then run the web installer and cron

Watch for: Web hosting, PHP and database compatibility, cron, security hardening and upgrades all belong to the operator

7,300 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

moodle.org →

03What you give up by leaving Brilliant

  • expert curriculum, interactive problem library, pedagogy, apps, and content rights
  • licensed course catalog
  • expert curriculum
  • human feedback
  • large learner network and certification

People still pay for Brilliant because the learning loop is buildable, while trusted curriculum, instructors, feedback, credentials, and community are not. The recurring cost buys curriculum quality, assessment validity, content rights, spaced-repetition tuning, speech models, sync, moderation, and support, not just the visible interface.

04Questions

Is there a free alternative to Brilliant?

Yes. This page compares 5: eXeLearning, Oppia, Lumi, GeoGebra and Moodle. 3 of them are open source, so you can run them yourself.

How much does Brilliant cost?

$30/mo on the Premium Individual plan (monthly per user), which is $360 a year. Prices checked Aug 12, 2026.

What do you give up with a free alternative to Brilliant?

Most often: expert curriculum, interactive problem library, pedagogy, apps, and content rights, licensed course catalog, expert curriculum and human feedback. Each alternative on this page lists its own gap under “Versus paying.”

Can AI build me my own version of Brilliant?

Nah. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Brilliant, build interactive practice around user-authored math and science lessons. The hard boundary is expert curriculum, interactive problem library, pedagogy, apps, and content rights, plus content, pedagogy, and network.

Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you decide.