Elevate is the best Lumosity alternative for most people: it costs $39.99 a year in the US App Store, and its free version gives you a new three-game workout every day. If research is your reason for leaving, choose BrainHQ ($96 a year), which has the deepest published research record of any app we rate. Peak looks like the cheapest of the alternatives we rate, at about $34.99 a year, and CogniFit suits people who want detailed assessments. Elevate and Peak run only on phones and tablets, so if you train on a computer, look at BrainHQ or CogniFit.
Lumosity is one of the best-known names in brain training, and for good reasons: more than 40 games, a free account you can keep indefinitely, and apps for phones, tablets, and computers. We rate it 7.4 out of 10. But depending on what bothers you about it, another app may suit you better.
The usual reasons to look elsewhere come down to five: the price, the research, a free account limited to three games a day, workouts that feel like more than you want, or games that feel abstract rather than useful. Each gets its own answer below. Our ratings come from hands-on use against Mindkindly’s five-criterion framework, and we checked every price and feature against each company’s own store listings, website, or help center in October and November 2026.
The best Lumosity alternatives compared
| App | Best for | Price (annual) | Rating | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevate | Everyday skills, best free version | $39.99 | 8.4 | iOS, Android |
| BrainHQ | Strongest research record | $96 | 8.6 | iOS, Android, Web |
| Peak | Looks like the lowest price, polished games | ~$34.99 | 8.0 | iOS, Android |
| CogniFit | Detailed assessments | $59.99 to $119.99 in app; $119.99+ on web | 7.1 | iOS, Android, Web |
These are US prices from each company’s App Store listing or website. NeuroNation is not in our scored roundup, so it has no rating, but it appears below as a free option.
| App | Premium price (US) | What you get free | Works on a computer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumosity | Not published; $11.99 to $89.00 in App Store | 3 games a day, chosen for you | Yes |
| Elevate | $39.99 a year or $9.99 a month | One 3-game workout a day | No |
| BrainHQ | $96 a year or $14 a month on its website | Daily Spark: 1 exercise a day | Yes |
| Peak | About $34.99 a year | A short daily workout, played once | No |
| CogniFit | $59.99 to $119.99 a year in the app; $119.99 or $169.99 a year on the web | The first assessment, and web games up to level 2.0 | Yes |
| NeuroNation | Varies by region and device | A limited selection of exercises | Yes |
If Lumosity costs too much: Peak or Elevate
Lumosity makes its prices hard to compare. Its help center points you to a purchase page you can see only after signing in, and its US App Store listing shows Premium purchases from $11.99 to $89.00, mostly without naming the plans. Those look like monthly plans, yearly plans, and discount offers, though Lumosity does not say so.
Peak looks like the cheapest of the alternatives we rate: about $34.99 for Pro in the US App Store, though the listing does not name the period. It has more than 45 games, and Pro adds a personalized six-game daily workout you can replay, every game, and advanced statistics. It scores 8.0 with us.
Elevate costs $39.99 a year or $9.99 a month. The yearly plan has a 7-day free trial that, according to Elevate’s help center, renews into an annual subscription unless you turn off auto-renewal at least 24 hours before the seventh day.
Neither app works on a computer. If you would rather stay with Lumosity and pay less, our Lumosity cost guide covers plan lengths, refunds, and trials.
If you want stronger research: BrainHQ
BrainHQ has the deepest published research record of any app we rate, and at 8.6 it is the highest-rated app in this guide. BrainHQ says its Double Decision exercise is an updated version of the speed training used in the ACTIVE study, a large NIH-funded trial that randomly assigned 2,832 adults aged 65 to 94 to ten sessions of supervised group training or to no training. Ten years later, the speed training group still showed better processing speed than the control group.
Keep that in perspective. ACTIVE was a supervised research program, not an app, and the National Institute on Aging says there is not enough evidence that commercial brain training apps have the same impact as the ACTIVE training. Expect to get better at BrainHQ’s exercises; how far that carries into daily life is less certain. Our BrainHQ vs Lumosity comparison covers the longer-term follow-ups and the debate around them.
Lumosity’s record is thinner. In a 2015 online trial of 4,715 adults, people who played Lumosity’s games for 10 weeks improved slightly more on a set of cognitive tests than people who did crossword puzzles. Lumos Labs funded that study, and all seven authors worked for, consulted for, or advised the company. In 2016, Lumos Labs paid $2 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its ads made unfounded claims, including that its games could delay age-related cognitive decline.
