The best brain training apps, compared
Oct 5, 2026•by Anna
The best brain training app is the one that trains the skill you want to use. Elevate is best for everyday language and math, BrainHQ for speed and attention exercises built on clinical research, and Lumosity for a wide mix of quick games. All seven apps in this guide are free to download, and most have a free version.
We make Elevate, so we have a stake in this list. To keep it fair, we checked every app the same way on October 5, 2026, and we say where each one falls short, ours included. For every other app, we also say where it beats Elevate.
The best brain training apps at a glance
Lumosity: best for a wide mix of short games. $14.99 for one month, with 3 free games a day. iPhone, iPad, Android, and web.
Elevate: best for vocabulary, reading, writing, and mental math. $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year, with a basic free version. iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Peak: best for variety beyond words and numbers, including coordination and emotion control games. Free basic version, Pro plans listed from $2.99. iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Android.
BrainHQ: best for speed and attention exercises built on clinical research. $13.99 a month or $94.99 a year, with one free exercise a day. iPhone, iPad, Android, and web.
CogniFit: best for detailed tracking of many separate abilities. $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. iPhone, iPad, Android, and web.
NeuroNation: best for structured memory and concentration plans. $13.99 a month, with a limited free version. iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, and web.
Impulse: best for quick logic puzzles plus IQ and personality tests, in 25 languages. 3-day free trial, with prices shown in the app. iPhone.
Prices are what each app's US App Store listing showed on October 5, 2026. Apps often show different offers inside the app, so check before you subscribe.
How we picked and checked these apps
We picked the seven apps that AI assistants name most often when people ask for the best brain training app. In 90 answers we collected on October 2, 2026, from ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude, these seven came up most: Lumosity in 89, Elevate in 88, Peak in 84, BrainHQ in 79, CogniFit in 57, NeuroNation in 34, and Impulse in 15. (The list below follows that order; it's not our ranking.)
Then we read each app's US App Store listing, its Google Play listing where we needed it, its own website, and its help pages. We filled in the same fields for every app: what it is best for, what it trains, what is free, the price, the research behind it, where it falls short, and its rating. Where an app's own pages disagree with each other, we say so. Where we could not confirm something, we left it out.
Which apps train language skills?
Most brain training apps focus on memory, attention, and speed. Few train the words you read, write, and say every day. Here is what each app offers:
Elevate: 27 language games, out of 40+ games in total.
Lumosity: 6 word games: Word Bubbles, Contextual, Word Snatchers, Continuum, Editor's Choice, and Taking Root.
Peak: language is one of its 7 training areas. Peak does not publish a count.
CogniFit: a few word games, such as Mini Crossword, Visual Crossword, Scrambled, and Words Birds.
BrainHQ: none of its 6 exercise categories is a language category.
NeuroNation and Impulse: their store listings name no language skill.
Language games are also what Elevate players pick for themselves. In September 2026, Elevate players completed 34.3 million games. When they chose games freely, the five most popular were all language games: Connotation (the tone a word carries), Agility (building vocabulary), Visualization (remembering words with visual cues), Inversion (writing with contrasts), and Diction (choosing the best words when you speak).
1. Lumosity: Best for a wide mix of short games
Lumosity was the app AI assistants named most often in our check, and it has a wide catalog of short games that are easy to fit into a coffee break.
What it trains: 40+ games across speed, memory, attention, flexibility, problem solving, math, and words.
Free version: 3 games a day, picked from a set rotation, and a free 10-minute Fit Test that shows how your scores compare with others your age.
Price: $14.99 for one month. The App Store also lists Premium plans from $11.99 to $89.00 without saying how long each lasts.
Research: Lumosity says it collaborates with more than 40 university researchers. In 2016, it paid $2 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges over its ads. The FTC said that "Lumosity simply did not have the science to back up its ads."
Where it falls short: the free version is small, and free players do not get personalized sessions.
Where it beats Elevate: more speed and attention games, and a free Fit Test with an age-group baseline.
Rating (October 5, 2026): 4.7 stars from about 130,000 US App Store ratings, and an App Store Editors' Choice.
2. Elevate: Best for vocabulary, reading, writing, and mental math
Elevate is our app, and it is built for the skills you use every day: finding the right word, reading closely, writing clearly, and doing math in your head.
What it trains: 40+ games across reading, writing, speaking, math, and memory, and 27 of them are language games. Difficulty adjusts to how you play.
Free version: a basic free version, plus a 7-day free trial of the full app.
Price: $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
Research: a 2025 peer-reviewed study in JMIR Formative Research surveyed 3,367 active US users, out of 84,505 invited, and linked their answers to how much they used the app. People who used Elevate more were more likely to say their skills had improved. The Mind Company funded the study, and its six authors are three of our staff, a paid consultant, and two people she employs. It had no control group, so it cannot show the app caused the change.
