vs.
Course Marketplace
8.5
10
Education Company
8.0
10
FutureLearn vs. MasterClass - Complete Comparison
Written by
Janosch Herrmann
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Overview
ToggleDescription | FutureLearn FutureLearn is a British online learning platform that offers courses developed by their more than 175 university partners worldwide. The platform was founded in 2012 and has since attracted more than 10 million learners worldwide. | MasterClass Masterclass is an online learning concept with a unique concept: They work together with celebrities from various fields, letting the celebrities teach an online course about their knowledge. These celebrities include people of the likes of Stephen Curry, George W. Bush, Martin Scorsese and many more incredible well-known people. In total, there are more than 150 classes taught on topics such as arts, business, cooking, sports, and more. |
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Types of courses | FutureLearn BACHELORS DEGREE Bachelor's DegreeGet a Bachelor's degree from one of FutureLearn's partner universities $10000 - $30000 USD 10-15 hours per week MASTERS DEGREE Master's DegreeGet a Master's degree from one of FutureLearn's university partners. $10000 - $40000 USD 1-3 years INDIVIDUAL LEARNING Short CoursesShort courses on a wide variety of topics, created by universities and other institutions FreeIncluded in subscription 2-4 hours per week INDIVIDUAL LEARNING MicrocredentialsCreate specialized courses created by top academic institutions worldwide. Some courses might count as academic credit towards a degree. $500 - $1000 USD 6–12 weeks | MasterClass No course types available |
Subscription plans | FutureLearn PERSONAL FutureLearn UnlimitedUnlimited access to 1400+ online courses from FutureLearn $20 - 40 USD per month | MasterClass PERSONAL Masterclass membershipGet access to the full Masterclass course catalog of more than 180 classes. $12 - 25 USD per month |
Pros & cons | FutureLearn
| MasterClass
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General information
ToggleType | Course Marketplace | Education Company |
|---|---|---|
Number of courses | 2000+ | 180+ |
Popularity | Relatively niche | Popular |
Available categories | Business Analytics & IntelligenceComplianceData ScienceDesign ToolsDigital MarketingEntrepreneurshipFinanceIT CertificationsLanguage LearningLeadership | Arts & CraftsBusiness StrategyCreativityEntrepreneurshipSports |
Available languages | English | English |
Evaluation
ToggleFull score | 8.5 10 | 8.0 10 |
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Features
ToggleSupport options |
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Available apps | No apps available... |    |
Company
ToggleCompany name | FutureLearn Limited | MasterClass Inc. |
|---|---|---|
Company size | Medium | Medium |
Founded in | 2012 | 2015 |
Headquarters | United Kingdom 🇬🇧 | United States 🇺🇸 |
Founders | The Open University | David Rogier, Aaron Rasmussen |
External reviews |  Trustpilot 4.7740 reviews | App Store 4.9122100 reviews Play Store 4.2209000 reviews Trustpilot 2.0892 reviews |
Our opinion
ToggleFutureLearnFutureLearn is one of the few online learning platforms that offer full online degrees. We also like that you can access a lot of their regular courses for free for a limited amount of time, with the upgrade to the paid course being offered as an optional add-on. In contrast to some other similar companies, their offering is also a lot more streamlined and easier to understand, which we think is another benefit of FutureLearn. That said, their catalog isn't as big as that of some of their competitors, which means that you might not find the course you're looking for, especially if it's a bit more niche. Overall, we can recommend FutureLearn for students that want to take full online degrees, as well as students that want to learn with courses from universities, instead of courses from individual instructors.
MasterClassMasterClass has amongst the highest production quality of all online learning platforms. We like their concept of creating courses with world-renowned experts in their respective fields and combining this with awesome production value. With this high quality bar, it's clear why MasterClass doesn't have the most extensive course catalog. They focus on quality over quantity and offer courses on all kinds of topics, both career-related and recreational. Overall, we recommend MasterClass for students that enjoy watching courses from their favorite athletes, musicians and chefs and that appreciate the amount of effort MasterClass puts into producing these classes. Students looking for courses to advance their career might find a better offering elsewhere.
