Comparison

BBC Maestro vs Cardstack Study

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

Head to head
About

BBC Maestro

Access expert-led online courses across a wide range of subjects, including writing, business, wellness, and cooking. Learn at your own pace with over 1,000 digestible video lessons and in-depth course notes, available on mobile, tablet, or TV.

Highlights
  • Expert-led online courses
  • 1,000+ digestible video lessons
  • In-depth course notes
  • Offline viewing
  • Audio-only option
  • Cast to TV
Features
Read full description

LET THE GREATEST BE YOUR TEACHER Subscribe to BBC Maestro to achieve your personal and professional goals, with expert-led online courses. Explore our range of subjects across writing, business, wellness, cooking, film & TV, theatre, art & design, music and home & lifestyle. 1,000+ DIGESTIBLE LESSONS With a Maestro subscription, you'll enjoy access to over 1,000 lessons across 45+ courses, each accompanied by comprehensive course notes to enhance your learning experience. So, if you're mulling over starting a new business or need a helping hand to turn your amazing novel idea into a best-seller, you can take the first steps with help from the world's greatest teachers; WRITING COURSES - Writing Children's Picture Books with Julia Donaldson - Writing with Agatha Christie - Storytelling with Alan Moore BUSINESS COURSES - Thriving in Business with Trinny Woodall - Start & Scale a Business with Steven Bartlett - Think Like an Entrepreneur with Jo Malone CBE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES - The Art of Influence with Evy Poumpouras - Time Management with Oliver Burkeman - Happiness with Mo Gawdat. WELLNESS COURSES - Sleep Better with Stephanie Romiszewski - The Science of Eating Well with Professor Tim Spector - A Blueprint for Healthy Living with Dr Rangan Chatterjee. FOOD & DRINK COURSES - Delicious Food Cooked Simply with Marco Pierre White - Bread Making with Richard Bertinet - An Understanding of Wine with Jancis Robinson. MUSIC COURSES - Songwriting with Gary Barlow - Music Production with Mark Ronson - Sing Like The Stars with Eric Vetro HOME & LIFESTYLE COURSES - Interior Design with Beata Heuman - Decorating with Flowers with Simon Lycett - Dog Training with Steve Mann. FILM & TV COURSES - Acting with Brian Cox - Writing Comedy for Television with Bill Lawrence - Filmmaking with Edgar Wright OVER 1,000 BITE-SIZED VIDEO LESSONS Watch digestible video lessons on mobile or tablet. Tap into your creativity, expand your knowledge and hone your skills, at your own pace. WATCH ON YOUR TV Cast courses with AirPlay and Chromecast. Sit back and connect with world-class teachers in the comfort of your own home. OFFLINE VIEWING. Make the most of your travel time by downloading courses, so you can learn whenever and wherever suits you. LISTEN & LEARN WITH AUDIO-ONLY OPTION. Let BBC Maestro be the soundtrack to your walk, commute to work and at-home chores. Simply press play then lock your device screen to keep on listening. IN-DEPTH COURSE NOTES Each course is accompanied by beautifully illustrated course notes, allowing you to absorb even more insights and discover useful exercises to put your learning into practice. Let the greatest be your teacher, with BBC Maestro. See our Terms & Conditions: www.bbcmaestro.com/terms See our Privacy Policy: www.bbcmaestro.com/privacy

About

Cardstack Study

Features
Read full description

Cardstack is a flashcard app for memorising things properly, languages, dates, definitions, exam material, anything you need to actually know rather than vaguely recognise. You organise cards into subjects and stacks, then study them in three escalating modes: Absorb to read through with no pressure, Practice to type your answers with mistakes forgiven, and Test to prove you know them cold. Cards you get right drop away; cards you get wrong keep coming back until they don't. Anything you master returns days or weeks later, so it stays learned. Most flashcard apps let you feel productive without learning anything. Cardstack is built so you can't do that. It won't call you finished until you actually are. HOW IT WORKS Absorb — cards flip automatically, no pressure, just read and take it in. Practice — type your answers. Three correct in a row masters a card. Typos are forgiven. Test — the strict version. Three correct, no typos forgiven. Any mistake resets the card to zero. WHY IT WORKS Most revision rewards recognition, not recall. You see an answer, think "yes, obviously," and move on having learned almost nothing, until it matters and it's gone. Cardstack is built around active recall instead: actually retrieving something from memory, not just recognising it. You can't mark yourself correct. The card decides. Once a stack is mastered, it comes back on a schedule, 3 days, then 7, then 14, then 30, so what you've learned stays learned instead of fading by morning. WHO IT'S FOR Students revising for GCSEs, A-levels or finals. Professionals studying for licensing exams. Career-changers picking up new terminology. Language learners building real vocabulary. Anyone who's ever sworn they knew something, right up until they needed it. Free to download.

Screenshots

BBC Maestro4 screens
Cardstack Study4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cardstack Study at none against BBC Maestro's 3. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. BBC Maestro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $119.99 per year. Cardstack Study asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
BBC Maestro versus Cardstack Study: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBBC MaestroCardstack Study
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings1K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB33 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBBC MaestroAngus Gibson

Bugs and requests

BBC Maestro

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Video playback issues when casting or locking screen
  • Inconsistent video quality and resolution options
  • Subscription cost not clearly disclosed upfront

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add a favorites or library section
  • Improve app navigation and functionality
  • Offer offline viewing or download options
  • Provide more resolution and quality settings
  • Integrate with TV platforms for easier viewing

Cardstack Study

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

BBC Maestro

Subscriptions2
  • All Access Annual Subscription1 Year trial2 variants$119.991 Year
  • All Access Annual Subscription1 Month trial$119.991 Year
None

Cardstack Study

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BBC Maestro free?
BBC Maestro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cardstack Study free?
Cardstack Study is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BBC Maestro or Cardstack Study have ads?
Neither BBC Maestro nor Cardstack Study shows ads.

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