If you want to understand more of the world, your learning app should give you somewhere to follow that curiosity. You might start with History, get interested in Psychology, and then decide it is finally time to make sense of Personal Finance.
Sharp is our pick for broad, guided learning in short sessions. It combines courses across 24 subjects with explanations and practice, so exploring widely does not have to mean collecting disconnected facts.
It also fits students who want to fill gaps, explore beyond class and revisit topics from school or university. Short explanations and quick questions give you a way to work on the foundations alongside your coursework.
Other tools serve more specific goals: regular language practice, math and coding, qualifications, book summaries, revision or collecting ideas. Here is how eight options fit those different needs.
How to choose a learning app
Start with what you want from your next session. Do you want an interesting subject explained, a problem to solve, a language to practise, or a way to revise material you already have?
Then consider the format:
- Breadth: can you move between subjects that interest you?
- Depth: is there a course to follow beyond the first interesting fact?
- Practice: do you get to use the idea rather than only read about it?
- Time: does the format suit the breaks you actually have?
For everyday curiosity, a guided route through several subjects can be more useful than assembling a separate tool for each interest. For a particular exam, qualification or language goal, a specialist tool may be the right choice.
The comparison at a glance
| App | Best suited to | Main learning format |
|---|---|---|
| Sharp | Broad knowledge, study gaps and additional revision | Guided courses, bite-sized reads and quick questions |
| Duolingo | Regular language practice | Interactive language exercises |
| Brilliant | Math and coding problem-solving | Guided problems and tutoring |
| Coursera | Subject and career qualifications | Courses and certificate programs |
| edX | University-backed online study | Courses, certificates and programs |
| Blinkist | Key ideas from nonfiction books | Text and audio summaries |
| Anki | Revising material you select | Scheduled flashcard reviews |
| Deepstash | Discovering and collecting short ideas | Curated idea cards and saved collections |
1. Sharp
Sharp: Short Lessons, Big Wins brings 24 subjects into one app, from History, Psychology and Philosophy to Math, Biology and Computer Science. Its courses let you follow an interest beyond an introduction, with beginner, intermediate and advanced topics.
- How it works
- Choose a subject and follow a guided course. Bite-sized reads introduce ideas, then quick questions let you practise with feedback. Streaks, XP and leaderboards help you keep track of your activity and learn alongside friends.
- Pricing
- Monthly, annual and one-off lifetime plans are available on the website. See Sharp's plans and pricing.
- Best for
- Curious adults and students who want to fill knowledge gaps, explore beyond class and revise topics alongside their school or university courses. Follow a structured path in short sessions, then return to explore the subject further.
- Platforms
- iOS and Android.
Before choosing: start with a subject you are curious about or a topic from class that could use another explanation. Browse the subject summaries and sample courses to find a starting point, whether you are building a foundation, revising familiar ideas or learning beyond your course.
2. Duolingo
Duolingo offers short language exercises involving speaking, listening, reading and writing. Its current offering also includes Math, Music and Chess.
- How it works
- Follow a course through interactive exercises and repeat practice over time. Short sessions, progress tracking and game-like rewards make it easy to work language practice into a routine.
- Pricing
- Super pricing: $12.99 per month or $95.99 per year.
- Best for
- People who want a regular way to practise a language, whether for travel, work or personal interest.
- Platforms
- iOS, Android and web; individual features can differ between them.
Before choosing: identify the language and skills you want to practise. App exercises can fit alongside real conversations, listening and reading in that language.
3. Brilliant
Brilliant focuses on math, coding and related quantitative subjects, using guided problem-solving and tutoring rather than a feed of general-interest facts.
- How it works
- Work through interactive problems and explanations in areas such as algebra, calculus, Python and data analysis. Its tutoring features help guide the steps toward a solution.
- Pricing
- Premium pricing: $24.99 per month or $149.99 per year.
- Best for
- Learners who want to spend their practice time on math, coding or other STEM problems.
- Platforms
- iOS, Android and web.
Before choosing: if your curiosity also takes you into Art, History or Literature, you will want a broader subject mix. Sharp lets you move between those interests and more technical topics within the same guided-learning app.
4. Coursera
Coursera offers courses, specializations, professional certificates and degree programs from universities and industry partners. It is often a useful place to look when you have a defined subject or career goal.