BrainHQ’s trade-offs are real: its interface feels dated, some exercises need your phone turned sideways, and it recommends at least 60 to 90 minutes of training a week.
Peak has research ties too. Its Decoder attention game, now part of Peak’s Focus category, came out of University of Cambridge research and was tested in a small 2019 study of 75 young adults; one of the authors consults for Peak.
If you want a better free version: Elevate, BrainHQ, or NeuroNation
Lumosity’s free account gives you three games a day, chosen for you and rotating daily, for as long as you keep your account.
Elevate has the most useful free version of the apps we rate: one three-game workout a day, plus study materials and weekly performance reports. The paid version adds all 40-plus games, adaptive difficulty, detailed tracking, and an ad-free experience, so expect some ads on the free version.
BrainHQ gives free users the Daily Spark, one exercise a day in a different category each day of the week, plus four exercises on its homepage. Full access can also cost nothing: some public libraries offer BrainHQ to their patrons, and BrainHQ’s 2026 list names three Medicare Advantage plans that include it: Elderplan, Kaiser Permanente (Mid-Atlantic), and SummaCare (except its Garnet, Topaz, and Quartz HMO plans).
NeuroNation, from Synaptikon GmbH, has a free version with a limited selection of exercises. Locked exercises show a padlock, and you can close the subscription offer and keep training for free. Premium unlocks more than 30 exercises at prices that vary by region and device. It runs on iPhone, Android, and the web, and its app store listings note ads.
Peak’s free version is thinner: a short daily workout of randomly assigned games, playable once a day. Our guide to the best free brain training apps compares every free tier side by side.
If you want lighter daily play: Peak or Elevate
Lumosity’s Quick mode, which keeps a workout to eight minutes or less, is for Premium members only. Peak’s free daily workout is short, and its App Store listing describes a Coffee Break option for when you have under five minutes. Elevate’s free workout is three games, and once a day free users can choose its Quick training instead of the standard workout.
If a single puzzle is all you want, a daily word or logic game may suit you better than any training app.
If you want practical, everyday skills: Elevate
Most Lumosity games are abstract puzzles: matching cards, routing trains, spotting which way a bird is facing. Elevate’s games practice reading, writing, speaking, memory, and math instead, the kinds of skills you use for an email or a bit of mental arithmetic. That makes the practice feel useful, and it is a big part of why Elevate scores 8.4 with us.
The evidence is limited. The only peer-reviewed Elevate study we found, a 2025 survey of its users, was written by employees of its maker and of a paid consultant to it, measured how much users felt they had improved rather than testing their skills, and had no control group. Elevate also leans heavily on English. Our Lumosity vs Elevate comparison puts the two side by side.
If you want detailed assessments: CogniFit
CogniFit, which we rate 7.1, is built around cognitive assessments more than any other app we rate. A free account lets you take the initial assessment and, on a computer, play any game up to level 2.0.
Prices depend on where you buy. CogniFit’s website lists $19.99 a month or $119.99 a year for 20 games, $29.99 a month or $169.99 a year for more than 100 games, and single assessments at $49.99 each. Its App Store listing describes subscriptions at $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year, though its in-app purchases also include Basic plans at $19.99 a month and $119.99 a year. Choose CogniFit if detailed reports matter more to you than a quick, fun habit, and skip it if Lumosity already felt like a lot.
Where Lumosity still wins
Lumosity runs in a web browser on Windows and Mac as well as on phones and tablets, which Elevate and Peak cannot match. It is also a well-made, familiar option, with more than 40 games, a family plan for up to five people, and a free account you can keep as long as you like. Our Lumosity review covers it in full.
Zenelia is a brain training app made by Mindkindly’s owner, so we don’t rank or score it here. It costs $6.99 a month or $44.99 a year, has a 7-day free trial, and is iPhone only for now; read more about Zenelia or see it on the App Store.
What to expect from any of these apps
Whichever app you choose, keep your expectations realistic. A major 2016 review of brain training research found that training reliably improves performance on the trained tasks, with little evidence that it improves everyday cognitive performance. Pick the app you will enjoy opening, and treat any broader benefit as unproven. If you or someone close to you is noticing memory changes, talk to a doctor. Our ranking of the best brain training apps explains how each app scored.
