How Many MasterClass Classes Make a Year of Membership Pay Off?

A MasterClass membership covers 200+ classes for one annual price. How to judge it by the classes you will finish, and how to make the first 30 days count.

A MasterClass membership is priced once a year and used one evening at a time. That makes it easy to buy and easy to forget about, and the people who get the most out of it are the ones who decide in advance what they will watch.

What they get is a library of more than 200 classes and original series, taught by people at the top of their fields, with new classes added every month, according to MasterClass. Food, writing, music, film, business, science, wellness and sport all sit inside the same membership.

Every annual plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, which makes the first month a low-risk trial of how you will use it.

🎓 See the MasterClass plans and what each includes

One price, the whole library

There is no paying per class. Each membership unlocks every class and original series, and MasterClass lists three plans, all billed annually.

The lessons are short. MasterClass describes thousands of bite-sized lessons, and its newest classes run roughly an hour in total, split into chapters you can watch in a lunch break.

The categories are wide: acting and performing arts, art and design, business and entrepreneurship, film and TV, food and drink, games and digital media, health and wellness, music, outdoor adventures, science and technology, sports and athletics, writing, and community and government.

Count classes, not months

The simplest way to judge the price: take the annual fee shown on the plans page and divide it by the number of classes you will realistically finish in a year.

One class a month gives you twelve. Watch one a fortnight and it is twenty-six. Each class is a full course from a single instructor, so the cost per class falls fast once you have a habit.

The membership pays off when you treat it like a reading list rather than a streaming service. Pick the first three classes before you join, and the first month is already planned.

Three ways to clear that number without trying

Audio-only mode. Audio-only lessons are part of every membership, so a commute, a walk or the washing-up becomes class time.

Watch where you are. MasterClass runs on desktop, mobile and TV, with apps for iPhone, Android, Amazon devices and Roku. Some plans also let you download lessons and watch offline, which suits flights and trains.

Follow the new releases. Classes are added every month. Recent additions include a class with Cal Newport, a class on the future of AI, and a three-expert AI class, so the list of things you want to watch keeps growing.

🎧 Browse the newest classes before you choose

Who gets the most from it

The career builder. Business, leadership and communication classes sit next to newer AI classes. MasterClass also offers Certificates, which it describes as proof you have trained with the world’s best, for anyone who wants something to show for the hours.

The creative. Writing, film, music and design are the categories MasterClass made its name on. Members quoted on its own site credit classes from Ken Burns, Hans Zimmer, Timbaland and Natalie Portman with getting them started.

The home cook and the curious. Food and drink, wellness, science and outdoor adventure make it a household membership rather than a work tool.

The gift buyer. MasterClass sells gift memberships, which solve the present for someone who already has everything they want to own.

If you only want one skill

A membership is built for range. If you need a single technical qualification and nothing else, a dedicated course in that subject may fit better. For anyone with three or more things they would like to get better at, the whole library is the better deal.

Make the first 30 days count

The guarantee gives you a month to prove the habit. Choose your first three classes on day one, put one lesson in the diary each week, and switch on audio mode for the days you cannot sit down.

By the end of the month you will know whether the library fits your life, and the fourth and fifth classes will already be on your list.

✨ Start your MasterClass membership with the 30-day guarantee