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Education · head to head

Brilliant vs Lightspeed Systems

Brilliant logo

Brilliant

Education

Learn math and science through problem-solving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightspeed Systems logo

Lightspeed Systems

Education

Filtering, classroom management and student safety monitoring for K-12 device fleets

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Brilliant has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Brilliant requires active daily engagement to maintain learning streaks, which can feel gamified; Lightspeed Systems no module has published pricing, so districts cannot benchmark a quote without running a formal procurement, and the eventual figure depends heavily on which co-operative contract they buy through.
  • They diverge on capability: Brilliant covers Interactive lessons, Lightspeed Systems covers Filter.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brilliant and Lightspeed Systems actually diverge.

Attributes where Brilliant and Lightspeed Systems differ
AttributeBrilliantLightspeed Systems
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Brilliant

  • Interactive lessons
  • Problem-solving
  • Daily challenges
  • Progress tracking
  • Guided paths
  • Offline access
  • Mobile learning
  • Mobile apps

Only in Lightspeed Systems

  • Filter
  • Alert
  • Classroom
  • Insight
  • Signal
  • MDM
  • StopIt
  • Hall Monitor

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Brilliant

  • Math learningnot Lightspeed Systems
  • Science educationnot Lightspeed Systems
  • Programming basicsnot Lightspeed Systems
  • Problem-solving skillsnot Lightspeed Systems

Lightspeed Systems

  • A district with 15,000 take-home Chromebooks that needs filtering to follow the device onto home and public networksnot Brilliant
  • A technology director being asked to justify the edtech budget, who can use app usage data to cancel licences nobody opensnot Brilliant
  • A school board that has agreed to safety monitoring but has no staff able to respond to alerts at night, and so buys the human review servicenot Brilliant
  • A one-to-one iPad rollout wanting device enrolment, filtering and teacher screen control from one vendornot Brilliant

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Brilliant

  • Requires active daily engagement to maintain learning streaks, which can feel gamified
  • Premium subscription needed for full course access; basic free tier is limited
  • Focuses only on STEM subjects; no humanities or social sciences
  • Interactive nature requires more time commitment than passive video learning

Lightspeed Systems

  • No module has published pricing, so districts cannot benchmark a quote without running a formal procurement, and the eventual figure depends heavily on which co-operative contract they buy through.
  • Alert detection and the 24/7 human review that makes it actionable are priced separately, so a district that budgets for Alert alone ends up owning the overnight triage burden itself.
  • The agent model means coverage stops at the managed device, and students moving to a personal phone on mobile data are outside filtering and monitoring entirely, which undercuts the compliance claim in the exact scenario administrators worry about.
  • Teacher screen monitoring is frequently deployed without training, and lessons stall while staff learn the interface, so the first term of a Classroom rollout often produces complaints rather than the intended benefit.
  • Buying eight modules from one vendor makes renewal a single high-value negotiation with no partial leverage, and districts locked into a multi-year co-operative contract cannot easily drop a module that underperforms.

Pricing, plan by plan

Brilliant

Free
  • Premium Monthly$24.99/month
    • Access to all 90+ courses
    • No ads
  • Premium Annual$150/year
    • Access to all 90+ courses
    • No ads

Lightspeed Systems

On request
  • Lightspeed Filter$undefined/year
    • Device-level content filtering on and off network
    • YouTube and social media policy controls
    • Quoted per student device per year
  • Lightspeed Alert$undefined/year
    • Safety signal detection
    • 24/7 human review sold as an additional service
    • Quoted
  • Lightspeed Classroom, Insight, Signal, MDM, StopIt and Hall Monitor$undefined/year
    • Each sold as a separate per-student module
    • Quoted, commonly bundled

Which should you pick?

Choose Brilliant if

  • You need interactive lessons.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want problem-solving.
Brilliant review

Choose Lightspeed Systems if

  • You need filter.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want alert.
Lightspeed Systems review

Questions people ask

Is Brilliant or Lightspeed Systems better?
Neither clearly leads. Brilliant starts at Free and Lightspeed Systems at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brilliant or Lightspeed Systems?
Brilliant has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Brilliant and On request for Lightspeed Systems.
Does Brilliant or Lightspeed Systems run on more platforms?
Brilliant runs on Web, iOS, Android. Lightspeed Systems runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Brilliant for free?
Yes. Brilliant has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lightspeed Systems starts at On request.
What is Brilliant best used for?
Brilliant is most often used for math learning, science education, programming basics, problem-solving skills. Of those, math learning and science education are not what Lightspeed Systems is typically brought in for.
What can Brilliant do that Lightspeed Systems cannot?
Brilliant covers Interactive lessons, Problem-solving, Daily challenges, Progress tracking. Lightspeed Systems covers Filter, Alert, Classroom, Insight.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Brilliant: Does Brilliant offer offline learning?

Yes. The Brilliant mobile app allows users to download lessons and learn without internet connection.

Source
Lightspeed Systems: How much does Lightspeed Filter cost per student?

Lightspeed does not publish rates. Pricing is quoted per student device per year and varies with district size, module mix and which purchasing co-operative contract you buy through.

Brilliant: Is there a free tier for Brilliant?

Yes. Brilliant offers a free basic tier with access to some courses. K-12 teachers and their students can qualify for free Premium access.

Source
Lightspeed Systems: Is 24/7 human alert review included with Alert?

No. Alert provides the detection; the staffed round-the-clock review service is an additional purchase, and it is usually what districts actually need.

Brilliant: What subject areas does Brilliant cover?

Brilliant covers over 90 courses across mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, and data science, taught by experts from MIT, Harvard, Google, and Microsoft.

Source
Lightspeed Systems: Does filtering work when students are at home?

Yes, the agent runs on the device rather than the network, so policy follows the Chromebook or laptop off site.

Brilliant: How does Brilliant's teaching approach differ from video lectures?

Brilliant emphasizes active learning through interactive problem-solving rather than passive video watching, similar to Duolingo's gamified approach.

Source
Lightspeed Systems: What does Insight actually do for the budget?

It reports which licensed apps are opened and by whom, which districts use to cancel subscriptions with low usage. It also flags whether an app meets named privacy and accessibility standards.

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