How Much Does BrainHQ Cost?

Published on November 11, 2025 | Prices Last Reviewed for Freshness: December 2025
Written by Alec Pow - Economic & Pricing Investigator | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

Educational content; not financial advice. Prices are estimates; confirm current rates, fees, taxes, and terms with providers or official sources.

BrainHQ, the cognitive training platform from Posit Science, sells access through simple personal subscriptions and a few group options, and this guide explains the exact prices, where people get it free through health plans, and how a family can reduce the total bill with add-on seats.

Costs differ by subscription model, billing channel, and whether an insurer or organization covers the fee. As of October 2025, the standard monthly rate is $14 and the standard annual rate is $96, with group licenses starting at $25 per user per month and several Medicare Advantage plans offering BrainHQ at $0 for members. See the official support article on personal plans for current list prices.

Article Highlights

• Personal pricing is $14 monthly or $96 yearly, as of October 2025.
• Family members add at $59 per person each year on the manager’s plan.
• Enterprise licenses start at $25 per user monthly with a 10-seat minimum.
• Many Medicare Advantage plans include BrainHQ at $0 for members.
• Web purchases have a 30-day refund guarantee; app store refunds follow Apple or Google rules.

How Much Does BrainHQ Cost?

Personal subscriptions sit at two price points. The monthly plan is $14 with auto-renewal, and the annual plan is $96 paid once, which works out to $8 per month for people who can prepay. Those figures come directly from BrainHQ’s support articles and FAQ, and they have remained consistent through 2024 and 2025.

The free tier is limited, offering one rotating exercise per day through Daily Spark, which is useful for getting a feel for the interface but does not include the full training catalog or comprehensive progress tracking. Pay monthly if you will truly stop inside one or two months, otherwise the annual option yields the lowest effective rate. You can also preview activities via the “try before you buy” list in the support center.

BrainHQ offers subscription plans in the US primarily priced at $14 per month or $96 annually, which amounts to about $8 per month when paid upfront for the year. This pricing structure is confirmed on the official Apple App Store listing. The monthly subscription allows flexible access with the option to cancel anytime, while the yearly subscription offers a reduced monthly rate and occasional exclusive perks such as promotional sales and family subscription options.

For group or organizational use, BrainHQ offers tiered pricing starting at $25 per license per month for enterprise, described on the Groups page. These plans include administrative controls, progress tracking, coaching resources, and compliance certifications like HIPAA.

Some Medicare Advantage plans, such as from SummaCare, include BrainHQ access at no additional cost, indicating an increasing trend toward offering cognitive training as a covered wellness benefit (see SummaCare’s 2025 plan benefits).

Real-Life User Scenarios

Case A, solo annual subscriber. A single user pays $96 for the year, gets the full exercise catalog, and can train on web, iOS, or Android, with auto-renew active unless canceled. The 30-day refund policy applies on web purchases only, not App Store or Google Play billing.

Case B, family manager plus two members. The base subscription is $96 for the manager, then $59 per additional person per year. Two add-ons bring the total to $214 per year for three individual profiles on one plan, a fair per-user rate when several people will train regularly. (See the Family Plans guide.)

Case C, organizational or clinical rollout. Group pricing starts at $25 per user monthly with a minimum of 10 seats, which sets a floor of $250 per month for a small program. The enterprise portal adds admin tools, usage tracking, and privacy-preserving individual accounts.

Case D, health plan inclusion at no added charge. SummaCare notes BrainHQ is included on most of its Medicare Advantage plans for members in and around Akron, which effectively sets the out-of-pocket at $0 for eligible enrollees. Many other plans in the BrainHQ network do the same.

Also read our articles on the cost of Brain Balance, Babbel, or MindBody.

Cost Breakdown

The free plan provides the Daily Spark, a single changing level each day, which helps users sample categories over the week, while paid tiers open the full library and Personalized Trainer that adapts difficulty and scheduling, plus robust progress reporting. Feature access is the primary difference between free and paid, so the jump in utility is immediate when someone subscribes.

Subscribers can train on the website or in the apps, and the auto-renew terms vary slightly by channel, with Apple and Google overseeing billing for in-app signups and BrainHQ handling renewals for web purchases. The training catalog, not the billing channel, drives value for most users who want the complete set of exercises. (See the Google Play app.)

Family Plans & Add-On Costs

The family plan structure is simple. The manager purchases the base annual subscription at $96, then adds family members at $59 per seat per year, with first billing prorated to align renewal dates. Each person receives a separate profile and training plan under one household bill.

In practice, this can reduce the per-user rate to $71.33 for a three-person household and $68.25 for a four-person household, both below the standalone annual price. It works best when several people train at least weekly.

