MasterClass Review 2024 — My Experience With Its Courses

Learning about your skills from a celebrity without paying hundreds of dollars? That’s what MasterClass is. 

Ever since I heard about MasterClass, I have been curious to know whether MasterClass is worth the hype or not. 

Hence, I decided to take up multiple courses from MasterClass based on my interest. Fortunately, I found out about my favorite celebrities on MasterClass and hopped to get the classes. 

The internet is filled with biased reviews about the platform. Therefore, I decided to share my MasterClass experience of all these years so that you can understand whether MasterClass is the right platform for you or not. 

In this Review, I have covered various aspects of MasterClass, including its courses, instructor, pricing, classes, and more. I have also mentioned some of the best courses that you can get your hands on. 

By the end of this MasterClass Review, you will understand whether the MasterClass is worth the hype or not. So, continue reading until the end, and you will have a crystal clear view of MasterClass. 

MasterClass Review: In A Nutshell

Founded six years back, MasterClass is one of the most emerging online learning platforms right now on the internet. 

This San Francisco-based learning platform is an ideal platform for every kind of user. Whether you want to explore your hobby or you need to enhance your career, MasterClass has got your back. 

One of the best parts about MasterClass is that your courses are guided by the world’s top celebrities who are well-known for their unique skills and work. All the courses are laid by the legends themselves in every field.

The MasterClass takes education beyond just books and theories. It’s more like entertainment where you can binge-watch your favorite videos but at the same time learn essential skills that you wouldn’t know anywhere else. 

Since it is impossible to get courses from celebrities directly, MasterClass brings everything to your feet. From writing to athletics, business to designing, it brings 100+ classes that will help you learn everything you need to. 

Each course comes with a maximum duration and high-quality video lectures. This is yet another feature that I liked. The list of its outstanding features is never-ending. What’s more, MasterClass enables you to gift MasterClass courses to your loved ones; that module is known as MasterClass gift.

Let’s take a deeper look at MasterClass below. 

Behind MasterClass: Who owns it?

Back in 2015, MasterClass was founded by David Rogier under the original name “Yanka Industries.” 

Entrepreneur Aaron Rasmussen joined David Rogier as a chief technology officer and co-founder of MasterClass. 

Soon after the website was published online, it started to gain thousands of sign-ups from all around the world. Since then, MasterClass has continued to grow and evolve in terms of its courses, instructors, and quality. 

MasterClass 2024: What’s new in the Update?

Joining MasterClass three years ago was hands-down one of the best decisions I took. Besides its excellent courses, one of the things that I liked about MasterClass is that it has continued to put its efforts toward students. You can check MasterClass statistics here.

Over the years, they have put out multiple updates, right from the number of courses to their quality and pricing. 

Initially, MasterClass was all about creative arts and writing. Gradually, MasterClass enhanced its reach to various niches. 

MasterClass covers various fields, including lifestyle, Film and TV, writing, sports, music and entertainment, science and technology, designing, fashion, business, photography, and more. 

Additionally, the list of instructors has been expanding over the years. Every month new classes are added, which means you will never run out of courses to pick. 

Overall, you can explore more than 100+ categories with nine different niches available on MasterClass. 

MasterClass Instructors: Who are they?

Now that you have a gist about MasterClass, you will be curious to know who these celebrities are and what each celebrity contributes to MasterClass? 

You will be excited to know that MasterClass has more than 90+ celebrities and famous people from different parts of the world, covering everything from film and TV to lifestyle and health. 

Some of the top instructors include: 

• Stephen Curry 

Stephen Curry is an American Basketball player named one of the best shooters in the entire NBA history. 

Stephen contributes to MasterClass by teaching various basketball techniques, including shooting, scoring, and ball handling. 

Following his words, “Success is not an accident. Success is a choice,” the basketball player pushes learners towards success by talking about the mechanics of the sport and guiding them with all the skills they need to learn for the sport. 

• Bobbi Brown 

Bobbi Brown is a professional makeup artist from America and the founder of her famous cosmetic brand Bobbi Brown. 

Besides her cosmetic products, Bobbi guides her ways to learners about the right choice of foundation and other minor details about makeup that you won’t find anywhere else.

Bobbi Brown quoted, “Concealer is the secret to the universe,” years back. In MasterClass, she elaborates on this topic further and reveals all the other crucial secrets you must know when entering the makeup world.

