Last updated: October 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson. See our review methodology.
MasterClass costs $10, $15 or $20 a month for its Standard, Plus and Premium plans, but every plan is billed once a year: $120, $180 or $240 up front. There is no monthly plan. Every plan includes the same 200+ classes; the tiers differ only in how many devices can stream at once, offline downloads and household profiles. We confirmed these prices on MasterClass’s checkout page on 17 October 2026 and read its help-center policies on refunds, renewals, gifts and cancellation the same day, because those rules matter as much as the price.
Quick answer
Standard ($120 a year) suits one person on one device. Plus ($180 a year, MasterClass’s own “Best Value”) adds a second simultaneous stream, offline downloads and up to six profiles, so it is the right plan for a couple. Premium ($240 a year) allows six streams at once and only pays off for three or more active users. First purchases made on masterclass.com carry a 30-day satisfaction guarantee; renewals are not refundable and the membership renews automatically, so set a reminder. Certificates and the On Call AI coaches are separate products with their own prices.
See plan pricing on MasterClass →
MasterClass plans and pricing (2026)
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| Plan | Monthly (billed annually) | Paid up front | Devices at the same time | Offline downloads | Profiles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $10 | $120 a year | 1 | No | 1 |
| Plus (Best Value) | $15 | $180 a year | 2 | Yes | Up to 6 |
| Premium | $20 | $240 a year | 6 | Yes | Up to 6 |
Prices and device limits as shown on the masterclass.com checkout on 17 October 2026, which states that all plans come with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. MasterClass’s help center says it does not offer monthly subscriptions and that all memberships are billed annually (MasterClass Help Center). The help center describes the library as 200+ instructors across 11 categories. Sales tax may be added at checkout depending on where you live.
THE CHECKOUT VARIES (READ 21 OCTOBER 2026)
MasterClass is testing its plans, so your checkout may not match the table. On 21 October 2026 we loaded it in three fresh sessions. Two showed Standard $10, Plus $15 and Pro $70 a month, all billed annually; Pro ($840 a year) adds every MasterClass Certificate course to the full library. The third showed Plus at $30 a month with one Certificate included. An earlier read the same day showed all four tiers, Premium included. Check what your own checkout offers before you pick a plan.
Plan names have changed over the years (some older articles still mention Individual, Duo and Family), but the three prices have held at $120, $180 and $240 a year through 2026. Temporary sales cut them by up to half; see the sales section below.
What you get at each tier
Every plan includes the full class library, including MasterClass’s structured Sessions courses. You do not get “better” instructors at a higher tier. What changes:
- Simultaneous streams. Standard allows one device at a time, Plus two and Premium six. If you watch on a laptop while your partner watches on a tablet, you need Plus.
- Offline downloads. Plus and Premium can download classes in the iOS and Android apps (not on the web), and MasterClass notes that not every lesson is available offline. Downloads stop working if the membership ends (membership plans).
- Profiles. Plus and Premium allow up to five extra profiles (six in total), so each person in a household keeps their own progress, watchlist and recommendations. Profiles are created on the website.
You can change plans from Settings on the website. Upgrades take effect immediately with the difference prorated for the rest of your year; downgrades take effect at your next renewal date, and changing plans does not reset the 30-day guarantee window (upgrading and downgrading).
The per-user math
Because Plus and Premium are built for sharing within a household, the useful number is cost per active user per year:
| Plan | Per year | 1 user | 2 users | 3 users | 6 users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $120 | $120 | not possible at once | not possible at once | not possible at once |
| Plus | $180 | $180 | $90 each | not possible at once | not possible at once |
| Premium | $240 | $240 | $120 each | $80 each | $40 each |
- Solo: Standard. Pay the extra $60 for Plus only if you genuinely watch offline on flights or commutes.
- Two people: Plus. At $90 each it beats two Standard plans ($240) and adds downloads.
- Three or more people: Premium, but only if they will really log in. Households that plan to share widely often end up with two active users, which makes Plus the better buy.
