As online learning becomes increasingly embraced by people who want to learn a new skill, it’s important to pick the right online learning platform. After all, there are tons to choose from!
Two of the best platforms for online learning are MasterClass and The Great Courses, which is now known as Wondrium. Though these platforms may not be as prolific as
Not to mention,
What Is Masterclass ?
Founded in 2014, MasterClass is a learning platform with more than 180 courses today in 2023.
MasterClass is a well-known online learning platform that has developed a reputation for its celebrity instructors. Among the celebrities that have delivered
- Serena Williams
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Natalie Portman
- Penn & Teller
- Martin Scorsese
- Margaret Atwood
- Gordon Ramsay
- Ringo Starr
- Anna Wintour
- Neil Gaiman
These celebrities are not just famous but are also experts in their field. As a result, these lessons are filled with useful information and tips.
As you may have guessed from this list of celebrity instructors, MasterClass teaches a wide range of classes. They cover subjects such as cooking, economics, sports, writing, fashion, music, and politics.
What Are The Great Courses/ Wondrium?
Formed in 1990, The Great Courses is one of the oldest online learning platforms on the market. Because of its longevity, The Great Courses has developed a positive reputation in the academic community.
This platform focuses on academic subjects, which are taught in the form of videos and audio. The classes are taught by leading academics in their field.
As of 2021, The Great Courses was rebranded as Wondrium. Though the site still exists through its old name, which is arguably more recognizable, the Great Courses is now called Wondrium. Therefore, we will use both names in our review.
MasterClass VS The Great Courses
Now that you know a little bit about both of these online learning platforms, it’s time to explore which of them is better.
- Learn from the best!
- New classes added every month
- 180+ classes to choose from
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To make this decision, we have picked some of the qualities that are most important when considering a learning platform. This includes:
- Price
- Course content
- Instructor quality
- Number of courses
- Quality of classes
- User reviews
By using these factors, we compared
Price
Enrolling in different online courses can become quite expensive. You can end up spending a fortune on different courses. Therefore, it’s a good idea to set aside a budget for your classes.
While some online learning platforms will charge different prices for each course, others will merely have a subscription fee for users to pay.
MasterClass has a selection of different membership plans. This allows you to adjust how many people can use the account. You can also choose whether you wish to pay monthly or have an annual membership.
These memberships come with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. Therefore, you can receive a refund if you are not satisfied with the services provided by MasterClass.
You can buy individual courses through
In comparison, Wondrium, formerly known as The Great Classes, has monthly, quarterly, and annual membership plans.
This is a great feature because it gives the user increased flexibility, allowing them to pay in a convenient manner.
Each of Wondrium’s membership plans has a 14-day free trial. This way, you can try out the platform without having to commit to it.
If you are not happy with these services, you can cancel your membership without wasting any money!
Our verdict: both
Course Content
When choosing a learning platform, you must consider what content is taught. This is because every platform will focus on different areas. Even platforms with a broad range of subjects will focus more on some areas than others.
MasterClass has a decent range of classes. Among the subjects that are best suited to this platform are photography, cooking, business, writing, music, acting, and sports.
As you can see, this is an impressive selection of courses.
Meanwhile, The Great Courses/ Wondrium specializes in practically everything. This includes literature, history, religion, economics, language, science, fitness, math, music, and travel.
Our verdict: In terms of the class content, it’s difficult to say which of these sites is best. After all, they both cover a wide range of subjects.
We would have to give a slight edge to The Great Courses. Its selection of content is so diverse, meaning that there’s something for everyone.
When deciding whether The Great Courses or
Instructor Quality
Students need to find courses that have dynamic and intelligent instructors. These instructors should be experts in whatever field they are teaching.
As mentioned,
You will also receive tons of knowledge from someone who intimately knows the industry.
Not only this, but most of these celebrities make incredible instructors.
In contrast, The Great Courses/ Wondrium are not taught by celebrities. However, they are still led by prominent academic figures.
Consequently, you are still taught by knowledgeable academics. Many of these academics are from leading universities. Therefore, the instructor quality is high.
Our verdict: MasterClass and Wondrium both have incredible instructors, who are knowledgeable and passionate about the things that they teach.
In terms of which is better,
Though these instructors are not always better than the ones on Wondrium, this is an advantage for many students.
Number Of Courses
In many cases, the higher the number of courses the better. This is because you will have a more diverse range of courses to choose from.
Masterclass has more than 150 courses. Though this number is increasingly growing, this figure is quite low compared to many other online learning platforms.
In comparison, Wondrium has over 700 courses, with more constantly added. This impressive number of courses may explain why Wondrium covers such a large range of subjects.
Our verdict: This one is easy; Wondrium is the clear winner. It is home to significantly more classes than
Quality Of Classes
As you can imagine, the quality of the classes is crucial to the success of a learning platform. If the classes are of poor quality, this will mean that a service is not worthwhile.
Generally, we enjoyed the
The downside of
Plus, it’s not as though you can email these celebrities if you have any questions about the content.
On the other hand, the quality of the Wondrium classes varies. While some classes are amazing, others are of poorer quality. Therefore, it can be a little hit-and-miss.
Our verdict: MasterClass tends to be a little more consistent when it comes to the quality of the classes. Meanwhile, the quality of Wondrium classes can vary.
User Reviews
Reviews are a great way of seeing what users thought of a service. If a platform receives bad reviews, it’s not worth investing in it.
Both plat