- How it works
- Enroll in a course or program and follow its lessons and assessments. The workload and prerequisites depend on the particular offering.
- Pricing
- Coursera Plus pricing: $59 per month or $399 per year. Degrees and some programs are priced separately.
- Best for
- People pursuing a defined skill, professional certificate or more formal course of study.
- Platforms
- Web and mobile apps; some coursework may be better suited to a computer.
Before choosing: Coursera has broad subject coverage, but individual courses can involve a larger commitment. If you want to explore several interests in short daily sessions rather than work toward a qualification, Sharp offers a lighter starting point.
5. edX
edX offers university-backed online courses, certificate programs and microcredentials across a range of subjects.
- How it works
- Choose an individual course or a longer program, then follow its learning materials and assessment requirements. Check the specific course when deciding how much time to set aside.
- Pricing
- A verified certificate for HarvardX's CS50's Introduction to Computer Science is listed at $219. That is a specific course fee, not an all-access subscription.
- Best for
- Learners who want university-style study or a defined credential pathway.
- Platforms
- Web and mobile apps, with access depending on the course and activity.
Before choosing: a formal course can be a good fit when you know exactly what you want to study. For shorter sessions that let you follow curiosity from one subject to another, Sharp’s guided course format is worth exploring.
6. Blinkist
Blinkist condenses ideas from nonfiction books into text and audio summaries. It also offers other guided content and tools for exploring those ideas.
- How it works
- Read or listen to a summary to get an introduction to a book's main ideas. Save titles and explore related topics as your interests develop.
- Pricing
- Premium pricing: $15.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
- Best for
- Readers and listeners who want a quick introduction to nonfiction books or help choosing their next full read.
- Platforms
- iOS, Android and web.
Before choosing: a book summary gives you selected ideas, while a subject course gives you a sequence to work through. Sharp combines those guided subject paths with questions and feedback, so you can keep developing an interest rather than stop at an overview.
7. Anki
Anki is a flashcard system for reviewing material you choose. It schedules future reviews based on how well you recall each card.
- How it works
- Create cards or choose a shared deck, answer the prompts and rate your recall. Anki uses those responses to schedule later reviews.
- Pricing
- AnkiMobile for iOS: $24.99 once, not a subscription.
- Best for
- People revising terminology, facts or other material they already know they need to remember.
- Platforms
- Desktop, AnkiMobile on iOS and AnkiDroid on Android, with AnkiWeb synchronization.
Before choosing: flashcards work best when you have useful material to put into them. If you would rather begin with explanations and a course already laid out, Sharp provides the guided content and practice together.
8. Deepstash
Deepstash presents short ideas from books, articles and other sources in a personalized feed. You can save the ideas that interest you and organize them into collections.
- How it works
- Choose your interests, read curated idea cards and save them into stashes. Pro adds features such as audio, offline access and an ad-free experience.
- Pricing
- Pro pricing: $12.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
- Best for
- People who enjoy discovering concise ideas and building a personal collection to revisit.
- Platforms
- iOS, Android and web.
Before choosing: Deepstash covers a range of topics, but collecting ideas and following a course are different experiences. Sharp is the better fit if you want a guided learning path: progress through subject courses, read explanations and practise with questions and feedback, rather than build your own path from saved idea cards.
Learning alongside school or university
Sometimes a new topic becomes easier once you revisit an earlier idea. A gap in algebra can make a later problem feel harder; an unfamiliar concept in Biology can interrupt an otherwise clear explanation. Short, guided lessons give you a way to return to those foundations.
Use Sharp for additional learning and revision alongside your school or university courses. Choose topics that overlap with your classes in Math, Biology, Chemistry or Computer Science, then read the explanations and practise with questions and feedback.
Let your class notes and reading lists guide what you revisit. Sharp can help you work through related ideas, strengthen your foundations and follow an interest further than the material covered in class.
Find your next subject
Start with History, Psychology, Math or Personal Finance, or explore all of Sharp’s subjects. Each subject page gives you a sense of the range and a few sample courses before you head into the app.
For a routine to go with it, read our ten-minute learning-habit guide. If you enjoy challenges, our guide to educational games for adults explains what to look for beyond rewards.