Institutional and Group Pricing

Organizations can buy BrainHQ for cohorts with a per-user rate of $25 monthly, billed annually, and a 10-license minimum. Admins get tools to create accounts, organize groups, and view usage and performance without seeing private training content, which protects user data while enabling program management.

Pricing can vary for specific sectors. For example, the National Tactical Officers Association lists a tailored package at $10 per person monthly, billed annually at $120, which includes dedicated coaching and support beyond the software access, a different SKU than the standard enterprise tier (NTOA offer).

Payment Models & Options

Subscriptions auto-renew by default and can be canceled any time, with web purchases managed in the BrainHQ profile and in-app purchases managed through Apple or Google. Web purchases carry a 30-day refund guarantee, while App Store and Google Play refunds follow platform policies and timelines. Manage web billing in your account settings or via the App Store / Google Play for in-app purchases.

App store listings show regional pricing and taxes, so international customers may see local currency amounts and different figures. As one example, Apple displays QAR 49.99 monthly and QAR 344.99 annually for Qatar (Qatar App Store), which underscores that prices outside the United States can diverge after currency conversion.

Other Brain Training Apps

Market alternatives exist, and their prices vary with promotions, plans, and regions. Public listings for Lumosity generally cluster around $11.99 per month and $59.99 per year in the United States, while Elevate often advertises annual pricing near $39.99 in Sensor Tower storefront summaries, and CogniFit lists options from $19.99 per month with annual discounts. See price references for Lumosity, Elevate, and CogniFit.

Cost is only one part of a decision on brain training software. BrainHQ highlights NIH-funded research like the ACTIVE trial that showed durable gains in speed of processing and other domains, which is relevant when comparing subscription fees to potential benefits reported in peer-reviewed literature. Choose based on science, not just sticker price. See the NIA summary, the ACTIVE paper on PMC, and BrainHQ’s study page.

Discounts, Promotions & Free Access

Several Medicare Advantage plans give members BrainHQ at $0, a benefit that shows up on the BrainHQ plan finder and on plan blogs, and there are occasional seasonal discounts on gift subscriptions and classes. Always verify eligibility with your specific insurer before counting on complimentary access. See the plan finder, SummaCare blog, and recent gift subscription promo.

AARP membership now includes the separate Staying Sharp platform, which is different from BrainHQ, so AARP alone does not grant BrainHQ access, though some AARP-branded health plans may include it through the insurer. This distinction matters when readers are expecting an automatic discount tied to membership. See AARP Staying Sharp and the full list of BrainHQ Medicare offerings by state.

Expert Insights & User Opinions

Research coverage from the National Institute on Aging summarizes ten-year findings from the ACTIVE study, noting durable improvements in reasoning and speed for older adults who trained, which is salient when weighing an $8 per month effective annual rate against measurable outcomes in longitudinal work. The evidence base is not uniform across all apps.

Peer-reviewed studies that include Posit Science programs also report improvements in speed of processing and related functions after structured training, which gives cost discussions a firmer footing than feature lists alone, although results vary by cohort and protocol. Reasonable buyers will map subscription rates to their goals and training frequency. See examples in PMC and Brain (Oxford Academic).

Plans, Prices, and Where They Fit

The table below sums up the current tiers and most common scenarios, with sources labeled for each line so you can cross-check the numbers before buying.

If you are covered by a Medicare Advantage plan that includes BrainHQ, the member price is $0, which is better than any coupon, and enrollment links are usually posted on the BrainHQ plan finder or your insurer’s member portal. Verify coverage before paying.

Hidden Costs

There are a few extras worth flagging, like optional live classes priced at $99 for 10 weeks in some promotions, potential sales tax on app store purchases, and occasional currency conversion fees on international cards. None of these change the base subscription list prices. See a recent press release for examples.

One more practical detail helps with expectations. If you buy on the web, refund requests within 30 days go through BrainHQ support, while app store purchases follow Apple or Google policies and timelines, which may not mirror the web guarantee. Keep receipts and transaction IDs.

Answers to Common Questions

Is BrainHQ free?

BrainHQ has a free Daily Spark level each day, but full access requires either the $14 monthly plan or the $96 annual plan.

What does the $96 per year plan include?

It includes the full exercise library, Personalized Trainer, and progress reports across the six cognitive categories, with access on web and mobile.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes, auto-renew can be turned off in your BrainHQ profile for web purchases or in your Apple/Google subscription settings for in-app purchases.

Do insurance plans cover BrainHQ?

Many Medicare Advantage plans provide BrainHQ at $0 to members; check the plan finder or your insurer’s portal for eligibility.

Is the mobile price the same as web access?

Core list prices align with the web, but app stores show local currency and applicable taxes, so totals can vary outside the United States.