# StoryCorps vs The Great Courses

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StoryCorps at none against The Great Courses's 3. StoryCorps also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 40%). The Great Courses's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (17K vs 1.5K). On price, rating, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Great Courses sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. StoryCorps asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 1.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of StoryCorps's written reviews are positive against 40% of The Great Courses's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

StoryCorps ships an update monthly, The Great Courses fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | StoryCorps | The Great Courses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/storycorps/id359071069/reviews) | **[4.8 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-great-courses/id1017813651/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K | **17K** |
| Positive reviews | **71.5% of reviews** | 39.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#100** |
| Size | 52 MB | 120 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [StoryCorps, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/965943149) | [The Great Courses](https://appshunter.io/developer/636818508) |

## What reviewers say

### StoryCorps

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/storycorps/id359071069)

Record meaningful conversations with loved ones or discover inspiring stories through a vast archive. This app facilitates personal connection and offers a platform for sharing diverse human experiences.

**Highlights:** Record conversations, Upload audio files, Listen to podcast, Watch animations, Prepare interview questions, Search online archive

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Preserves family histories
- 🚀 Convenient for recording interviews
- 🔒 Secure storage of recordings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and lost recordings
- 🔍 Difficult to find and access saved recordings
- ⏱️ 45-minute recording limit too short
- 🔑 Facebook login issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes during recording or publishing
- Recordings randomly disappear or get corrupted
- Login and upload issues, especially with Facebook
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Allow re-recording of interviews
- Improve upload and sharing functionality
- Add backup and restore options for recordings
- Extend recording time limit


### The Great Courses

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

**Currently charting:** #100 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is StoryCorps free?

StoryCorps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Great Courses free?

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

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

The Great Courses is rated higher. StoryCorps averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while The Great Courses averages 4.8 from 17K ratings.

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

StoryCorps shows ads; The Great Courses does not.

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

StoryCorps ships an update monthly, and The Great Courses fortnightly. Most recently, StoryCorps was updated on October 17, 2026 and The Great Courses on October 20, 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.*