Comparison

MasterClass vs Optimal State

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MasterClass

Learn new skills from world-renowned experts across a vast range of subjects. Access thousands of bite-sized lessons on professional development, creative arts, wellness, and more. Watch on any device, with offline options available.

Highlights
  • Learn from world-renowned experts
  • Vast range of premium courses
  • Thousands of bite-sized lessons
  • Accessible on multiple devices
  • Offline learning options
  • New content added regularly
Features
Read full description

LEARN FROM THE BEST. BE YOUR BEST. Build crucial skills so you can thrive at work, at home, and beyond. Whether you want to negotiate a raise, write a book, dial in your health, or perfect your baking techniques, our instructors—world-renowned experts, industry leaders, and cultural icons—are here for you. Check out our online courses, and get ready to learn new skills and thrive. A VAST RANGE OF PREMIUM COURSES Choose from classes on professional development, business, wellness, creative skills, food, writing, home & lifestyle, sports & gaming, music, photography, and more—all featuring MasterClass’s cinematic storytelling. 200+ EXPERT INSTRUCTORS. THOUSANDS OF LESSONS. Each class is broken up into bite-size lessons. Quit doomscrolling and binge a whole class—or learn new skills in just 5 to 10 minutes. EDUCATION THAT’S ACCESSIBLE ANYWHERE Watch on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. For on-the-go learning, switch to audio mode or download select classes to build skills offline. BOOST YOUR CAREER WITH BUSINESS LEADERS Access business training courses taught by top leaders, including Martha Stewart, Mark Cuban, Bob Iger, Rich Paul, Sir Richard Branson, and Anna Wintour. IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH & WELLNESS Tap into expert-led educational videos on healing and boosting your gut, brain, and skin, plus courses on everything from menopause to meditation. COOK TO IMPRESS WITH WORLD-CLASS CHEFS Enjoy immersive cooking classes with culinary titans like Gordon Ramsay, Roy Choi, Dominique Crenn, Massimo Bottura, Wolfgang Puck, and Thomas Keller. FINISH YOUR BOOK WITH BESTSELLING WRITERS Break through blocks and get your work out in the world with writing courses from Malcolm Gladwell, Margaret Atwood, James Patterson, Amanda Gorman, David Sedaris, R.L. Stine, and more. LEARN TO BE LEGENDARY FROM ICONIC ARTISTS Hone your creative skills with the likes of Amy Poehler, John Legend, Mindy Kaling, Issa Rae, RuPaul, Steve Martin, Shonda Rhimes, and Helen Mirren. Music lessons and photography courses are also available. LEVEL UP YOUR GAME WITH ALL-STAR ATHLETES Find out how champions like Lewis Hamilton, Serena Williams, Steph Curry, Wayne Gretzky, Tony Hawk, and Simone Biles (plus legendary coaches like Geno Auriemma and Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski) train and win. NEW CONTENT ADDED REGULARLY Extend your online learning journey with new classes, playlists, and even offers to meet with our instructors. ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP TERMS The annual membership is an auto-renewing subscription plan. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and applicable notices below. Your Apple account will be charged the noted amount for the first year and will be charged annually thereafter at the then-current rate unless you cancel before the end of the current period. No refunds for partially unused periods. To cancel or update payment information, go to your App Store Subscriptions. See our Privacy Policy at https://www.masterclass.com/privacy See our Terms of Service at https://www.masterclass.com/terms CA Privacy Notice: https://www.masterclass.com/privacy/states#california For CA residents: Do Not Sell My Info: https://www.masterclass.com/privacy/states#do-not-sell

About

Optimal State

Track your mental and emotional state alongside physical sensations. Gain insights into your patterns with visual charts and receive personalized tools and suggestions for improvement. Daily reminders help you stay balanced and make positive life changes.

Highlights
  • Mental/Emotional State Tracking
  • Body Feeling Assessment
  • Visual Pattern Charts
  • Daily Check-in Reminders
  • Personalized Tools & Suggestions
  • Intuitive Navigation
Features
Read full description

Track your Mental/Emotional State & how that’s connected to how you feel in your body! We now have 6 assessment charts, 2 for Mental Health & 4 regarding how your body feels. Simply click on the app chart title at the top of the page to bring up the full list and choose one of the 6 chart options. Navigate Easily: We get it, navigating through apps can be stressful. We’ve designed our app to make things easier for you by being extremely intuitive. You will always be a click away from wherever you want to go – so there’s no stress. Our App is simple enough that we know your main focus will still remain on what really matters: improving your life! See our Getting Started Guide. Intuitive Way to Track: We have used colors and a visual representation to help you track your patterns more easily. We feel that the language of the red, blue, white and gold zones makes it easy for everyone to have self-awareness and check in throughout the day. Clear Snapshot of Habits & Patterns: Get a quick snapshot of your habits & patterns, giving you a better overview of your mental and physical health. Once you learn your personal patterns at different times of day, days of the week, months or seasons of the year, you will have valuable insight into why and how you get out of balance. Check in Reminder: Daily reminders for ideal times to have you check in will help us create personalized real-time targeted interventions to bring you back into balance. There are certain times of day that are the best time to check in, allowing us customize your intervention based on what might be most helpful at this particular point. Personalized Tools & Suggestions: Whether you’re looking for a way to change your energy levels, or trying to improve how you feel, or you want to have more contentment, we have the tools and suggestions that can help you change your life from the inside out. We offer personalized plans that will help bring out your state of health both mentally and emotionally, as well as on a physical level. The newest research in neuroscience is showing that our mental health resides not only in our brain, but also in our nervous system and our tissues. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MasterClass4 screens
Optimal State4 screens

Verdict

The call

MasterClass and Optimal State both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Optimal State's written reviews are positive against 29% of MasterClass's. Optimal State also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). MasterClass's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (123K vs 4). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. MasterClass sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $119.99 per year and Optimal State sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for MasterClass against 5.0 for Optimal State. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MasterClass has 123K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 29% of MasterClass's written reviews are positive against 100% of Optimal State's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MasterClass ships an update every 3 weeks, Optimal State every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
MasterClass versus Optimal State: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMasterClassOptimal State
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (123K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews28.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings123K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#35 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB36 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperMasterClassOptimal State LLC

Customer experience

MasterClass

All ratings122,875 ratings
Positive97.9%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews781 reviews
Positive28.7%
Neutral16.3%
Negative55.1%

Optimal State

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

MasterClass

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Downloaded content disappears
  • Playback issues and random pauses
  • Inconsistent behavior across devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to download more content offline
  • Progress tracking and resume functionality
  • Filtering and sorting options
  • Transcript search and note-taking

Optimal State

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

MasterClass

Subscriptions6
  • MasterClass Individual$119.991 Year
  • Duo (Free Upgrade)$179.991 Year
  • All-Access Pass upgrade1 Year trial$179.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • MasterClass Duo$179.991 Year
  • Family (Free Upgrade)$239.991 Year
  • MasterClass Family$239.991 Year
1 purchases

Optimal State

Subscriptions1
  • Optimal State$4.991 Month

Questions

Is MasterClass free?
MasterClass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Optimal State free?
Optimal State is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MasterClass or Optimal State?
Optimal State is rated higher. MasterClass averages 4.9 out of 5 from 123K ratings, while Optimal State averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do MasterClass or Optimal State have ads?
Neither MasterClass nor Optimal State shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MasterClass or Optimal State?
MasterClass ships an update every 3 weeks, and Optimal State every 5 months. Most recently, MasterClass was updated on November 6, 2026 and Optimal State on November 3, 2026.

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