• Armin van Buuren

Armin Van Buuren is one of the most popular DJs in the world. The Dutch DJ has been crowned as “trance god” by his fans and continues to produce mind-blowing melodies.

MasterClass gives you the right platform to learn dance music from the legend himself. His guide starts with creating melodies full of emotions and creativity within the comfort of your home.

Armin also teaches you how to use Decks, work with melodies and vocals, live performance tips, and more with his total of 33 video lessons.

• Robin Roberts 

Robin Roberts is a famous American television broadcaster. Starting her career as an anchor for local TV and radio stations, she is now the anchor of ABC’s show, Good Morning America.

She contributes to MasterClass by teaching effective and authentic communication. Her lessons for the course are about learning from the people in your field while being true to yourself. 

Her 11-course guide pushes people towards effective anchoring and hosting. If you are keen on building a career as an anchor or host, Robin Roberts is the right person to give a kick-start to your career with her essential teachings. 

While the list goes on for instructors, some of the other popular instructors and their unique fields include: 

Jimmy Chin MasterClass -adventure photography. 
Salman Rushdie MasterClass – storytelling and writing 
Alicia Keys MasterClass -songwriting and producing 
Ron Howard MasterClass-directing. 
Kelly Wearstler MasterClass -Interior Design. 
Chriss Voss MasterClass -art negotiation. 
Gordon Ramsay MasterClass -Cooking ||: Restaurant recipes at home. 
James Suckling MasterClass-Wine appreciation. 
Matthew Walker MasterClass-Science of better sleep.
Bob Iger MasterClass-Business Strategy and Leadership. 

The list of instructors of MasterClass is never-ending. All the instructors share a glimpse of the secret to their success. 

Additionally, these famous stars share the inner workings of their talents and skills as you continue to watch them through their video lessons. 

This will not surprise you, but all instructors are paid to offer the courses to the world. However, when I took the courses, I understood that the courses were simply not just for money. 

Instead, it is a way of giving back to the world by sharing their knowledge and success with the world. 

Courses by MasterClass

MasterClass comes with plenty of courses in different niches. Although the number of courses may be less compared to other platforms, one thing that makes MasterClass stand out because they come with limited but quality courses. 

Here is the list of some courses offered by MasterClass: 

Art & entertainment 

Frank Gehry MasterClass- Design and Architecture
David Carson MasterClass- Graphic Design
Issa Rae MasterClass-Creating outsides the lines
David Sedaris MasterClass- Storytelling and Humor
Jeff Koons MasterClass- Arts and Creativity

Home & Lifestyle

Massimo Bottura MasterClass- Modern Italian Cooking
Aaron Franklin Masterclass -Texas-style BBQ
Yotam Ottolenghi MasterClass- Modern Middle-Eastern Cooking
James Suckling MasterClass- Wine Appreciation
Alice Waters MasterClass- The Art of Home Cooking

Writing 

Shonda Rhimes MasterClass– Writing for Television 
R.L. Stine MasterClass- Writing for a Young Audience 
Aaron Sorkin MasterClass- Screenwriting
David Mamet MasterClass– Dramatic Writing
Billy Collins MasterClass- Reading and Writing Poetry

Business 

Bob Iger MasterClass- Business Strategy and Leadership
Daniel Pink MasterClass- Sales and Persuasion 
Neil Degrasse Tyson MasterClass– Scientific Thinking and Communication
Paul Krugman MasterClass– Economics and Society 
Howard Schultz MasterClass- Business Leadership

Music 

Timbaland MasterClass– Producing and Beat-Making 
Tom Morello MasterClass– Electric Guitar
Deadmau5 MasterClass– Electronic Music and Production
Christina Aguilera MasterClass– Singing
Reba McEntire MasterClass- Country Music 

Wellness 

RuPaul MasterClass- Self-Expression and Authenticity 
Matthew Walker MasterClass- Science of Better Sleep
Donna Farhi MasterClass- Yoga Foundations 
Joe Holder MasterClass- Fitness and Wellness Foundation
Jon Kabat-Zinn MasterClass- Mindful Meditation 

And the list for the courses goes on. You can check the complete list on the website. 

What are the Classes like?

My interest lies deep in music. Although I don’t dream of becoming a musician, I have been keen to learn about singing and music production ever since childhood. 

