Softwr

Education · head to head

Brilliant vs Panorama Education

Brilliant logo

Brilliant

Education

Learn math and science through problem-solving

From
Free
Rated
-
Panorama Education logo

Panorama Education

Education

Student survey, wellbeing screening and multi-tiered support tracking for school districts

From
On request
Rated
-

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; Panorama Education social and emotional survey responses about named children are more sensitive than grades, and districts that adopt without an explicit consent, retention and access policy have found themselves defending the programme to parents after the fact.
  • They diverge on capability: Brilliant covers Interactive lessons, Panorama Education covers Validated surveys.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brilliant and Panorama Education actually diverge.

Attributes where Brilliant and Panorama Education differ
AttributeBrilliantPanorama Education
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
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 Panorama Education

  • Validated surveys
  • National comparison data
  • Student Success
  • Early warning indicators
  • Playbook of strategies
  • Role based dashboards

What people use each for

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

Brilliant

  • Math learningnot Panorama Education
  • Science educationnot Panorama Education
  • Programming basicsnot Panorama Education
  • Problem-solving skillsnot Panorama Education

Panorama Education

  • A district required to report on school climate and needing an instrument it can defend methodologicallynot Brilliant
  • Multi-tiered support teams that currently track interventions in spreadsheets with no record of what was triednot Brilliant
  • Districts wanting to test whether an attendance intervention actually moved attendance for the pupils who received itnot Brilliant
  • Boards asking for evidence on staff retention and school climate rather than anecdotenot 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

Panorama Education

  • Social and emotional survey responses about named children are more sensitive than grades, and districts that adopt without an explicit consent, retention and access policy have found themselves defending the programme to parents after the fact.
  • Measurement without intervention capacity produces documented problems and no change, and the annual renewal then has to be justified on data the district could not act on.
  • Survey fatigue is real. Pupils who are surveyed repeatedly answer less carefully, which degrades the comparison the district paid for.
  • The platform depends on clean feeds from the student information system, so districts with poor data hygiene get risk flags built on wrong enrolment and attendance data.
  • Comparison against a national set invites league table thinking inside a district, and school leaders whose climate scores are compared publicly start managing the survey rather than the climate.

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

Panorama Education

On request
  • Panorama Education$undefined/year
    • Quoted per pupil or per district
    • Survey administration and Student Success priced separately
    • Multi-year district agreements typical

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.

Choose Panorama Education if

  • You need validated surveys.
  • You also want national comparison data.

Questions people ask

Is Brilliant or Panorama Education better?
Neither clearly leads. Brilliant starts at Free and Panorama Education at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brilliant or Panorama Education?
Brilliant has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Brilliant and On request for Panorama Education.
Does Brilliant or Panorama Education run on more platforms?
Brilliant runs on Web, iOS, Android. Panorama Education runs on Web.
Can I use Brilliant for free?
Yes. Brilliant has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Panorama Education 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 Panorama Education is typically brought in for.
What can Brilliant do that Panorama Education cannot?
Brilliant covers Interactive lessons, Problem-solving, Daily challenges, Progress tracking. Panorama Education covers Validated surveys, National comparison data, Student Success, Early warning indicators.

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
Panorama Education: Do parents have to consent to SEL surveys?

Under FERPA and COPPA the district can consent as the school official, but several states and many districts require parental notification or opt out for social and emotional screening. Decide the local position before the first administration, not after the first complaint.

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
Panorama Education: Is Panorama a student information system?

No. It reads from one. It is a measurement and intervention tracking layer and does not hold the official education record.

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
Panorama Education: Has it signed the Student Privacy Pledge?

Yes. That commits it on data use and retention. It does not answer the separate question of whether your district should screen pupils on social and emotional measures at all.

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
Share

Related pages

Other head to heads