Masterclass review

If you were to draw a Venn diagram showing the best ideas from TED Talks and the high-quality production values ​​from the best television of the last decade, the overlap would be MasterClass. MasterClass is an online learning service that features video lectures and demonstrations from top talents in various fields. It is suspense-worthy, educational and thought-provoking at the same time. Quality alone leaves you wondering, “How good is it?” As such, MasterClass is an enthusiastic Editors’ Choice winner for online learning.

How much does the masterclass cost?

Masterclass has three plans: Standard ($120 per year), Plus ($180 per year), and Premium ($240 per year). All plans require full payment for one year up front. There is no monthly option. Previously, the starting rate was $180 per year, and the current lower price brings Masterclass in line with the cost of more mainstream video streaming services. There’s no free trial, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, and if you know someone who’s already subscribed, you can ask them if they have a 14-day guest pass to share.

Standard gives you access to all Masterclass content without restrictions. The limitation is that you can only stream the masterclass on one device at a time and you must stream as you cannot download lessons for offline viewing. If you plan to watch masterclass videos mostly at home, this is the best option.

Plus accounts let you download videos for offline viewing, and you can watch videos on two devices at once—so effectively, two people can share one account. The Premium plan is similar to Plus, but you can watch up to six devices at once.

For what Masterclass offers, the price is reasonable—and lower than it used to be, though it’s still not an impulse buy. A month to month option would be nice.

Prices for other similar non-degree learning courses are all over the map, and prices change frequently, so it’s to Masterclass’s credit that its prices have remained stable for at least a year. LinkedIn Learning gives you a free month to try the service, but then costs a minimum of $29.99 per month or $179.88 per year. Skillshare is a free service with limited content and the cost of a paid membership for all access changes every time I visit the site. Not too long ago, it was $167.88 per year, but as of this writing, I’ve seen $49 per year—and sometimes, it’s been as low as $20 per year. Skillshare has a little bit of everything, but focuses on skills within or adjacent to the arts, such as sewing, writing memoirs, and running an Etsy store. Khan Academy is completely free, and it focuses strongly on academics.

What makes Masterclass different?

MasterClass has two defining features that set it apart from any other online learning system. The first is talent. Masterclass employs A-listers as its instructors. Steve Martin teaches comedy. Natalie Portman teaches acting. Serena Williams teaches tennis. It’s an awe-inspiring lineup.

Second, the classes are extremely high quality, both in terms of production value and course composition. You can tell the team at Masterclass spends significant time working with instructors to create an outline and sequence for each course so that you, the student, get the right information at the right time. In other words, concepts build on each other. The set quality, lighting and audio are equally high. When Christina Aguilera teaches you how to use different microphones while singing, you can hear each example made with the mic without losing your grasp on her natural speaking voice as she explains what she’s doing.

What (and who) is inside the masterclass?

There are eleven sections inside the masterclass:

1. Arts and entertainment

2. business

3. Community and Government

4. Design and style

5. food

6. Home and lifestyle

7. music

8. Science and Technology

9. Sports and Gaming

10. wellness

11. writing

Some departments have more video courses than others. For example, the Science and Tech category has eight, but Writing has 22. As mentioned, Masterclass hires the best people in their fields to teach these courses. Many teachers are household names.

For an in-depth look at some of the best masterclass content, check out PCMag’s list of the best masterclass courses.

Best Masterclass Course

Starting with the masterclass

When you start a course, you can read an overview of everything it contains, including the number of videos and any supplementary materials. You see a breakdown of the videos, each with a title and description

How long are the videos? The run time will be displayed in the thumbnail of the video inside the course. What you don’t see is what year the course was filmed, which would be nice to know.

Most lessons are 6 to 20 minutes, and most courses are at least 18 lessons long, although the length varies. Some courses also include bonus content, such as David Lynch explaining Transcendental Meditation for 17 minutes using diagrams drawn with a Sharpie. He’s David Lynch, so I think he can do it.

While you’re watching, you can take notes in a note field next to the video player. Masterclass saves your progress every time you start a course. You can also create a list of saved courses that you want to visit.

Masterclass Experience: What are the classes like?

Over the years, I have seen a lot Masterclass course. Some are straightforward skills-based courses, and others (often older) are more philosophical and motivational in nature. I see Penn and Teller teaching magic while conveying the importance of storytelling and the meaning of truth. I focused on Judy Bloom’s story-making process to learn about sticking to your guns when an editor or an agent wants to make a change that you, as a writer, disagree with. I took notes when Shonda Rhimes explained how to write interesting and useful supporting characters. The topics are varied, and the insights and reflections you get from these A-listers are rich.

Some courses are more about the teacher and less about the content. Alice Waters, for example, teaches cooking at home, but she spends most of her time sharing food and life philosophy. He insisted on filming in the kitchen of his home. He brought his daughter for a few parts. They talk about eating seasonally and share stories about the different dishes and cookware in their homes. You learn a lot about the “why” behind cooking. Why choose this material? Why this flavor pairing? It’s a bit slow at times, so I opted to dial video playback to 1.5x speed. If there was a 1.25 speed (Skillshare has it, Masterclass doesn’t), I might have used it more, because Water talks slowly and gets sidetracked easily, or it takes him 20 minutes to wash lettuce.

In addition to speeding up playback, you can turn on closed captions or subtitles in different languages. The English captions seem to be automatically generated and not checked by humans as I noticed many small errors, although this is consistent with the captioning I see elsewhere.

Curation for inspiration

If you don’t want to watch the same person for hours on end, you can switch to curated playlists. Playlists are selected videos from different presenters that share similar themes Each playlist has a name that highlights the theme, such as a healthy amount of risk, dialogue, leadership and material understanding for screen and stage.

Playlists are great, because they allow Masterclass editors to pull together some of the best moments from the most universally applicable courses. Also, they are much shorter than full courses. They may also lead you to become interested in a course that otherwise might not have caught your attention while browsing masterclass content.

Verdict: Masterfully compelling

The masterclass is a joy to watch. While reviewing the service, I played a video in the background while taking notes or doing other work, just to draw myself into it or pause it when I could engage with it more fully. I kept asking myself, “Can I find this stuff online for free if I really want it?” And the answer was “no.” I might watch an interview with Reba McEntire or astronaut Chris Hadfield on YouTube or catch a glimpse of insight from a celebrity on TikTok or Instagram, but I’m not going to get hours’ worth, and they’re not going to figure out how to work in a clearly defined framework like a masterclass. His process. The meat of MasterClass is efficient, making it an Editors’ Choice winner for online learning.

About Jill Duffy

Columnist and Deputy Managing Editor, Software

I’ve been contributing to PCMag since 2011 and am currently the Deputy Managing Editor of the Software team. My column, Get Organized, has been running in PCMag since 2012 It offers advice on how to manage all the devices, apps, digital photos, email and other technology that can make you feel like you’re about to have a panic attack. .

my latest book The everything guide to remote workWhich goes into detail about a topic I’ve been covering as a writer and have been personally involved in since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

I specialize in apps for productivity and collaboration, including project management software. I test and analyze online learning services, especially for language learning.

Before working for PCMag, I was its managing editor Game developer Magazine I also worked for the Computing Machinery Association, examiner Press in San Francisco, and the American Institute of Physics. I was once profiled in an article enjoying India next to Marie Kondo.

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