# The Great Courses vs MZed

The Great Courses and MZed both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of MZed's written reviews are positive against 40% of The Great Courses's. MZed also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (12.2 vs 15.0). The Great Courses's advantage is ratings volume (17K vs 8) and chart position (#98 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Great Courses sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and MZed sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $299.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

The Great Courses holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Great Courses has 17K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of The Great Courses's written reviews are positive against 75% of MZed's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

The Great Courses ships an update fortnightly, MZed weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Great Courses | MZed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-great-courses/id1017813651/reviews)** | [4.6 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mzed/id1456561064/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **17K** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 39.6% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#98** | — |
| Size | 120 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.2** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Great Courses](https://appshunter.io/developer/636818508) | [The Dorsia Group LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1456561063) |

## What reviewers say

### The Great Courses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-great-courses/id1017813651)

**Currently charting:** #98 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

Access thousands of educational videos from world-renowned professors and experts. Explore a vast range of subjects, from history and science to personal development, with flexible learning options available online and offline. Start your learning journey with a free trial.

**Highlights:** Thousands of educational videos, Courses by world-class professors, Diverse subject matter, Online and offline access, Flexible learning pace, Free trial available

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TGCPlus Monthly Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Subscription | $44.99 | per 3 months |
| TGCPlus Annual Subscription | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic, use it all the time
- 👍 Excellent content and Outstanding Educators
- 👍 best app you'll ever subscribe to
- 👍 Math courses are phenomenal!
- 👍 Loving the content in the app!

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Ok content, weak app
- 🐛 Broken
- 🐛 Technical problems trying to cast
- 🐛 Great content, poor streaming
- 🐛 Far fewer courses than before? App VERY buggy

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- Audio goes out of sync with video
- App constantly logs users out
- Downloading content doesn't work offline

**Requested features**

- Can we get a ton of courses on AI please, it's a mite urgent
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Allow audio-only downloads
- Ability to download an entire course in one go


### MZed

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mzed/id1456561064)

Access a library of film-making education courses on your mobile device. Download lessons for offline viewing and learn on the go. Offers a Pro subscription for expanded access.

**Highlights:** Film making education courses, Downloadable lessons, Offline viewing, Mobile access, Pro subscription

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MZed Pro | $299.99 | per year |
| Lighting People - On Location | $44.99 | one-time |
| The Language of Lighting | $46.00 | one-time |
| Cinematography for Directors | $56.99 | one-time |
| The Art & Science of Lenses | $57.99 | one-time |
| How to Start a Podcast | $90.99 | one-time |
| Anamorphic Cookbook Part 2 | $113.99 | one-time |
| Definitive Guide to Resolve | $129.99 | one-time |
| Panasonic EVA1 Camera Primer | $149.99 | one-time |
| ARRI AMIRA Camera Primer | $149.99 | one-time |
| The Secrets of Optics | $149.99 | one-time |
| Guide to DaVinci Resolve 18.5 | $170.99 | one-time |
| ARRI Certified Camera Training | $199.99 | one-time |
| Filmmaking for Photographers | $229.99 | one-time |
| Art & Technique of Editing | $249.99 | one-time |
| Master the Moment | $284.99 | one-time |
| Mastering the Image | $349.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Great Courses free?

The Great Courses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MZed free?

MZed is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, The Great Courses or MZed?

The Great Courses is rated higher. The Great Courses averages 4.8 out of 5 from 17K ratings, while MZed averages 4.6 from 8 ratings.

### Do The Great Courses or MZed have ads?

Neither The Great Courses nor MZed shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Great Courses or MZed?

The Great Courses ships an update fortnightly, and MZed weekly. Most recently, The Great Courses was updated on October 21, 2026 and MZed on September 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*