Compare the three plans on MasterClass →
What costs extra
The membership is not the only thing MasterClass sells. Three add-ons and separate products have their own prices:
Learning Toolkit add-on
Class guides (the PDF workbooks that used to come with classes), recipe cards, notes, bookmarks and an AI assistant now require a paid Learning Toolkit add-on, according to MasterClass’s help center (Learning Toolkit add-on), and access ends when your subscription ends. The help center does not list its price; it appears at checkout. Several Trustpilot reviewers in 2026 complained that the workbooks were now behind this extra paywall, so budget for it if you rely on written guides.
MasterClass Certificates
MasterClass Certificates are a separate product: longer, project-based courses (about 10 to 20 hours) built with partners such as Uber, Microsoft, The Moonshot Factory and the Navy SEAL Foundation, ending in a certificate you can share. They are not included in any membership; members can preview the first one or two modules. On 17 October 2026 MasterClass said course prices “may vary” and start at $250, and the Certificates Annual Pass, which covers every certificate course, listed at $800 a year with a price “starting at $250/year” shown alongside. Its 30-day refund applies only if no certificate has been issued yet. Our MasterClass Certificates review covers whether they are worth it. Where the checkout offers it, the top Pro membership ($70 a month billed annually, $840 a year) includes every Certificate course plus the full class library, only $40 more than the Pass on its own.
MasterClass On Call (AI coaching)
MasterClass On Call is a beta product that lets you roleplay and get coaching from AI versions of instructors, including Chris Voss on negotiation, Mark Cuban on business, Gordon Ramsay on cooking and Dr. Matt Walker on sleep, with more such as Ray Dalio and LeVar Burton listed as coming soon. On 17 October 2026 it cost $7.50 a month billed annually or $15 a month billed monthly, with a 7-day satisfaction guarantee. It is sold separately from the class membership, and it is the only MasterClass product with a monthly option. Treat it as an experiment: it is in beta, and AI coaching is a different thing from the filmed classes.
MasterClass at Work
Companies can buy MasterClass at Work for teams, priced through sales. Its accounts are excluded from the consumer 30-day guarantee.
Is there a MasterClass free trial?
Not on the plans page. The closest thing is a Guest Pass: existing members can send a 14-day free trial with full access from their profile menu (Guest Pass). You still enter payment details, and if you do not cancel before day 14 the paid annual membership starts automatically. If it converts, the 30-day satisfaction guarantee then applies. MasterClass also offers special memberships through partners such as Verizon and Optus, on the partner’s terms.
Otherwise, the 30-day guarantee is the safety net. It is narrower than a trial, and the details matter (see the next section). If trying first is essential, Coursera Plus has a 7-day free trial on its monthly plan, and Domestika Plus showed a 30-day trial on 17 October 2026.
Refunds, renewals and cancellation
This is where most MasterClass complaints come from, so read it before you buy. All of the following comes from MasterClass’s own help center on 17 October 2026.
- The 30-day guarantee covers first purchases only. A full refund is available within 30 days of your first subscription purchase made directly on masterclass.com. It does not cover renewals, redeemed gifts or MasterClass at Work accounts (30-day guarantee). You request it by chatting with support while logged in; approved refunds take 5 to 10 business days.
- Renewals are not refundable. The membership renews automatically every year at the then-current full price, including after a sale. MasterClass sends a renewal reminder 30 days before the renewal date, and the help center says renewal charges are not eligible for refunds (requesting a refund).
- You can only cancel on the website, not in the app. Log in at masterclass.com, open your profile menu, choose Settings, find the Membership section, click Cancel Membership and then Cancel Now. You keep access until the end of the year you paid for, and you get a confirmation email (canceling your renewal). On a phone, use a mobile browser rather than the app.
- App-store purchases follow the store’s rules. If you subscribed through the iOS App Store, Google Play, Amazon or Roku, you cancel and request refunds there.
- No partial refunds. Canceling mid-year stops the next renewal; it does not refund the unused months.
Reviews show what happens when people miss these rules. MasterClass’s Trustpilot score was 1.6 out of 5 on about 1,000 reviews on 17 October 2026, and Trustpilot notes the company has not invited reviews recently, so the sample leans toward unhappy customers. Of the roughly 55 most recent reviews we read (March to September 2026), the large majority were about billing rather than classes: renewals people did not expect, trouble finding where to cancel, support handled by a chatbot that first offered a 50% refund on a renewal. Our guide on how to cancel MasterClass walks through the steps. The practical fix is simple: turn off auto-renewal in Settings right after you subscribe; you keep access for the full year either way.
