Is Brainly considered cheating by schools?

Most teachers view Brainly as a 'grey area' at best and blatant cheating at worst if the student is just copying answers. If a kid uses it to understand a concept and then does the work themselves, it's a study aid; if they copy-paste, it's a violation of most school honor codes.

How do I cancel a Brainly Plus subscription without the headache?

The safest bet is to cancel through the platform you used to sign up (like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store) rather than directly through their website, as third-party app stores make one-click cancellation much more reliable.

Can my child talk to strangers on Brainly?

Yes, there is a comment and messaging system. While it is moderated for safety and 'honor code' violations, it is still a massive social network of 250 million users. It's best to keep the account settings as private as possible.

Are the answers on Brainly actually correct?

Not always. Because it's peer-to-peer, you're getting answers from other students who might be just as confused as your child. Look for answers with high ratings or those 'verified' by experts, but always treat them as a starting point, not gospel.

Brainly – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Brainly

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Website2009

52%

WISE Score

The world's largest digital study group that's one part helpful tutor and two parts 'can I just copy your homework?'

Brainly

Website

2009

52%

WISE Score

The world's largest digital study group that's one part helpful tutor and two parts 'can I just copy your homework?'

Jump to

Screenwise Verdict

Brainly is the ultimate double-edged sword of the homework world. On one side, it’s a massive, 250-million-strong brain trust that can explain a complex concept in seconds. On the other, it’s a haven for kids looking to skip the actual work and a company that has a spotty reputation with billing transparency.

If your kid is using it, you need to be the quality control. It’s less of a 'set it and forget it' educational tool and more of a resource that requires active parental auditing to ensure they aren't just copy-pasting their way through the semester or getting caught in a subscription loop.

Age Fit

While technically open to kids as young as 8, it’s best for middle and high schoolers (12+) who have the critical thinking skills to verify information and avoid the social engineering of the points system.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

While it promotes peer-to-peer collaboration, the platform often devolves into a transactional 'answer-for-points' system that can feel more like a shortcut than a community of learners.

Imaginative

It is a utility-first platform. It's designed to solve existing problems, not to spark original creative thought or open-ended exploration.

Safe

User-generated content is moderated but not infallible. Significant parent complaints about predatory billing practices and the difficulty of cancelling subscriptions earn it a safety cap.

Enriching

When used correctly, the step-by-step explanations can clarify difficult concepts. However, the temptation to simply copy-paste answers is a massive hurdle for genuine learning.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Lightning-fast responses mean kids aren't stuck on a single math problem for three hours on a Tuesday night.
Peer-to-peer explanations often use language that resonates better with students than a dry textbook ever could.
Gamified learning mechanics like points and ranks can actually motivate some kids to help others and solidify their own knowledge.
Subject breadth is massive, covering everything from basic elementary addition to high-level AP Physics and SAT prep.

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What to Watch For

The 'Brainly Plus' trap: Trustpilot is littered with reviews from parents who found it nearly impossible to cancel subscriptions or get refunds for 'sneaky' charges.
Accuracy is a gamble: Since answers are crowd-sourced, your kid might be confidently learning something that is 100% wrong.
Cheating vs. Learning: It is incredibly easy for a kid to treat this as an 'answer key' rather than a 'learning tool.'
Ad-heavy experience: The free version is cluttered with ads that can be distracting and occasionally lead to low-quality external sites.

Conversation Starters

"If you find an answer on here, how can we double-check that it's actually right?"
"Is using this site helping you understand the 'why' of the problem, or just the 'what'?"
"Why do you think people spend their free time answering other people's homework questions?"
"What’s the difference between getting help and just getting the answer?"

Deep Dive

The Homework Help Paradox

Brainly has been around since 2009, but it really hit its stride during the pandemic when every kid was suddenly a 'remote learner' and parents were collectively failing 8th-grade algebra. It fills a very real gap: what do you do when the teacher isn't there and the textbook is gibberish? In theory, the peer-to-peer model is brilliant. There is no better way to learn something than to explain it to someone else, and Brainly provides that platform at scale.

However, in practice, the site is often a race to the bottom. Because the platform rewards speed and quantity (via points and rankings), the 'explanations' can sometimes be thin or just plain wrong. As noted by Common Sense Education, the site is frequently used more for academic shortcuts than for genuine conceptual mastery.

The Subscription Friction

The most consistent 'real world' danger isn't the content—it's the billing. Parents in 2025 and 2026 continue to report major headaches with the Brainly Plus subscription. If you decide to go for the ad-free version, do so with a burner credit card or through a service with easy cancellation. The platform has been called out repeatedly for 'predatory' tactics regarding refunds and recurring charges.

How to Use It Without Cheating

If you want to use Brainly as a force for good, make it a rule that your kid has to explain the answer back to you after they find it on the site. If they can't explain the logic, they didn't learn it—they just found it. It’s a great 'check your work' tool, but a terrible 'do your work' tool.

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