Masterclass.com high-quality courses created by celebrities and superstars
High-quality online courses created by celebrities and superstars
Learn to play basketball like Stephen Curry, sing like Christina Aguilera, or surprise your friends and family by being able to cook like Gordon Ramsay. That sounds a bit crazy, but the e-learning platform Masterclass makes it possible. On this website, over 200 world-famous celebrities and superstars share their knowledge in elaborately produced instructional videos.
These are the founders of the Silicon Valley startup
The American online course platform was founded by David Rogier and Aaron Rasmussen in 2015. David Rogier, CEO and co-founder of Masterclass, describes the e-learning platform as an educational platform that allows anyone to learn from the best in the world.
On the question-and-answer website Quora he advertises that the e-learning courses primarily provide insight into the thinking of the instructors: With Aaron Sorkin, for example, you don't just take a course on screenwriting, but rather get an insight into Aaron Sorkin's thought world and his very personal way of screenwriting.
Why was Masterclass founded?
David Rogier says that his grandmother's experiences are one reason why he founded an e-learning website. His grandmother fled from Poland before the Nazis. When she immigrated to the USA, she unsuccessfully applied to many universities before finally being accepted at one. His grandmother said to him: „Education is the one thing in life that no one can ever take away from you“. (Source: https://www.quora.com/profile/David-Rogier)
Masterclass Costs/Price
The online courses by celebrities are, as said, high-quality and therefore not exactly cheap.
There are three memberships. With all of them you have access to the complete course catalog with over 200 courses.
All plans are billed annually by MasterClass. The 50 percent offer was last active on 30.08.2026 and is, according to the provider, limited. Prices may change at any time.
My recommendation is the Plus plan. The 6 € extra per month buys you offline download. That's exactly what you need on the train, on the plane, or in a dead zone. The jump to Premium is only worth it if several people are really watching at the same time.
❗The catch: You always pay a full year in advance. With the standard subscription, that's 120 € at once. There is no free trial period. At least you get your money back within 30 days if you don't like the courses.
Courses can be paid for by credit card or PayPal. It is also possible to gift an All-Access membership via email.
In addition to the classic subscription, since 2025/2026 there are two additional, separately payable offers: MasterClass Certificates (certificate courses with partners like Microsoft and NVIDIA, approx. 299 $ per course, expressly not accredited) and MasterClass Executive, a multi-week cohort program with AI tutor. Both are not included in the regular subscription.
Since 2026, there is also MasterClass On Call: For 10 $/month or 84 $/year, you can practice in real-time voice conversations with AI replicas of individual instructors, e.g. with Gordon Ramsay, Mark Cuban or Chris Voss. The format is intended for preparing and role-playing difficult conversations, e.g. negotiations or feedback meetings. On Call is also a separate subscription and is not included in the classic All-Access subscription.
Courses and Categories: Superstars share their knowledge
People who are very successful in their industry share their knowledge with you in high-quality online courses. Samuel L. Jackson gives you tips and instructions on becoming an actor, and Serena Williams teaches you how to play tennis.
Components of a course are:
- Video units
- Class Workbook: A workbook that you can download.
Who is Masterclass for?
Masterclass is aimed at everyone in the creative industry:
- Musicians
- Photographers
- Graphic designers
- Writers
- Artists
- And more…
But Sports, Lifestyle such as make-up tutorials and business topics are also covered. I also find it interesting to get to know the work of a star up close and, so to speak, take a look behind the scenes. Masterclass has recently been offering courses specifically for companies. In line with the motto 'learn from the best in business'. For example, former Disney CEO Bob Iger teaches business strategy and leadership.
What categories are there?
MasterClass organizes the entire offering into 13 categories. I pulled them directly from the MasterClass sitemap on 08/30/2026. The number shows you how many courses are currently there.
Added together, that's more than 200. That's because many courses appear in multiple categories. Anna Wintour, for example, appears in Art and Design and also in Business.
I notice how unevenly the categories are filled. Business is the clear focus with 68 courses, followed by Society and Writing. Outdoor and Adventure is quite sparse with 10 courses. If you're here for climbing or survival, you'll be done quickly. The category names are only available in English; the German names above are mine.
This is what the category bar on the homepage looks like:
How is the quality of the courses?
The courses are produced to a high quality corresponding to the price. Audio and video quality are very good and the videos are professionally edited. On the website, more than 200 instructors are represented with their online courses, and according to Masterclass, new courses are added monthly.
Masterclass Sessions
Masterclass Sessions start on a specific date and are intended to increase interaction among participants. Unlike the on-demand courses on Masterclass, these offer more practical experience through projects and feedback from other participants. The courses usually last 30 days and follow a strict schedule in which videos and projects can be worked on.
Sessions summarized:
- Courses with practical tasks
- Feedback from other participants
- You have to sign up for a waiting list to be notified when the course starts.
Is Masterclass in German?
German courses are not available on the platform. The course language of the continuing education website is English. However, you can display English subtitles under each video and the playback speed can be adjusted according to your needs. According to Masterclass, some courses even have German and Spanish subtitles.
The courses with German subtitles are listed here:
- Screenwriting: Aaron Sorkin
- Investigative Journalism: Bob Woodward
- Filmmaking: Martin Scorsese
- Country Music: Reba McEntire
- Teaches Directing: Ron Howard
- Tennis: Serena Williams
- The Art Of Performance: Usher
Masterclass App
I like the design of the Masterclass app overall. The app is available for Android and iOS. Courses cannot be downloaded on the website, as with many e-learning platforms. This protects providers from pirated copies of the courses. You can download the continuing education courses using the app and use them on the go. Good news for Android users: The download function is now available for iOS and Android, but only in the Plus and Premium plans. In the Standard plan, courses still cannot be downloaded.
What users say in the App Store and Play Store
My opinion is just one of many. That's why I checked how the MasterClass app performs in both stores.
Ratings from the German App Store and the German Google Play Store, retrieved on 31.08.2026.
Both ratings are strong, but the number of reviews is small. That fits a platform that serves a niche in Germany. For me, the values are only meaningful from a few thousand votes.
Conclusion: Can anyone learn from the best?
The platform makes it possible to learn from the best. At least for those who have the necessary money.
What I like
- All courses are very professionally produced.
- 30-day money-back guarantee, even though there is no free trial period.
- More than 200 courses, and new ones are added every month.
What bothers me
- I question whether you really learn a lot about a topic. Sometimes you get to know the person instead.
- The courses are only available in English.
- You always have to pay for the subscription for a whole year.
Compared to a LinkedIn Learning subscription, Masterclass costs about the same. Only the price per course is significantly higher at Masterclass. It should also be noted that the subscription must be paid immediately for a whole year.
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Post written by Tim Geier - about the author.
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