Following my interests, I browsed through their courses in the music categories and took up the course by Usher -the art of performance. I have been following Usher for years, and seeing him teaching his skills to other people caught my attention. 

The video lessons were divided into 16 videos or parts ranging from 5 minutes to 12 minutes per video. In the first lesson, Usher introduces his MasterClass and takes you on a journey explaining what he will teach and how he will take things further.

"Success is about dedication. You may not be where you want to be or do what you want to do when you're on the journey. But you've got to be willing to have vision and foresight that leads you to an incredible end."
- Usher

The course started with Usher explaining how to grow your audience and how you can use the power of social media. He pushes you towards the first step and leaves by giving your first assignment. 

As the course proceeds ahead, he talks about gathering inspiration, applying the inspiration, how to expand your singing range, how to focus on the dancing while singing your best notes, how to attract an audience and more. 

I liked this course because it also focused on the effects of everything on your mental health and pushes you to move ahead despite the obstacles and hardships on your way.

In between the courses, you also get assignments that are enjoyable to do. These assignments help you implement things that you learn while doing the course. 

Additionally, you can keep track of multiple courses in your profile section, making it easier to understand which course is pending and which course is completed.

Who Should Use MasterClass?

MasterClass is for all of those people who are interested in cooking, photography, science, music composing, sports, painting, cinematography, filmmaking, acting, and creativity. It is the best platform for those learners who want to learn something at their own pace in the comfort of their homes. The courses of MasterClass are designed in a way that fulfills the needs of beginners and experts both.

The thing which distinguishes MasterClass from other online learning platforms is its celebrity instructors. You can learn filmmaking from Martin Scorcese, the art of cooking from Gordon Ramsay, scientific thinking from Neil DeGrasse Tyson, songwriting from Alicia Keys, and so on. The best part is that its lessons only last 10 minutes so you can take one daily and finish the courses at your own pace.

Top MasterClass Courses: Our Recommendation

Now that you know how interesting the MasterClass classes look, you must be wondering, how do you get started? Or which course should you try first?

Well, here are some of the top courses by MasterClass that you need to try.

1. Dance music by Armin Van Buuren

Overview: 

Armin Van Buuren, mostly called ‘God of Trance’ by his fans worldwide, takes you on a journey of how he makes music and teaches you everything about making electronic dance music from the comfort of your home. 

Armin guides you from finding your melodic inspiration to building your home studio in the video lessons. The course is divided into 33 videos with an average of 10 minutes per video. Through the course, he guides you about setting up Logic Pro in detail and further explains working with pads and leads. 

"It's not love for music, it's a passion, and it goes beyond liking, and beyond a hobby, it's about a way of living... Music is essential for my life."
- Armin Van Buuren

By the end of the course, he also talks about how you can host your show and gives crucial tips when performing live. He also guides on how you can build your career in the music field, along with a complete guide on working with various techniques based on his personal experience.

Read More: Check out our Armin Van Buuren MasterClass Review.

Who is it for The course is ideal for users with a keen interest in electronic dance music and people who want to learn how to produce music without paying thousands of dollars? 

2. Neil Gaiman -The Art of Storytelling

Neil Gaiman is an award-winning author who has spent most of his time writing. Through this course, Neil walks you through the process of storytelling step by step. 

The classes are divided into 19 classes. The course kicks off with the introduction of Neil Gaiman and slowly helps you to find your voice, develop original ideas, and how you can bring life into your characters while delivering your story to the audience. 

“Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.”
― Neil Gaiman

The total time of the course is 4 hours 49 minutes. The course also includes two case studies and assignments to understand and adapt the course better. 

Who is it for: The course is perfect for people who want to learn about how to write stories and deliver them to the audience with perfection. The course walks you through the entire process from scratch, so it’s convenient for beginners and users with prior experience. 

3. Serena Williams -Tennis

Serena is the queen of the tennis world. What’s better than learning the tricks and tips of Tennis with the world’s number one woman tennis player? 

The course starts with the introduction to Tennis with all the basic techniques and later focuses on specific strokes and tricks. Additionally, she also brings the spotlight to how tennis is a 70% mental game. 

There are a total of 10 video lessons and the total duration of the course is 2 hours. By the end of the course, Serena also teaches you how to prepare for your match day and how you can master the game of tennis. 