Common questions
What is the best alternative to Lumosity? For most people, Elevate. It costs $39.99 a year, has the most useful free version of the apps we rate, and practices everyday skills. If research matters most to you, choose BrainHQ.
Is there a free alternative to Lumosity? Yes. Elevate’s free version gives you a three-game workout every day, BrainHQ’s Daily Spark gives you one exercise a day, and NeuroNation has a limited free version. Some libraries and Medicare Advantage plans also offer full BrainHQ access at no cost.
Which Lumosity alternative works on a computer? BrainHQ, CogniFit, and NeuroNation all run in a web browser. Elevate and Peak are phone and tablet apps only.
Is BrainHQ better than Lumosity? For research backing, yes, and it scores 8.6 to Lumosity’s 7.4 with us. But it is slower and less game-like, so if you mainly want fun daily puzzles, Peak or Lumosity may suit you better.
Can a brain training app prevent memory loss? None of these apps has been shown to. The FTC’s 2016 case against Lumos Labs centered partly on claims like this, and the National Institute on Aging says there is not enough evidence that commercial apps have the same impact as the training studied in ACTIVE.
The bottom line
If price or the free account is why you are leaving Lumosity, start with Elevate; its free version may be all you need. If research is your reason, choose BrainHQ. Peak looks like the cheapest of the alternatives we rate, and CogniFit suits people who want detailed assessments. Try the free version first, and keep the app you actually enjoy.
Sources
- Lumosity: Brain Training Games (Apple App Store)
- Where are the free games? (Lumosity Help Center)
- What are the differences between a Free Account and a Premium Membership? (Lumosity Help Center)
- What is the cost of a Lumosity subscription? (Lumosity Help Center)
- What are the types of Lumosity subscriptions available? (Lumosity Help Center)
- What are Workout Modes? (Lumosity Help Center)
- How do I share Lumosity with family and friends? (Lumosity Help Center)
- What browsers and operating systems are supported? (Lumosity Help Center)
- Brain games (Lumosity)
- Elevate: Brain Training Games (Apple App Store)
- The Elevate app (The Mind Company)
- What’s included in the free version vs. the upgraded version? (Elevate Help Center)
- How does the 7-day free Elevate trial work? (Elevate Help Center)
- How often can I complete a workout? (Elevate Help Center)
- What devices can I use Elevate on? (Elevate Help Center)
- Can I use Elevate on my computer? (Elevate Help Center)
- Which subscription plan is right for me? (BrainHQ Support)
- What is the Daily Spark? (BrainHQ Support)
- Exercises to try before you buy (BrainHQ Support)
- How much should I train? (BrainHQ Support)
- BrainHQ and Medicare offerings, full list for 2026 (BrainHQ Support)
- BrainHQ for Libraries (BrainHQ)
- The ACTIVE study (BrainHQ)
- BrainHQ (Apple App Store)
- Peak: Brain Training (Apple App Store)
- What is Peak? (Peak Help Center)
- Free vs Pro (Peak Help Center)
- What is Peak Pro? (Peak Help Center)
- How is my PBS calculated? (Peak Help Center, lists Decoder in the Focus category)
- CogniFit pricing (CogniFit)
- CogniFit (Apple App Store)
- How to subscribe to CogniFit (CogniFit Support)
- Where are the games? (CogniFit Support)
- How much does NeuroNation Premium cost? (NeuroNation Support)
- Premium content and free training (NeuroNation Support)
- Supported operating systems (NeuroNation Support)
- NeuroNation: Brain Training (Apple App Store)
- NeuroNation: Brain Training (Google Play)
- Lumosity to pay $2 million to settle FTC deceptive advertising charges (Federal Trade Commission, 2016)
- Enhancing cognitive abilities with comprehensive training: a large, online, randomized, active-controlled trial (Hardy et al., PLOS ONE, 2015)
- Effects of cognitive training interventions with older adults (Ball et al., JAMA, 2002)
- Ten-year effects of the ACTIVE cognitive training trial (Rebok et al., Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2014)
- Improvements in attention following cognitive training with the novel “Decoder” game on an iPad (Savulich et al., Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2019)
- User engagement with and perceived impact of a digital cognitive training app (McAlister et al., JMIR Formative Research, 2025)
- Do “brain-training” programs work? (Simons et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2016)
- Cognitive health and older adults (National Institute on Aging)