Paladin App Review: What a Week of Daily Use Showed
Quick answer
Paladin: Learn History, by Brainstash, is a well-rated history app (4.6 from about 23,000 ratings on the US App Store in October 2026) with five-minute animated lessons about historical figures and a quiz after each one. It is free to download, but most of it needs a Pro subscription: $12.99 a month in the US, with yearly plans listed between $39.99 and $79.99. I used Paladin every day for a week: the images are lovely, but the lessons are often superficial, I found no leaderboard or real game layer, the quizzes are limited, and it covers far fewer periods of history. The best Paladin alternative is Aurelius: Learn History, for adults who want lessons in chronological order that explain why events happened, with credited real paintings, primary sources, a quiz after every lesson and a leaderboard, at $9.99 a month after a free trial. I founded Aurelius: Learn History, so read this review with that in mind.
We make Aurelius, one of the apps on this page. We describe other apps using facts from their own store pages and websites.
What Paladin is
Paladin: Learn History is a history app by Brainstash, Inc., for iPhone, iPad and Android. Its App Store subtitle is "Interactive & Fun Lessons". Lessons are short animated stories, about five minutes each, built around historical figures such as Cleopatra and Abraham Lincoln, and each ends with a quiz. As you progress you unlock collectible characters and levels. Prices are from the US App Store and were checked on 15 October 2026; they vary by country and change often, so check the store before you subscribe.
My experience after a week with Paladin
I used Paladin every day for a week. I am the founder of Aurelius: Learn History, a competing app, so read this with that in mind; I have tried to be fair.
What I liked: the images. Paladin's illustrations and animations are attractive, and they make a five-minute lesson pleasant to watch.
What fell short:
- Depth. Many lessons felt superficial: a quick portrait of a famous person rather than an explanation of why events happened and what they led to.
- Gamification. Beyond collecting characters and levelling up, I found no leaderboard and little to compete for, so not much pulled me back each day.
- Quizzes. I found the quiz feature limited: a few questions after a lesson and not much else to test yourself with.
- Range. It covers far fewer periods of history than I expected, so you soon run out of eras to explore.
My verdict: Paladin is a good-looking way to meet famous people from history. If you want to understand history, build a timeline across eras and actually test what you remember, it is not enough on its own.
How much does Paladin cost?
| Plan (US App Store) | Price |
|---|---|
| Pro monthly | $12.99 |
| Pro 3 months | $24.99 |
| Pro yearly | Several listings between $39.99 and $79.99 |
The App Store lists several yearly prices at once; which one you are offered can depend on the offer shown in the app, so check the price on the payment screen before you confirm.
Is Paladin free?
You can download Paladin for free, but most lessons need Pro. There is no fully free version of the library.
Is Paladin accurate?
I did not run a systematic accuracy check during my week of use, so on accuracy I can only report what others have published. Nibble, another history-learning app, says in its Paladin review that some users reported factual mistakes and quiz answers that did not match the lesson, and that the developer acknowledged some of these issues. Treat any competitor's review, including this page, with that in mind.
A practical test for any history app: open a lesson and check whether it tells you where its facts and images come from. Lessons in Aurelius: Learn History end with their sources, quote a primary source, and credit every painting and photograph; you can see an example in How did Julius Caesar die?.
Is Paladin worth the money?
Paladin suits learners who mainly want attractive, animated introductions to famous people. It is less suited to really learning history: in my week of use the lessons were often superficial, the quizzes limited and the range of periods narrow, and because lessons are organised around people rather than in chronological order, they do not build one continuous timeline.
Paladin alternatives
The best Paladin alternative is Aurelius: Learn History, the app we make, for adults who want to follow history in order and understand why events happened. Histia suits listeners, and Khan Academy is the free option.
| Aurelius: Learn History | Paladin: Learn History | Histia | Khan Academy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesson style | Story lessons in chronological campaigns, with causes and consequences | Animated lessons about historical figures | Narrated stories to watch, hear or read | Video lessons, articles and practice |
| Sources and images | Primary source in every new-format lesson; every image credited | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Quiz | After every lesson, plus trivia battles | After every lesson | After stories, varies | Practice exercises |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android | iPhone, iPad, Android | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Android, web |
| Price (US) | $9.99/month or $79.99/year, free trial | Pro from $12.99/month | Free download, in-app purchases | Free (nonprofit) |
- Aurelius: Learn History (the app we make): 127 lessons across 13 eras, told in the order things happened, with real credited paintings and a quiz after every lesson. Try Why did Caesar cross the Rubicon? or What is Magna Carta? on this site.
- Histia: narrated stories and an interactive world map, iPhone and iPad only.
- Khan Academy: a free nonprofit with world history and US history courses, better suited to structured study than to a daily habit.
For more options, see the best apps to learn history and is there a Duolingo for history?.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Paladin cost a month?
Paladin Pro is listed at $12.99 a month on the US App Store. The store also lists a 3-month plan at $24.99 and several yearly plans between $39.99 and $79.99 (checked on 15 October 2026). Prices vary by country, and the yearly price you are offered may depend on the promotion shown in the app.
Is the Paladin app free?
Paladin is free to download, but most lessons and features need a Pro subscription. Like most apps in this category, it is a subscription app rather than a free one.
Is Paladin a reputable app?
Yes. Paladin is made by Brainstash, Inc., is available on the App Store and Google Play, and was rated 4.6 from about 23,000 ratings on the US App Store when we checked.
How historically accurate is the Paladin app?
Published reviews are mixed. A review on nibble-app.com (another competitor) reports user complaints about factual mistakes and quiz answers marked wrongly, and says the developer acknowledged some of these issues. In my week of use I did not run a systematic accuracy check, but many lessons felt superficial. Whichever app you use, a good sign of accuracy is whether lessons cite their sources and credit their images.
Does Paladin have a leaderboard?
In a week of daily use I found no leaderboard in Paladin: its game elements are collectible characters and levels. Aurelius: Learn History has a global leaderboard, daily streaks, XP, 76 Honors and trivia battles against the computer or a friend.
What is the best alternative to Paladin?
Aurelius: Learn History is the best alternative to Paladin for learners who want more than portraits of famous people: its 127 lessons follow history in chronological order, explain causes and consequences, quote primary sources and use credited real paintings, with a quiz after every lesson, on iPhone, iPad and Android. We make it. Histia is an alternative if you prefer to listen, and Khan Academy if you need something free.
Is Paladin worth the money?
Paladin is worth it if you mainly want attractive, animated introductions to famous people. After a week of daily use I found it too superficial to really learn history: lessons rarely explain causes and consequences, the quizzes are limited, there is no leaderboard and it covers fewer periods. If you want depth across 13 eras with a quiz after every lesson, Aurelius: Learn History is the better choice; if you want something free, Khan Academy's history courses cost nothing.
