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Comparison · EdTech
ILIAS vs Brilliant
A side-by-side editorial comparison of ILIAS and Brilliant — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
ILIAS vs Brilliant: at a glance
What is ILIAS?
ILIAS keeps three concurrently-supported major lines (9, 10, 11) in lockstep with synchronized security patches.
ILIAS is in a steady maintenance cadence across three concurrently-supported major lines: v9.20, v10.8, and v11.1 all shipped May 26 with security fixes. The v11.0 major-line opener went out May 4 without security fixes (suggesting clean line start). Release notes themselves are minimal — each points to docu.ilias.de for details and the security blog for CVE specifics — which keeps the GitHub release feed terse but obscures feature direction.
What is Brilliant?
Brilliant launches Koji, a graphical AI tutor — its first product move in 15 months.
Brilliant ships infrequent, essay-style blog posts that read as much like product manifestos as changelog. The most recent post announces Koji, framed as a graphical AI tutor — the first new headline product in this ten-entry window. The rest of the timeline is course-design philosophy around algebra, programming, and learning-game evals.
ILIAS vs Brilliant: editorial side-by-side
ILIAS
5.0EDTECH
ILIAS keeps three concurrently-supported major lines (9, 10, 11) in lockstep with synchronized security patches.
◆ Current state
ILIAS is in a steady maintenance cadence across three concurrently-supported major lines: v9.20, v10.8, and v11.1 all shipped May 26 with security fixes. The v11.0 major-line opener went out May 4 without security fixes (suggesting clean line start). Release notes themselves are minimal — each points to docu.ilias.de for details and the security blog for CVE specifics — which keeps the GitHub release feed terse but obscures feature direction.
◆ Where it's heading
Mature open-source LMS mode: synchronized patches across supported lines, fresh v11 line opened in early May, v10 and v9 still actively supported. The pattern looks deliberate, aimed at institutional users (universities, training organizations) who cannot constantly chase major versions. Feature direction will not be visible from this changelog — it lives in the docu.ilias.de release pages.
◆ Prediction
Expect roughly monthly synchronized patch waves across 9/10/11 lines through summer. Mid-version feature work for v11.x will show up as v11.2 and v11.3 maintenance entries — visible here only as version bumps. Real direction requires monitoring the linked release pages directly.
Brilliant
3.8EDTECH
Brilliant launches Koji, a graphical AI tutor — its first product move in 15 months.
◆ Current state
Brilliant ships infrequent, essay-style blog posts that read as much like product manifestos as changelog. The most recent post announces Koji, framed as a graphical AI tutor — the first new headline product in this ten-entry window. The rest of the timeline is course-design philosophy around algebra, programming, and learning-game evals.
◆ Where it's heading
The throughline across these posts is the same: lean on visual, game-like interaction and use AI to scale the tutor-style feedback loop the team keeps writing about. Koji is the first concrete productization of that thesis after a long stretch of essays describing the approach. Cadence remains slow, which suggests Brilliant publishes only when something is meaningfully different.
◆ Prediction
Expect Koji to roll out across more subjects following the same algebra-then-CS pattern earlier posts described, and for future entries to attach Koji-specific course launches rather than announce new products from scratch.
Alternatives to ILIAS and Brilliant
Other EdTech products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either ILIAS or Brilliant.
ProProfs Training Maker
ProProfs Training Maker is running an LMS-alternatives content factory aimed squarely at L&D buyer-intent traffic.
Whatfix
Whatfix's content is shifting from in-app guidance to post-go-live operations — a clear product direction.
Coursera
Coursera absorbs Udemy and locks in every major AI partner — now the default skills layer.
Kahoot!
Kahoot leans on brand content partnerships and corporate L&D pieces.
Google Classroom
Google Classroom threads Gemini and NotebookLM through assignments, feedback, and standards.
See all ILIAS alternatives → · See all Brilliant alternatives →
Recent activity from ILIAS and Brilliant
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoBrilliantBrilliant introduces Koji, a graphical AI tutor ⚡
- 4d agoILIASILIAS 11.1 maintenance and security patches
- 4d agoILIASILIAS 10.8 maintenance and security patches
- 4d agoILIASILIAS 9.20 maintenance and security patches
- 26d agoILIASILIAS 11.0 opens the new major version line
- 1mo agoILIASILIAS 10.7 maintenance and security patches
- 1mo agoILIASILIAS 9.19 maintenance and security patches
- 1y agoBrilliantWhen “almost right” is catastrophically wrong: Evals for AI learning games
- 1y agoBrilliantHand-crafted, machine-made: How we make learning games with AI
- 1y agoBrilliantProgramming in 2025: A preview of our upcoming CS courses
- 1y agoBrilliantOne subject, three lenses: A multifaceted look at Algebra
- 1y agoBrilliantGame on: Solving for x-citement with interactive Algebra
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ILIAS and Brilliant?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. ILIAS is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 3.8), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is ILIAS better than Brilliant?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. ILIAS is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 3.8), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other EdTech products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to ILIAS?
Top ILIAS alternatives in EdTech are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ILIAS alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ilias for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Brilliant?
Top Brilliant alternatives in EdTech are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Brilliant alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/brilliant for the full list with editorial commentary on each.