Skillshare vs Masterclass - Pricing and Classes Compared

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When you want to learn something new, online course platforms are a great option these days.

They often have a lot more to offer than IRL classes and, most of the time, are much cheaper. There are a ton of different options to choose from however and that can become quite overwhelming.

To be able to choose the right platform for you, you’ll have to know what kind of classes you are looking for and what you’d like to learn and are willing to spend. Luckily, there are tons of different platforms so you’ll likely be able to find something that fits you perfectly.

The biggest differences between all these course platforms are the pricing and the number of different classes they offer. Two examples of these course platforms are Masterclass and Skillshare. These platforms are very different in a lot of ways but it is good to know what they each have to offer so you can choose the right platform that fits you.

Skillshare - Learn more about a specific topic

Skillshare is a course platform that focuses on giving you the most amount of different courses for a low price.

These courses are mostly made by teachers in the Skillshare community and people are free to submit their course on Skillshare if they want to become a Skillshare teacher. The barrier to entry on becoming a teacher on Skillshare thus is very low. This means that the number of different classes is very high.

Skillshare is a course platform with one of the largest libraries of classes compared to its direct rivals like Lynda / Linkedin Learning. This makes Skillshare the perfect platform for if you want to learn something very specific or you want to improve your skills on a specific subject.

The pricing and generous 14-day free trial are also very competitive compared to other course platforms. So in short, if you know what you want to learn and you don’t want to spend a lot, Skillshare is the platform to go with as it offers to most for a low price.

Skillshare actually started off being mainly focussed on creative courses. Offering courses on topics like graphic design and painting. In recent years, however, they have very much tried to expand their library of courses beyond that, offering more courses on topics like business and entrepreneurship.

The past focus on creative courses still means that they have an extremely large collection of courses covering all kinds of creative topics.

Masterclass - Getting Inspired About Generic Topics

Masterclass has gained a lot of popularity in the last months and a lot of people seem to be pleased with the platform. Masterclass is very different from Skillshare in a lot of ways and it really depends on what you are looking to learn and what you are willing to spend.

Masterclass is a course platform that focuses primarily on offering classes, made by people in the absolute top of their field so you literally get a “masterclass” when following a course on their platform. This means that they do not offer a very large library of different courses.

They offer about 80 different classes compared to the 24,000 classes on Skillshare. This is not really a fair comparison however as the production quality on Masterclass classes is a lot higher than most Skillshare classes and Skillshare doesn’t have the same kind of teachers that Masterclass has.

The relatively low number of classes means that Masterclass is the platform to pick for when you aren’t sure what you want to learn or you just want to learn a bit more from your favorite celebrity on a wider subject. Masterclass classes are also great inspiration if you look up to a celebrity and you want to learn about their journey and want to learn from them specifically.

The higher production value and the famous teachers on Masterclass do result in quite a high price however so you’ll have to figure out if you think those perks are worth the higher cost.

Skillshare & Masterclass Pricing Compared

Both course platforms differ a lot in terms of the way they price their subscription models.

Firstly, Masterclass is the most expensive of the two, with only offering an annual subscription model. The annual subscription is also one of the more expensive course subscriptions, costing you $180 per year which they advertise as $15 per month.

The raised price for Masterclass does make sense when you think about it as they offer courses from people with arguably the highest level of expertise which most other platforms do not offer.

As for Skillshare, they offer quite a few classes for free to get you started with learning and when you do subscribe to their premium plan, they’ll also offer you a generous 14-day free trial which Masterclass doesn’t.

After the trial, Skillshare will cost you about half as much as Masterclass does, with their annual plan costing $99 compared to Masterclass’s $180. They also offer a monthly plan however, that will cost you about the same as Masterclass. That costs $15 per month.

Skillshare or Masterclass?

Whether you should choose to pick Skillshare or Masterclass, will depend on a few factors that you’ll have to consider.

If pricing is very important to you, and you want to spend as little as possible, the choice is quite easy. Skillshare offers a ton of courses for a low price. They also offer a 14-day premium trial which makes trying it out a no-brainer.

If you do not necessarily know what kind of courses you are looking for or don’t know what you want to learn, Masterclass is a great option. Watching your favorite athlete or actor explain their craft can be incredibly inspiring, especially if you look up to them. So if you are willing to spend the $180 per year, going with Masterclass isn’t a bad choice either.

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