Education · checked 2026-10-13

Can I vibecode Brilliant?

NOT REALLY· don't bother

Brilliant sells its course library: more than 40 courses whose lessons were designed one interaction at a time, with puzzles that come before the explanation. An agent can build the frame around that in a sitting (problem generators, answer checking, streaks, a few draggable graphs), but not the lessons, and the lessons are what the subscription pays for. Free options are a better trade than a build: Khan Academy covers the same math at no cost, and Brilliant's own free tier still unlocks two lessons a day.

$30/moprice

$360it costs you a year

one sittingbuild time

—people replaced it

Before you start

What you need on hand.

DifficultyBeginner · No setup beyond your agent.

TimeOne to two hours

Claude Code, Codex or CursorAny of them can run the prompt.
Python 3.12SymPy and FastAPI install with pip; nothing compiles.
An OpenAI or Anthropic API key (optional)Only for the "explain it differently" button.

Before you buildTry the free options first: Brilliant Free still unlocks 2 lessons a day, and Khan Academy is free in full.

1. Install one agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor.
2. Make an empty folder and open it in the agent.
3. Paste the prompt below, press enter, and answer its questions as it builds.

The prompt

Build me a daily math practice app to replace the practice side of Brilliant. Requirements:

- Python 3.12 with FastAPI and plain HTML pages on http://127.0.0.1:4900; KaTeX
  renders the math and there is no front-end framework.
- Problem generators in Python, one module per topic: fractions, linear equations,
  quadratics, probability and derivatives. Each returns a random problem together
  with its answer, so correctness never depends on a language model.
- Check answers with SymPy, so equivalent forms such as 1/2, 0.5 and 2/4 all count.
- A wrong answer shows the worked solution the generator wrote step by step. An
  optional "explain it differently" button asks an LLM (key in .env); that is the
  only network call.
- Interactive widgets for three topics, built with JSXGraph: drag the slope and
  intercept of a line, move the vertex of a parabola, flip coins and watch the
  frequency settle.
- Spaced repetition: store attempts in SQLite at ./data/practice.db, bring weak
  topics back more often, and keep a daily goal of 10 problems with a streak.
- No accounts, no telemetry, local-first; everything works offline without the key.
- Out of scope: written courses, video lessons and a mobile app.
- README: setup, how to add a topic generator, and an honest note that Brilliant
  sells designed lessons and this only covers the practice.

Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.

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Then keep going

Next prompts, same folder.

The first prompt builds the core. Run these one at a time in the same folder to grow it into your own Brilliant.

Add a hint tutor to the math practice app in this folder. Requirements:

- On any problem, a Hint button opens a short chat with the LLM from .env.
- Send the problem, the correct answer and my attempts, with instructions to ask
  one guiding question at a time and never state the final answer.
- Limit it to 3 hints per problem and record hint use in ./data/practice.db, so
  problems solved with hints come back sooner.
- Out of scope: free-form chat on unrelated topics.
- Update the README.

Add lessons to the math practice app in this folder. Requirements:

- A lesson is a Markdown file in ./lessons/<topic>/ with KaTeX math and optional
  {{widget:name}} tags that embed the existing JSXGraph widgets.
- Lessons are listed per topic in order; finishing one unlocks that topic's practice.
- Each lesson can end with 2-3 check questions using the topic's generator.
- Track lessons done in ./data/practice.db.
- Update the README with an example lesson file.

Add Python exercises to the math practice app in this folder. Requirements:

- An exercise is a folder in ./exercises/ with a Markdown task, starter code and
  pytest-style test functions.
- Run my code in the browser with Pyodide; show which tests passed and failed.
- A CodeMirror editor with Python highlighting; save my last attempt per exercise.
- Exercises count toward the daily goal and streak.
- Out of scope: other languages and server-side code execution.
- Update the README.