MasterClass gift pricing
A MasterClass gift is a prepaid one-year membership on whichever plan you choose, at the same $120, $180 or $240 prices (or the sale price during a promotion). Gifts of individual classes are not available. The rules that surprise people, from MasterClass’s gifts article (MasterClass Gifts):
- The year starts when the recipient redeems the gift, not when you buy it.
- Once redeemed, the gift renews automatically like any other membership, using the payment method the recipient enters when activating it. Several 2026 reviewers were surprised that redeeming a gift required a card. Tell the recipient to turn off auto-renewal in Settings after redeeming.
- An unredeemed gift can be refunded within 30 days of purchase; a redeemed gift cannot.
- A gift bought during a promotion must be redeemed within 365 days; a full-price gift has no expiration date.
Our MasterClass gift guide covers which plan to give and how to time it around a sale.
See MasterClass gift options →
MasterClass sales and discounts in 2026
MasterClass runs a handful of sales a year, and they are the only real way to pay less. The most recent was the Extended Labor Day 2026 offer: 50% off annual memberships for new members and gifts, which ended on 10 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, according to its terms (Extended Labor Day 2026 offer). Those terms also confirm the catch: a discounted membership renews 365 days later at the full, non-promotional price.
Black Friday is the predictable one. MasterClass took 50% off annual memberships in both 2024 and 2025, and followed the 2025 sale with 40% off from 4 December, as our MasterClass Black Friday guide documents from MasterClass’s own sale emails. At 50% off, Standard is $60, Plus $90 and Premium $120 for the first year. On 17 October 2026 the checkout showed full prices, and MasterClass’s plans page listed no student discount. MasterClass says it posts offers on its homepage and emails them to anyone with a free account.
| Plan | Full price | At 50% off (Labor Day 2026, Black Friday 2024 and 2025) | Renews at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $120/year | $60 first year | $120 |
| Plus | $180/year | $90 first year | $180 |
| Premium | $240/year | $120 first year | $240 |
Our MasterClass promo code guide explains why most “exclusive code” sites do not work.
How MasterClass compares to similar subscription platforms
| Platform | Price checked 17 Oct 2026 | Billing | Trial or guarantee | Certificates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MasterClass | $120-$240/year | Annual only | 30-day guarantee on first purchase; 14-day Guest Pass from a member | Separate product, from $250 |
| Coursera Plus | $59/month or $319.20/year (normally $399) | Monthly or annual | 7-day free trial (monthly); 14-day money-back (annual) | Included |
| Domestika Plus | $329/year | Annual | 30-day trial shown | Course certificates |
MasterClass is not trying to compete on catalog size or credentials. You are paying for production quality and famous instructors explaining how they think, which makes it closer to a documentary subscription than a course marketplace. Coursera Plus is the better buy for career skills and certificates; see our MasterClass vs Coursera comparison. For a closer rival in the celebrity-teacher format, see BBC Maestro vs MasterClass, and our online course pricing guide compares every major platform.
What you don’t get at any price tier
- A certificate for membership classes. MasterClass’s help center says it does not have an official certificate of completion for its classes; certificates are the separate paid product above.
- Permanent ownership. Offline downloads live in the app and stop working when the membership ends.
- Instructor feedback. You watch; nobody grades your work.
- Career services or job placement. If you need those, look at a bootcamp or a Coursera professional certificate.
- A monthly plan. Only the separate On Call product bills monthly.
- Class guides and notes, which now need the Learning Toolkit add-on.
Is this pricing actually worth it for you?
Whether MasterClass is worth $120 to $240 a year depends on how you will use it. Reddit threads asking exactly that question split along the same lines as the reviews: people who treat it as inspiration enjoy it; people who expected skills training feel the classes are too general.
| You are… | Verdict | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| A curious learner who wants to dip into cooking, writing, music or leadership | Worth it, especially on sale | Standard, or Plus with a partner |
| A writer, chef or filmmaker looking for craft inspiration | Mixed: inspiring, but pair it with a skills course | Plus, for offline viewing |
| A career switcher into data, tech or marketing | Not worth it; buy Coursera Plus or, for data skills, DataCamp instead | None |
| A gift giver | Worth it if the recipient knows it renews | Standard is the usual gift |
For a longer verdict, read Is MasterClass worth it? and our hands-on MasterClass review. For the classes most worth your year, see the best MasterClass courses.
