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Education · head to head

Brilliant vs Skyward

Brilliant logo

Brilliant

Education

Learn math and science through problem-solving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Skyward logo

Skyward

Education

Student information and school ERP for K-12 districts and municipalities

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; Skyward no pricing is published anywhere, so the only way to learn what a district of your size pays is to enter a sales cycle, and comparative quotes across vendors are hard to obtain before a board meeting deadline.
  • They diverge on capability: Brilliant covers Interactive lessons, Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brilliant and Skyward actually diverge.

Attributes where Brilliant and Skyward differ
AttributeBrilliantSkyward
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 Skyward

  • Qmlativ SIS
  • School Business Suite
  • Position control
  • Family and student access
  • State reporting packs
  • Municipality edition
  • Data mining and reporting
  • Employee access

What people use each for

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

Brilliant

  • Math learningnot Skyward
  • Science educationnot Skyward
  • Programming basicsnot Skyward
  • Problem-solving skillsnot Skyward

Skyward

  • A district of 8,000 students that wants payroll, position budgeting and the SIS on one vendor contract instead of paying an integrator to reconcile employee records nightlynot Brilliant
  • A Wisconsin or Texas district where state submission deadlines are the dominant compliance burden and prebuilt state packs remove weeks of extract worknot Brilliant
  • A district still on the older PaC client-server product deciding whether to migrate to Qmlativ or replace the SIS outrightnot Brilliant
  • A county government buying the finance and HR half on its own, separate from any school usenot 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

Skyward

  • No pricing is published anywhere, so the only way to learn what a district of your size pays is to enter a sales cycle, and comparative quotes across vendors are hard to obtain before a board meeting deadline.
  • State reporting depth is uneven: the packs are excellent in the states where Skyward has a large installed base and thin elsewhere, so a district in a low-penetration state inherits reporting work the vendor absorbs for others.
  • The third-party integration ecosystem is much smaller than PowerSchool's, so an edtech tool your teachers want may support the market leader first and Skyward months later or not at all.
  • Two product generations are still live and the migration from PaC to Qmlativ is a project in its own right, meaning a district can be paying for a modernisation programme rather than new capability.
  • Buying SIS and ERP from one vendor concentrates risk: a pricing increase, an ownership change or a product direction you dislike affects enrolment, payroll and the general ledger simultaneously, and unpicking that is a multi-year replacement rather than swapping one system.

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

Skyward

On request
  • Student Management Suite$undefined/year
    • Enrolment, scheduling, attendance and grading
    • State reporting
    • Family and student portals
  • School Business Suite$undefined/year
    • Finance, payroll and HR
    • Position control
    • Usually quoted alongside the SIS as a bundle
  • Municipality Edition$undefined/year
    • Finance and HR for local government
    • Quoted per organisation

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 Skyward if

  • You need qmlativ sis.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want school business suite.
Skyward review

Questions people ask

Is Brilliant or Skyward better?
Neither clearly leads. Brilliant starts at Free and Skyward at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brilliant or Skyward?
Brilliant has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Brilliant and On request for Skyward.
Does Brilliant or Skyward run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Brilliant for free?
Yes. Brilliant has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Skyward 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 Skyward is typically brought in for.
What can Brilliant do that Skyward cannot?
Brilliant covers Interactive lessons, Problem-solving, Daily challenges, Progress tracking. Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS, School Business Suite, Position control, Family and student access.

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
Skyward: Was Skyward bought by PowerSchool?

No. Skyward remains an independent company based in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and competes directly with PowerSchool in the K-12 SIS market. It is one of the few SIS vendors of scale not owned by a private equity roll-up.

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
Skyward: Is pricing per student?

Yes, the student system is generally quoted per student per year with the finance suite priced separately, but no rate card is published and discounts vary heavily by district size and term length.

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
Skyward: Can we buy just the finance and HR suite?

Yes. School Business Suite is sold on its own, and there is a municipality edition for city and county government with no school component.

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
Skyward: What is the difference between Qmlativ and PaC?

PaC is the older client-server generation and Qmlativ is the current browser-based product. New districts buy Qmlativ; existing PaC districts are being migrated.

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