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Brainly vs Coursera

Side-by-side on valuation, funding, investors, founders & more

Comparison updated: April 2026

Coursera is valued at $1.1B — more than 3x Brainly's N/A.

Head-to-Head Verdict

Coursera leads on 3 of 4 metrics

Brainly

1 win

-Funding
-Awaira Score
-Team Size
+Experience

Coursera

3 wins

+Funding
+Awaira Score
+Team Size
-Experience

Key Numbers

Valuation
N/A
$1.1B
Total Funding
$165M
$443M
Awaira Score
62/100
74/100
Employees
300
1300
Founded
2009
2012
Stage
Series D
Public
BrainlyCoursera
Brainly logo
Brainly

🇵🇱 Poland · Michal Borkowski

Series DAI EducationEst. 2009

Valuation

N/A

Total Funding

$165M

Awaira Score62/100

300 employees

Full Brainly Profile →
Winner
Coursera logo
Coursera

🇺🇸 United States · Andrew Ng

PublicAI EducationEst. 2012

Valuation

$1.1B

Total Funding

$443M

Awaira Score74/100

1300 employees

Full Coursera Profile →
Market Context

Both companies compete in the AI Education space, though from different geographies — Brainly in Poland and Coursera in United States. Different stages (Series D vs Public) mean these companies face fundamentally different operational priorities.

🔬

Analyst Summary

Built from real data · Updated April 2026

Companies

In the AI Education market, Brainly and Coursera represent two distinct approaches. Brainly is a Polish AI-powered educational platform founded in 2009 that employs artificial intelligence and community collaboration to provide academic support. Coursera is a publicly-traded online learning platform founded in 2012 that offers courses, specializations, and degree programs across multiple disciplines, with significant focus on AI and machine learning education.

Funding & Valuation

Only Coursera has a public valuation on record ($1.1B); Brainly's has not been disclosed. Both have attracted significant capital — Coursera with $443M and Brainly with $165M.

Growth Stage

Brainly was founded in 2009, 3 years before Coursera arrived in 2012. Brainly is at Series D while Coursera stands at Public, indicating different levels of maturity and investor risk. Team sizes also differ: Brainly employs 300 people versus Coursera's 1300.

Geography & Outlook

Geography separates them: Brainly in 🇵🇱 Poland and Coursera in 🇺🇸 United States, each benefiting from local ecosystems. Awaira rates Coursera at 74 and Brainly at 62, a gap that reflects differences in capital efficiency and market traction. Under Michal Borkowski and Andrew Ng respectively, both companies continue to chart aggressive growth paths.

Funding Velocity

Brainly

Total Rounds4
Avg. Round Size$28.5M
Funding Span8 yrs

Coursera

Total Rounds6
Avg. Round Size$61.8M
Funding Span9.2 yrs

Funding History

Brainly has completed 4 funding rounds, while Coursera has gone through 6. Brainly's most recent round was a Series D of $80M, compared to Coursera's IPO. Brainly is at Series D while Coursera is at Public — different points in their growth trajectory.

Team & Scale

Coursera has the bigger team at roughly 1300 people — 4x the size of Brainly's 300. Brainly has a 3-year head start, founded in 2009 vs Coursera's 2012. Geographically, they're in different markets — Brainly operates out of Poland and Coursera from United States.

Metrics Comparison

MetricBrainlyCoursera
💰Valuation
N/A
$1.1B
📈Total Funding
$165M
$443MWINS
📅Founded
2009
2012WINS
🚀Stage
Series D
Public
👥Employees
300
1300
🌍Country
Poland
United States
🏷️Category
AI Education
AI Education
Awaira Score
62
74WINS

Key Differences

📈

Funding gap: Coursera has raised $278M more ($443M vs $165M)

📅

Market experience: Brainly has 3 years more (founded 2009 vs 2012)

🚀

Growth stage: Brainly is at Series D vs Coursera at Public

👥

Team size: Brainly has 300 employees vs Coursera's 1300

🌍

Market base: 🇵🇱 Brainly (Poland) vs 🇺🇸 Coursera (United States)

⚔️

Direct competitors: Both operate in the AI Education market segment

Awaira Score: Coursera scores 74/100 vs Brainly's 62/100

Which Should You Choose?

Use these signals to make the right call

Brainly logo

Choose Brainly if…

  • More market experience — founded in 2009
  • Poland-based for regional compliance or proximity
  • Brainly is a Polish AI-powered educational platform founded in 2009 that employs artificial intelligence and community collaboration to provide academic support
Coursera logo

Choose Coursera if…

Top Pick
  • Higher Awaira Score — 74/100 vs 62/100
  • More established by valuation ($1.1B)
  • Stronger investor backing — raised $443M
  • United States-based for regional compliance or proximity
  • Coursera is a publicly-traded online learning platform founded in 2012 that offers courses, specializations, and degree programs across multiple disciplines, with significant focus on AI and machine learning education

Funding History

Brainly raised $165M across 4 rounds. Coursera raised $443M across 6 rounds.

