vs.

FutureLearn logo
FutureLearn

Course Marketplace

8.5

10

Our winner
Read FutureLearn reviewVisit FutureLearn
MasterClass logo
MasterClass

Education Company

8.0

10

Read MasterClass reviewVisit MasterClass

FutureLearn vs. MasterClass - Complete Comparison

Janosch Herrmann

Written by
Janosch Herrmann

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Overview

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Description
FutureLearn logoFutureLearn

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 logoMasterClass

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.

Types of courses
FutureLearn logoFutureLearn
BACHELORS DEGREE

Bachelor's Degree

Get a Bachelor's degree from one of FutureLearn's partner universities

$10000 - $30000 USD
10-15 hours per week
MASTERS DEGREE

Master's Degree

Get a Master's degree from one of FutureLearn's university partners.

$10000 - $40000 USD
1-3 years
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING

Short Courses

Short courses on a wide variety of topics, created by universities and other institutions

FreeIncluded in subscription
2-4 hours per week
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING

Microcredentials

Create 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 logoMasterClass

No course types available

Subscription plans
FutureLearn logoFutureLearn
PERSONAL

FutureLearn Unlimited

Unlimited access to 1400+ online courses from FutureLearn

$20 - 40 USD per month
MasterClass logoMasterClass
PERSONAL

Masterclass membership

Get access to the full Masterclass course catalog of more than 180 classes.

$12 - 25 USD per month
Pros & cons
FutureLearn logoFutureLearn
    Pros
  • Wide range of courses from top universities
  • Affordable subscription
  • Cons
  • Limited free course access
MasterClass logoMasterClass
    Pros
  • Learn from world-renowned experts
  • High production value
  • Wide range of topics
  • Cons
  • Lack of deep, in-depth courses
  • No interaction with the instructors

General information

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Type
Course MarketplaceEducation 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

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Full score

8.5

10

8.0

10

Individual scores
Course quality
FutureLearn
MasterClass
LowHigh
Course catalog
FutureLearn
MasterClass
Less satisfiedVery satisfied
Affordability
FutureLearn
MasterClass
More expensiveHigher value
Career value
FutureLearn
MasterClass
Low valueHigh value
Customer support
FutureLearn
MasterClass
BadGood
Usability
FutureLearn
MasterClass
BadGood

Features

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Support options
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Chat
  • Community
  • Knowledge base
  • Learning support
  • Career support
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Chat
  • Community
  • Knowledge base
  • Learning support
  • Career support
Available apps
No apps available...
IOS logo
Ios
ANDROID logo
Android
ROKU logo
Roku

Company

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Company name
FutureLearn LimitedMasterClass Inc.
Company size

Medium

Medium

Founded in
20122015
Headquarters

United Kingdom

🇬🇧

United States

🇺🇸
Founders
The Open UniversityDavid Rogier, Aaron Rasmussen
External reviews
ios logo
Trustpilot
4.7740 reviews
ios logo
App Store
4.9122100 reviews
ios logo
Play Store
4.2209000 reviews
ios logo
Trustpilot
2.0892 reviews

Our opinion

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Summary
FutureLearn logoFutureLearn

FutureLearn 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.

Learn more about FutureLearnDiscover FutureLearn alternatives
MasterClass logoMasterClass

MasterClass 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.

Learn more about MasterClassDiscover MasterClass alternatives

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