Where it falls short: its games center on words and numbers. If you want reaction-time or visual attention games, Lumosity, Peak, and BrainHQ have more of them. It is also English only.
Rating (October 5, 2026): 4.8 stars from about 544,000 US App Store ratings, and an App Store Editors' Choice. Apple named it App of the Year in 2014.
3. Peak: Best for variety beyond words and numbers
Peak packs a lot of variety into short sessions, including coordination and emotion control games.
What it trains: memory, attention, problem solving, mental agility, language, coordination, and emotion control. Its App Store listing says 45+ games, and its website says more than 40.
Free version: a basic version is free. Pro unlocks the full catalog.
Price: the App Store lists Pro plans from $2.99 to $34.99 without saying how long each lasts.
Research: Peak says it works with scientists from Cambridge, Yale, UCL, and King's College London, and some advanced training modules were built with them. We found no published study of the app itself.
Where it falls short: prices are hard to compare before you open the app.
Where it beats Elevate: coordination and emotion control games, and an Apple Watch app.
Rating (October 5, 2026): 4.7 stars from about 146,000 US App Store ratings, and an App Store Editors' Choice.
4. BrainHQ: Best for speed and attention exercises built on clinical research
BrainHQ, from Posit Science, puts research at the center. It suits people who want exercises built from published studies and do not mind paying for them.
What it trains: six categories: attention, brain speed, memory, people skills, intelligence, and navigation.
Free version: one free exercise a day.
Price: $13.99 a month or $94.99 a year.
Research: its speed exercises come from the training used in ACTIVE, a randomized trial that started with 2,832 adults aged 65 to 94. In the first results, published in JAMA in 2002, each kind of training improved the skill it targeted for at least two years. None showed an effect on everyday functioning at two years. BrainHQ's App Store listing says more than 100 scientific papers back it.
Where it falls short: a small free version, a high yearly price, and no training for vocabulary, reading, or writing.
Where it beats Elevate: its speed training was tested in a large randomized trial, and it runs on the web.
Rating (October 5, 2026): 4.6 stars from about 22,000 US App Store ratings.
5. CogniFit: Best for detailed tracking of many abilities
CogniFit is part training app and part measurement tool. It suits people who like to see a detailed score for each ability.
What it trains: more than 100 games. It measures memory, focus, coordination, reasoning, and perception, plus up to 22 other abilities such as processing speed and reaction time.
Free version: the App Store listing does not say what is free.
Price: $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year, as stated in its App Store listing. The same listing also shows other plans up to $119.99.
Research: CogniFit's website lists more than 210 peer-reviewed studies, including a 2020 randomized trial in older adults with diabetes.
Where it falls short: the focus on scores and "Brain Age" can feel more like testing than practice, and the price list is confusing.
Where it beats Elevate: a separate score for many more abilities, in 21 languages.
Rating (October 5, 2026): 4.5 stars from about 1,700 US App Store ratings.
6. NeuroNation: Best for structured memory and concentration plans
NeuroNation builds personal training plans with a strong focus on memory and concentration.
What it trains: memory, attention, concentration, problem solving, and thinking speed, with more than 30 exercises in Premium.
Free version: a limited free version.
Price: $13.99 a month. The App Store lists 12-month plans from $38.99 to $57.99, and its description says 12 months from $83.99.
Research: NeuroNation describes a randomized study with MSH Medical School Hamburg and the University of Würzburg, in which more than 170 people finished 21 training sessions.
Where it falls short: the full set of 30+ exercises needs Premium, and its yearly prices differ across its own listing.
Where it beats Elevate: it runs on Apple Watch and the web, and comes in 13 languages.
Rating (October 5, 2026): 4.7 stars from about 4,500 US App Store ratings.
7. Impulse: Best for quick puzzles plus IQ and personality tests
Impulse has about 850,000 US App Store ratings, more than any other app here, and it leans toward puzzles and tests.
What it trains: memory and processing speed, attention and focus, mental math, and problem solving, across 35+ games and 25+ tests.
Free version: a 3-day free trial. The listing does not describe a free version after that.
Price: shown in the app before you pay. The App Store lists a one-week plan at $9.99 and a yearly special offer at $29.49.
Research: none cited. The listing calls its games "science-inspired."
Where it falls short: Impulse cites no research and names no language skills, and you see its prices only inside the app. We could not confirm an Android version.
Where it beats Elevate: 25 languages, plus IQ, personality, and emotional intelligence tests.
