MasterClass

About MasterClass

Financials

Dated, source-cited figures. Estimates are marked.

Products by MasterClass

All products by MasterClass reviewed by our AI panel of experts.

MasterClassAI Education & Training

Online classes taught by world-renowned instructors across 10+ subject categories

From $10/mo7.2/10

How Our Review Panel Scores MasterClass

Six independent reviewer personalities assessed MasterClass's product on their own terms. They disagreed by 1.0 points — The Finance Lead was the hardest to convince, The Power User the most positive.

Averaged across 1 reviewed product in our catalog. Scores are out of 10.

Competitive Landscape

Who MasterClass competes with, and how they differ.

S

Skillshare7.4/10

Skillshare sells a cheaper all-access subscription (~$14/month annual, ~$168/year) to a much larger, mostly practitioner- and community-taught library focused on design, illustration and freelancing, versus MasterClass's smaller slate of cinematically produced, celebrity-led classes -- Skillshare targets hobbyists building portfolio skills, MasterClass sells inspiration from famous names.

1 product reviewed on TopReviewed

B

BBC Maestro

BBC Maestro runs the closest comparable model -- celebrity/expert instructors, cinematic video -- but lets members buy a single course for a one-time ~$89-120 fee with lifetime access instead of requiring MasterClass's all-access annual subscription, and its ~45-course library is far smaller than MasterClass's 200+.

U

Udemy7.8/10

Udemy is a pay-per-course marketplace (most courses $12.99-$199.99, frequently discounted) of thousands of independent instructors teaching job and technical skills, competing for the same "learn a skill online" consumer spend but on volume and price rather than MasterClass's curated, high-production celebrity roster.

1 product reviewed on TopReviewed

Y

YesChef

YesChef applies MasterClass's own cinematic, celebrity-instructor subscription formula to a single vertical -- cooking, with chefs like Jamie Oliver and Francis Mallmann -- charging a comparable or higher annual fee (~$240/year list) for a much narrower library than MasterClass's multi-category catalog.

Coursera7.7/10

Coursera Plus ($399/year) sells accredited, university- and employer-backed certificates and degrees aimed at career credentialing, a different value proposition than MasterClass's non-credentialed, entertainment-and-inspiration classes -- the overlap is mainly at the level of "premium online learning subscription," not audience or content style.

1 product reviewed on TopReviewed

Company Timeline

Key milestones in MasterClass's history, with sources.

1. Feb 26, 2026Launch

   Launches MasterClass Executive, an AI-native business program with Chicago Booth and OpenAI

   MasterClass launched MasterClass Executive, a $2,500, under-four-month non-degree program built with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and developed in collaboration with OpenAI, pairing instructors like Mark Cuban and Ray Dalio with an AI tutor and AI labs -- the company's first push into for-credit-adjacent AI-era executive education.

   poetsandquants.com
2. May 30, 2023Milestone

   Cuts subscription price 33% after further layoffs

   Following a further March 2023 round that eliminated 79 more roles including its chief product officer and two vice presidents, MasterClass cut its individual annual subscription from $180 to $120 (33%), which CEO David Rogier attributed to macroeconomic uncertainty and a push for accessibility, not the layoffs.

   fastcompany.com
3. Jun 22, 2022Milestone

   Lays off 20% of staff (120 of ~600 employees)

   Citing "the worsening macro environment," CEO David Rogier announced MasterClass was cutting 120 jobs, 20% of its roughly 600-person staff, "to get to self-sustainability faster."

   techcrunch.com
4. May 13, 2022Partnership

   Joseph Gordon-Levitt and HitRecord leadership join MasterClass

   Joseph Gordon-Levitt and HitRecord co-founder Jared Geller joined MasterClass as VPs of creative innovation along with other HitRecord staff; HitRecord's own subscription education arm, Class Projects, was wound down and its content made free.

   thewrap.com
5. May 13, 2021Funding

   Series F -- $225M led by Fidelity; valuation more than triples to $2.75B

   MasterClass raised a $225 million Series F led by Fidelity, with Baillie Gifford, Balyasny, Eldridge, IVP and NEA participating, more than tripling its valuation to $2.75 billion one year after the $800M Series E. The company stated the round brought total funding to date to more than $475 million.

   globalventuring.com
6. May 20, 2020Funding

   Series E -- $100M led by Fidelity; valuation reported at $800M

   MasterClass raised a $100 million Series E led by Fidelity Management & Research Company, with Owl Ventures, 01 Advisors, NEA, IVP, Atomico and NextEquity Partners participating. Bloomberg reported the round valued the company at $800 million.

   techcrunch.com
7. Sep 6, 2018Funding

   Series D -- $80M led by IVP

   MasterClass raised an $80 million Series D led by IVP (Roseanne Wincek joined the board), with NEA, Javelin Ventures, Advancit Capital and new investors Atomico and Evolution Media participating, after more than doubling revenue the prior year.

   techcrunch.com
8. Mar 28, 2017Funding

   Series C -- $35M led by IVP

   MasterClass raised a $35 million Series C led by IVP, with Sam Lessin, GSV Acceleration, NEA and Bloomberg Beta participating.

   techcrunch.com
9. May 12, 2015Launch

   MasterClass launches with Dustin Hoffman, Serena Williams and James Patterson

   Yanka Industries, Inc. launched the MasterClass platform publicly with three founding instructors -- Dustin Hoffman (acting), Serena Williams (tennis) and James Patterson (writing) -- at $90 per class, founded by David Rogier and Aaron Rasmussen.

   fortune.com