What you lose

The designed courses and their visual puzzles
Guided paths that put topics in a sensible order
The Koji tutor inside every lesson
Phone apps with streaks, leagues and reminders
New courses as they are released

Why people still pay

People pay for learning that feels like a game: short lessons that fit into a coffee break, puzzles before formulas, and a streak that pulls them back every day. Parents also pay for a family plan their children actually open, which a homemade drill app rarely manages.

Moatcontent & rights execution polish

Do the math

Brilliant or your own copy?

Over

Your usage

Count my time3h ×$/h

Brilliant, 1 yr$360

Your own copy, 1 yr$17running + build session

You keep$343pays for itself in the first month

Estimate · Runs locally for free. The optional explanations cost a fraction of a cent each through an API. The build session is token usage on your agent plan.

Leaving Brilliant

Take your data, then cancel.

1 · Take your data out of Brilliant

1On the web, open the menu in the top-right corner, choose Settings and then the Account tab.
2Click Export your data for a copy of your progress and account data (Brilliant doesn't say exactly what the file contains).
3Lesson content can't be exported, so note the courses you finished if you want to continue elsewhere.

2 · Cancel Brilliant

1Bought on the web: sign in at brilliant.org, open Subscription Settings, choose Manage subscription and follow the prompts.
2iPhone or iPad: Settings > your name > Subscriptions > Brilliant > Cancel Subscription.
3Android: Play Store > profile icon > Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions > Brilliant > Cancel subscription.

Premium stays on until the end of the period you paid for; cancelling stops the next charge but doesn't refund the current one.
Web subscribers sometimes see a Request a refund option when eligible; App Store and Google Play refunds go through Apple or Google.
Deleting the account does not cancel billing: cancel first, then deactivate or delete under Settings > Account.
K-12 teachers and their students may get Premium free through Brilliant for Educators.

Checked 2026-10-13 against Brilliant's docs: 1, 2, 3

The escape hatch

Don't feel like building it? These are already free.

Khan AcademyFreeNonprofit courses from arithmetic to calculus plus computing and science, with practice exercises and mastery tracking, at no cost.they host it
Web, iOS, AndroidVisit ↗OppiaOpen sourceFree, story-based interactive lessons, mostly early math, run by a nonprofit on an open-source platform.★ 6.9k · active Oct 2026 · self-host, real ops
Web, AndroidVisit ↗freeCodeCampOpen sourceFree interactive programming curriculum with projects and certifications; code and curriculum are open source.★ 457k · active Oct 2026 · they host it
WebVisit ↗

All 7 free alternatives to Brilliant ›

The numbers

Brilliant pricing

Plan	Monthly	Annual, per month	What you get
Free	$0	$0	2 lessons or practice sets a day, courses in order, a limited preview of the Koji tutor, occasional ads.
Premium Individual	$30	$20	All 40+ courses with no daily limit, jump to any lesson, unlimited Koji tutoring, no ads.
Premium Family	—	$40	Premium for up to 6 people.

Free tier: 2 lessons or practice sets a day, courses in order, limited tutoring preview.
Billing: Monthly or annual; annual is one payment and renews automatically. Prices vary by country and by platform.
Hidden costs: Web purchases are generally not refunded unless a self-serve refund option appears; subscriptions bought in the iOS or Android app are refunded only through Apple or Google.
Source: brilliant.org

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Questions

Brilliant, briefly

Not answered here? Tell us and we'll add it.

Ask a question ›

Free gives 2 keys a day, each unlocking one lesson or practice set, with courses taken in order and only a preview of the Koji tutor.

Not really. People pay for learning that feels like a game: short lessons that fit into a coffee break, puzzles before formulas, and a streak that pulls them back every day. Parents also pay for a family plan their children actually open, which a homemade drill app rarely manages. The prompt on this page builds the closest honest substitute.

About $30 a month on the Premium (Individual) plan, $360 a year (checked 2026-10-13).

The designed courses and their visual puzzles; Guided paths that put topics in a sensible order; The Koji tutor inside every lesson; Phone apps with streaks, leagues and reminders; New courses as they are released. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.