How to pick the right MasterClass plan in 60 seconds
- Only you will use it? Standard ($120 a year). Skip Plus unless you need downloads.
- One other person will actually log in? Plus ($180 a year, $90 each).
- Three or more active users? Premium ($240 a year).
- Not sure you will like it? Ask a member for a 14-day Guest Pass, or buy Standard and put a reminder on day 25 so you can use the 30-day guarantee if needed.
- Not in a hurry? Wait for Black Friday, which took 50% off in 2024 and 2025.
- Whatever you pick: turn off auto-renewal in Settings on the website the same day.
Frequently asked questions about MasterClass pricing
How much does MasterClass cost per year?
On 17 October 2026: $120 a year for Standard, $180 for Plus and $240 for Premium, shown as $10, $15 and $20 a month but billed annually up front. Sales tax may be added.
Can you pay for MasterClass monthly?
No. MasterClass’s help center says it does not offer monthly subscriptions and all memberships are billed annually. The only MasterClass product with a monthly option is the separate On Call AI coaching beta, at $15 a month or $7.50 a month billed annually.
Is there a MasterClass free trial?
Not on the plans page. Existing members can send a 14-day free trial called a Guest Pass, which converts to a paid annual membership unless you cancel. Otherwise, first purchases made on masterclass.com have a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.
Can I get a refund on MasterClass?
Within 30 days of your first purchase made directly on masterclass.com, yes. Renewals, redeemed gifts and MasterClass at Work accounts are not eligible, and there are no partial refunds for unused months. Purchases through Apple, Google, Amazon or Roku follow those stores’ refund policies.
How do I cancel MasterClass?
On the website, not the app: log in at masterclass.com, open Settings, find Membership, click Cancel Membership and then Cancel Now. You keep access until the end of your paid year. App-store subscriptions are canceled in the app store.
Does a MasterClass gift renew automatically?
Yes, once redeemed. A gift is a prepaid one-year membership that starts when the recipient redeems it and then auto-renews using the card they enter, unless they turn off auto-renewal in Settings.
What is the difference between MasterClass Plus and Premium?
Plus allows two devices streaming at once and Premium six. Both include offline downloads and up to six profiles, and the class library is identical. Premium is $60 a year more.
Are MasterClass certificates included in the membership?
Not on Standard, Plus or Premium. MasterClass Certificates are a separate product, with courses from $250 and an Annual Pass at $800 a year. The exception is the Pro tier some visitors see at checkout ($70 a month, billed annually), which includes every Certificate course; on 21 October 2026 one checkout version also offered Plus at $30 a month with one Certificate. Regular membership classes never come with a certificate of completion.
Does MasterClass have a student discount?
MasterClass’s plans page listed no student discount on 17 October 2026. The deepest regular discount is the Black Friday sale, which took 50% off annual memberships in 2024 and 2025.
Related: Weighing other options before you pay? Our MasterClass alternatives guide compares Mindvalley, Coursera, Udemy, Pluralsight and edX on price and depth, checked October 2026.
The bottom line on MasterClass pricing
MasterClass is simple to price once you know the model: $120, $180 or $240 a year, paid up front, with no monthly plan. The tiers change how many people can watch and whether you can download, never what you can watch. Plus is the best value for two people, Standard for one, and Premium only for a busy household. The costs that catch people out are around the edges: the automatic renewal at full price, the narrow refund rules, gifts that renew, and the add-ons and certificates sold separately.
If you want inspiration from famous practitioners and will watch regularly, buy Standard or Plus, ideally during a 50% sale, and turn off auto-renewal the same day. If you want job skills or credentials, MasterClass is the wrong product at any price.
See today’s MasterClass pricing →
Related: How to cancel MasterClass · MasterClass gift guide · MasterClass Black Friday · MasterClass Certificates review · MasterClass review · Is MasterClass worth it? · Online course pricing.