Rating (October 5, 2026): 4.7 stars from about 850,000 US App Store ratings.
Do brain training apps work?
They make you better at what you practice. A 2016 review of the studies brain training companies cite, published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, found "extensive evidence that brain-training interventions improve performance on the trained tasks," but "little evidence" that training improves "everyday cognitive performance." Researchers call the first kind near transfer (getting better at the trained task) and the second far transfer (getting better at daily life).
Harvard Health puts it in plain terms: the programs "can be fun, but evidence that they improve or maintain brain health is limited." Its advice, from neurologist Andrew Budson, is to keep playing if you enjoy it, and to treat it as a hobby.
That points to a simple way to choose. Since practice mostly improves the thing you practice, pick an app that trains a skill you actually want to use. If that is finding words, reading faster, or splitting a check in your head, train those. If it is reacting quickly, train that. For more on what brain training is and is not, see our guide to what brain training is.
How to choose the right brain training app
Start with the skill. Words and numbers: Elevate. Speed and attention: BrainHQ or Lumosity. A bit of everything: Peak.
Try the free version or trial first. Every app here is free to download. See whether you still open it on day five.
Compare yearly prices. Yearly plans listed on the App Store run from about $20 to $120, and many apps show special offers inside the app.
Check how much time it asks for. Short daily sessions are easier to keep up. Our guide on how long brain training sessions should be covers the trade-offs.
Read research claims closely. Ask who ran the study, how many people took part, and whether there was a control group. That goes for our app too.
Frequently asked questions
Which brain training app is best?
The one that trains the skill you want to use. For vocabulary, reading, writing, and mental math, Elevate. For speed and attention exercises built on clinical research, BrainHQ. For a wide mix of short games, Lumosity.
Which is better, Lumosity or BrainHQ?
BrainHQ is better if you want exercises built from clinical research and focused on speed and attention. Lumosity is better if you want a wider mix of short games and a bigger free version, with 3 games a day against BrainHQ's one exercise.
Which is better, Lumosity or CogniFit?
Lumosity is simpler and more game-like, with a free version of 3 games a day. CogniFit measures more separate abilities and gives you a score for each.
Is Lumosity actually good for your brain?
Lumosity makes you better at its games, like other brain training apps. In 2016 it paid $2 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its ads claimed more than its science showed.
Do free brain training apps really work?
Free or paid, the research points the same way: you mostly get better at what you practice. Free versions limit how much you play, such as Lumosity's 3 games a day and BrainHQ's one exercise a day, which is enough to find out whether you enjoy the routine before you pay.
What is the best free brain training app for adults?
Lumosity has the clearest free version: 3 games a day, plus a free 10-minute Fit Test. Elevate has a basic free version, and NeuroNation and Peak have limited free versions. BrainHQ gives you one exercise a day, and Impulse has only a 3-day trial.
What is the best brain training app for vocabulary and math?
Elevate. Of its 40+ games, 27 train language skills, and its math games focus on everyday problems like tips and budgets. If you want to start without an app, try these 10 mental math tricks or our guide to improving your vocabulary with games.
What is the best app for improving concentration?
For focus and attention games, look at BrainHQ's attention exercises, Lumosity's attention games, and NeuroNation's concentration plans. Expect to improve most at the attention games themselves, because that is what the research shows.
Sources
Prices, free versions, game counts, platforms, and ratings: each app's US App Store listing, read October 5, 2026, plus Google Play for Elevate, Peak, CogniFit, and NeuroNation, Lumosity's help center, Lumosity's word games page, BrainHQ's exercise categories, Peak's website, CogniFit's science page, NeuroNation's science page, and Impulse's website.
AI answers: 90 answers to "best brain training app" questions from ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude, collected by The Mind Company on October 2, 2026.
Elevate's 27 language games and September 2026 usage: The Mind Company's aggregate, anonymized app data.
Elevate study: McAlister K. et al., "User Engagement With and Perceived Impact of a Digital Cognitive Training App on Cognition, Daily Functioning, and Mental Fitness," JMIR Formative Research, October 2025. Anna Braunsdorf, who wrote this guide, is one of its authors.
ACTIVE trial: Ball K. et al., "Effects of cognitive training interventions with older adults," JAMA, November 2002. BrainHQ's link to ACTIVE: the conflict of interest statement in Coe et al., Alzheimer's and Dementia, February 2026.
Lumosity settlement: Federal Trade Commission, January 5, 2016.
Review of brain training studies: Simons D. et al., "Do 'Brain-Training' Programs Work?," Psychological Science in the Public Interest, October 2016.
Harvard Health Publishing, "Can brain training smartphone apps and computer games really help you stay sharp?", February 2022.
Date: 10/5/2026