"With a defeat, when you lose, you get up, you make it better, you try again. That’s what I do in life, when I get down, when I get sick, I don’t want to just stop. I keep going and I try to do more. Everyone always says never give up but you really have to take that to heart and really do never definitely give up. Keep trying."
- Serena Williams

Who is it for: The Serena Williams course is ideal for users who want to build their career in the field and master their every move. 

4. Annie Leibovitz -Photography 

Passionate about your photography but still wondering where you lack? Well, Annie Leibovitz -one of the world’s popular photographers has got you covered with Masterclasses. 

Her Masterclass comprises her tips and tricks for photography. The course focuses on how photography is more about the story and teaches you various techniques to work with lights and subjects. 

Nature is so powerful, so strong. Capturing its essence is not easy - your work becomes a dance with light and the weather. It takes you to a place within yourself.
- Annie Leibovitz

She allows you to see the world through her eyes by building a deeper understanding of concepts. There are a total of 15 video lessons and the total duration of the course is 3 hours 4 minutes. 

Read More: Check Out Our Annie Leibovitz MasterClass Review

Who is it for The course is ideal for photographers or beginners who want to develop their photography skills or perhaps build their career in photography? 

5. Gordon Ramsay -Cooking 

Gordon Ramsay is a seven-star chef with years of experience in the field. The course brings a never-before experience of Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen. 

The course starts from teaching you kitchen set up to how to select the perfect and fresh ingredients for your cooking. The course comes with a video tutorial for various dishes from scratch. 

Additionally, Ramsay also helps you to enhance your knife skills to have the perfect cut for your vegetables. The course is divided into 20 lessons and the total duration is 3 hours 54 minutes. 

 “Swearing is industry language. For as long as we’re alive it’s not going to change. You’ve got to be boisterous to get results.”
- Gordon Ramsay

Read More: Check out our Gordon Ramsay MasterClass Review

Best suited for: it does not matter whether you want to be a chef or you just want to enhance your cooking skills, the course is ideal for everyone. 

These were our top picks and suggestions for the courses. However, you can browse through various courses and watch the free trailer to find the course you need. 

What are Sessions In MasterClass?

MasterClass recently announced a hands-on approach to learning which is called Sessions. In these sessions, you will work on projects & activities side-by-side with your instructor for 30 days straight. You can work on these activities in your comfort, such as at your home, and all you need to do is share your work with the community & teaching assistants to get feedback. 

The curriculum of 30 days is decided in advance so you can prepare yourself on what to do on which day. All the content for sessions will be available to you in advance, which will help you substantially in performing these activities. Once you perform all 30 days of activity, the sessions will be over; however, you will be able to access the materials of the sessions until your MasterClass subscription ends.

The best part about these sessions is that you don’t need to pay any extra to get access to these activities. You just need to purchase the MasterClass subscription, and you can sign up for different sessions at once as well. In these sessions, the activities are designed for all levels of individuals so that you won’t have any issues performing these activities. For Example, if you are planning to become a streamer, then Ninja is here on MasterClass with a set of activities to help you get started as a streamer within 30 days.

How to Find the Right Course for you?

MasterClass comes with 100+ courses designed for every user. It doesn’t matter whether you are experienced or not; you can browse through their catalog of courses and check courses based on their niche. 

From beginner to advanced users, MasterClass has got courses for everyone. When you browse through their catalogs, you can see various free trailers available for each course. These trailers give you an overview of how the course will work along with an insight into the course.

Additionally, when you check out the trailer, you can also see the number of classes for a particular course. However, if you are overwhelmed with their options, the easiest solution to find the right course is by searching in the niche you like. Once you select the niche, you can watch the trailer and go for the course which is the most informative. 

Another straightforward method is to go on the official website and scroll down. MasterClass asks you to select your interest. You can select multiple niches, and based on the niches you pick, you will get a list of courses available. 

Moreover, there is no such course as a “bad course” when it comes to MasterClass. This is because every course is designed by an expert based on their years of experience. So, you can relax and pick the course that is suitable for you. 

About The MasterClass App

MasterClass Pricing 

Pricing is one of the most crucial aspects when picking the right course for yourself. Especially when it comes to online learning, you have to be careful whether the price is worth paying for.’

MasterClass comes with a flexible pricing system. Let’s take a look at the pricing of MasterClass.

MasterClass All-Access Pass

MasterClass Annual membership is one of the most affordable plans. Annual membership is available at $180. 