Brainly

Series D

Dec 2020

Lead: Naspers

$80M

Series C

Jan 2015

$15M

Series A

Oct 2014

$9M

Series B

Jan 2013

Lead: Posts Holdings

$10M

Coursera

IPO

Mar 2021

Series E

Apr 2019

$103M

Series D

Jun 2017

Lead: Naspers

$64M

Series C

Mar 2015

Lead: Kleiner Perkins

$63M

Series B

Jul 2013

Lead: Google Capital

$63M

Series A

Jan 2012

Lead: Sequoia Capital

$16M

Investor Comparison

Shared Investors1
Naspers

Unique to Brainly

Horizon CapitalPosts Holdings

Unique to Coursera

Coursera EmployeesKleiner PerkinsNew Enterprise AssociatesGoogle CapitalSequoia Capital

Users Also Compare

FAQ — Brainly vs Coursera

Is Brainly bigger than Coursera?
Coursera has a disclosed valuation of $1.1B, while Brainly's valuation is not publicly available, making a direct size comparison difficult. Coursera employs 1300 people.
Which company raised more funding — Brainly or Coursera?
Coursera has raised more in total funding at $443M, compared to Brainly's $165M — a gap of $278M. Combined, the two companies have completed 10 known funding rounds.
Which company has a higher Awaira Score?
Coursera leads with an Awaira Score of 74/100, while Brainly sits at 62/100. That 12-point gap reflects real differences in funding, scale, and traction — it's not a vanity metric.
Who founded Brainly vs Coursera?
Brainly was founded by Michal Borkowski in 2009. Coursera was founded by Andrew Ng in 2012. Visit each company's profile on Awaira for a full founder biography.
What does Brainly do vs Coursera?
Brainly: Brainly is a Polish AI-powered educational platform founded in 2009 that employs artificial intelligence and community collaboration to provide academic support. The platform enables students to ask questions across subjects and receive answers from a global community of peers and educators, with AI systems helping verify answer quality and relevance. Brainly's core service centers on homework help, test preparation, and subject-specific learning across mathematics, science, languages, and humanities. The company has raised $165M in total funding through Series D stage financing, with valuation not disclosed. The platform operates globally, serving millions of monthly active users across multiple countries and languages. Brainly's technology integrates machine learning to personalize learning experiences, detect spam or inappropriate content, and recommend relevant answers. The platform monetizes through premium subscriptions offering ad-free access, detailed explanations, and priority response features. Competitively, Brainly positions itself within the AI education market alongside platforms like Chegg and traditional tutoring services. The company has achieved significant scale in emerging markets and developed nations. Growth trajectory indicators include expanding user base, geographic expansion, and increasing integration of advanced AI capabilities into its core offering. Brainly combines peer-to-peer learning with AI verification systems to create a scalable, community-driven alternative to traditional tutoring. Coursera: Coursera is a publicly-traded online learning platform founded in 2012 that offers courses, specializations, and degree programs across multiple disciplines, with significant focus on AI and machine learning education. The company partners with universities and organizations to deliver content covering computer science, data science, artificial intelligence, and related technical fields. Its core products include on-demand courses, professional certificates, bachelor's and master's degree programs, and enterprise learning solutions. Coursera's platform uses adaptive learning technologies and AI-driven personalization to customize educational pathways for individual learners. The company serves millions of learners globally, with notable partnerships including Stanford University, Google, IBM, and Amazon. Its revenue model combines subscription fees, course payments, and enterprise contracts. With a valuation of $1.1B and total funding of $464M, Coursera went public in 2021. The company operates in the competitive online education space alongside platforms like Udemy, edX, and LinkedIn Learning. Growth has been driven by increasing demand for accessible AI and technical education, though the company faces challenges from competition and market saturation. Coursera's positioning emphasizes university partnerships and credential-backed programs that differentiate it from consumer-focused competitors. The platform has expanded into corporate training and upskilling initiatives. Coursera combines university-accredited credentials with AI-powered personalization at scale, creating a bridge between academic institutions and workforce development in technology fields.
Which company was founded first?
Brainly got there first, launching in 2009 — that's 3 years of extra runway. Coursera didn't arrive until 2012. In AI, that kind of head start means more training data, deeper customer relationships, and a bigger talent moat.
Which company has more employees?
Brainly has about 300 employees; Coursera has about 1300. A bigger team usually means more revenue or heavier VC backing, but in AI, small teams can build at massive scale.
Are Brainly and Coursera competitors?
Yes — they're direct rivals. Both Brainly and Coursera compete in AI Education, targeting many of the same buyers. If you're evaluating one, you should be looking at the other.

Bottom Line

Coursera edges ahead with an Awaira Score of 74, but Brainly (62) isn't far behind. The gap is narrow enough that it could shift with the next funding round.

Who Should You Watch?

Coursera is in the stronger position — better score and deeper pockets. But Brainly has room to surprise, especially if they land a marquee investor. Follow both profiles on Awaira to track funding rounds, team changes, and score updates.

Deep Dive