Brilliant.org
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 5 of 11 online learning platforms by recommenders
People recommend Brilliant for learning math and science quickly through visual, intuitive problems. Critics say newer content is weaker and sometimes LLM-generated.
People recommend Brilliant for learning math and science quickly through visual, intuitive problems. Critics say newer content is weaker and sometimes LLM-generated.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 80%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Useful for learning topics quickly
“Maybe consider using something else like Brilliant.org if you want to learn a topic”
Comment from 10 Aug 2026 in “How I use LLMs to learn complex topics” “I also really like Brilliant for learning things quickly”
Comment from 27 Nov 2025 in “Someone at YouTube Needs Glasses: The Prophecy Has Been Fulfilled”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Newer content weaker, padded, LLM-generated
“I think it was better material back then. Certainly nothing about the new content has made me want to re-subscribe.”
Comment from 23 Nov 2025 in “Ask HN: Do LLMs make you feel like you've lost your edge?” “These days online courses like Brilliant and such are likely largely LLM generated”
Comment from 10 Aug 2026 in “How I use LLMs to learn complex topics” “easier questions that teach little, padding out a progressions system”
Comment from 11 Jan 2026 in “Don't fall into the anti-AI hype” - Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (December 2025)”
Other online learning platforms people recommend
The four most recommended other online learning platforms, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khan Academy | 67 | 17 | 80% | 12 | 7 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| Coursera | 26 | 37 | 41% | 6 | — | — |
| Udemy | 16 | 44 | 27% | 5 | 10 yrs4 owners | — |
| MIT OpenCourseWare | 14 | 2 | 88% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Brilliant.orgThis page | 12 | 3 | 80% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
12 of the 15 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Brilliant's AI tutor gets kids to actually think.”
“Editor is free, MCP is unlimited”
“The maths problems are more visual (which makes them quite intuitive)”
“such evolving kind of content like 3Blue1Brown or Brilliant.com in German”
“These days online courses like Brilliant and such are likely largely LLM generated”
“Maybe consider using something else like Brilliant.org if you want to learn a topic”
“It won't happen if you don't support it.”
“easier questions that teach little, padding out a progressions system”
“the old version, not the current enshittified one”
“I also really like Brilliant for learning things quickly”
“I think it was better material back then. Certainly nothing about the new content has made me want to re-subscribe.”
“platforms like brilliant.org, prove that this is possible”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.