Within $180, you get access to their complete catalog with 100+ courses. You get access to their in-depth workbook, video lessons, offline lessons, a community of members from across the globe, offline video lessons, and more. 

One of the best parts about the annual membership is that there is no restriction on the number of courses. You can take up unlimited courses within a year for just $180.

Note: We have an in-depth page covering MasterClass cost and pricing in detail.

Get MasterClass Annual Pass

Is MasterClass All-Access Pass Right For You? As Per Requirements. 

However, if you are planning to learn multiple courses, I will recommend going with the annual membership. 

Going with an annual membership plan is worth it. Let us consider that you are taking up two courses and decide to pay individually -that’s $180 for two courses.

Whereas, you can take up unlimited courses at $180 with the annual membership plan. You can save hundreds of dollars by going with the annual plan.

Does MasterClass offer any free trial?

Unfortunately, MasterClass does not offer any free trial. Before purchasing the course, I tried to check for a free trial, but sadly there isn’t. However, they offer a 30 days money-back guarantee on their plans.

This means, once you have purchased the course, you can ask for a complete refund of your money within the first 30 days if you are not satisfied with the course. The best part about the refund policy is that you don’t need to go through a long procedure. All you need to do is send them an email, and they will refund your money. Know more about the MasterClass refund policy here.

Pros and Cons of MasterClass

Every course comes with its advantages and downsides, no matter how expensive or good they claim to be. The same goes for MasterClass. In general, MasterClass comes with its pros and cons. 

But, how terrible are the cons? Let’s take a look!

Pros

It offers courses from experts in every niche. All the instructors talk about the niche based on their years of experience and guide you to exile in the field.
All the videos are recorded in high quality and exceptional audio quality.
Every month MasterClass adds new courses and materials. Every month I get excited to watch which celebrities are appearing on MasterClass with their courses.
Each course is designed uniquely and varies when it comes to teaching methods. For instance, some courses come with fictional case studies (Margaret Atwood) while some include character case studies (for example, Dan Brown).
Another best part about MasterClass is that the course is affordable. For example, instead of spending hundreds of dollars separately on learning a single course, you can learn unlimited skills with its annual membership plan. 
Lastly, the MasterClass app is something that you will love, especially for its ease of use. The design of the app is top-notch, and you can enjoy your favorite class while eating your favorite food on the couch.

Cons

There are a limited number of courses compared to other online learning platforms. Although the courses provide in-depth courses, the number of courses offered may be less for some people.
Since the course is online and lessons are pre-recorded, you won’t get one-on-one feedback. With online courses, this issue is common, but when it comes to MasterClass, I feel they should allow you to communicate with the instructors in case you have any doubts.

MasterClass: Is it Different From Other Platforms?

Is MasterClass Worth Paying for?

After you have read everything till now, the last question that you must be having right now is “Is MasterClass worth paying for?” 

After spending years of online and offline learning, I can confidently say that there is no platform like MasterClass. 

The MasterClass is worth paying for beginners and creative people. Additionally, MasterClass is worth paying if you are on a strict budget. 

If you are planning to do multiple courses from MasterClass, the annual membership is ideal for you. Although it is an annual plan, you can enjoy unlimited courses for a year at affordable pricing. 

After taking MasterClass for three straight years I would just say- Go For It.

MasterClass is useful for beginners who are thinking of starting their career in a specific field or whether you already have experience and looking to brush up your skills using the skills of experts from around the world.

Each course comes with a separate workbook and quality video lessons. So, whether you are a chef or you are interested in music, you can select any course from MasterClass.

However, if you are still confused, you can select one course from MasterClass and see if it’s right for you. If you are not satisfied with the course, you can ask for a refund within 30 days. 

MasterClass Reviews: Testimonials

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Final Thoughts On MasterClass Review (2024)

MasterClass is one of the best virtual learning platforms that brings the best of the world’s experts to help you in every niche. 

Irrespective of the field you are in, you can browse through various categories and pick the course that’s suitable for you.

Explore Courses On MasterClass

My experience with MasterClass was the best until now. I enjoyed learning multiple courses on MasterClass, and soon I’m going to start with another course. 

To conclude, I will highly recommend going with MasterClass and take your skills to the next level.

I hope you found my experience with MasterClass useful. Which course are you picking? Let us know in the comments section below. 

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