# The Great Courses vs Imprint

The clearest difference is monetization model: The Great Courses at free with in-app purchases against Imprint's subscription. The Great Courses also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). Imprint's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly) and chart position (#5 vs #97). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 Imprint sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for The Great Courses against 4.8 for Imprint. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17K and 59K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 40% of The Great Courses's written reviews are positive against 38% of Imprint's.

The Great Courses ships an update fortnightly, Imprint every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Great Courses | Imprint |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-great-courses/id1017813651/reviews)** | [4.8 (59K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imprint-visual-micro-learning/id1482780647/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 17K | **59K** |
| Positive reviews | **39.6% of reviews** | 38.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #97 | **#5** |
| Size | 120 MB | 215 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [The Great Courses](https://appshunter.io/developer/636818508) | [Polywise, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1437286958) |

## What reviewers say

### The Great Courses

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

**Currently charting:** #97 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


### Imprint

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imprint-visual-micro-learning/id1482780647)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Free · Education, #78 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

This app offers bite-sized visual learning sessions on a wide range of topics, from psychology to finance. Master complex concepts quickly with elegant visuals and retain knowledge through daily quizzes. Save and review key insights in sessions lasting two minutes or less.

**Highlights:** Bite-sized visual learning, Master essential topics, Understand complex concepts, Daily retention quizzes, Save and review insights, Short learning sessions

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

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $10.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $11.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $15.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $24.99 | per year |
| Imprint premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Discount yearly (7 day trial) | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $69.99 | per year |
| Discounted yearly (no trial) | $69.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $74.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription (Discount) | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient learning
- 👍 Visually engaging
- 💡 Bite-sized content
- 🚀 Quick to use
- 👍 Great for visual learners

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🐛 Buggy performance
- 🔒 Lack of transparency on pricing
- 💰 Limited content for high price
- 🚫 Paywall restricts access

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing or crashing issues
- Inconsistent load times
- Syncing problems between devices
- Unfinished or incomplete courses

**Requested features**

- Sync progress across devices
- Dark mode option
- More diverse content topics
- Ability to download content offline
- Better organization of saved content


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Great Courses free?

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

### Is Imprint free?

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

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

The Great Courses is rated higher. The Great Courses averages 4.8 out of 5 from 17K ratings, while Imprint averages 4.8 from 59K ratings.

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

Imprint shows ads; The Great Courses does not.

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

The Great Courses ships an update fortnightly, and Imprint every 4 days. Most recently, The Great Courses was updated on October 28, 2026 and Imprint on October 28, 2026.

### Which is more popular, The Great Courses or Imprint?

The Great Courses currently peaks at #97 in the App Store charts, and Imprint at #5. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*