Comparison

KelbyOne vs The Great Courses

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

Head to head
About

KelbyOne

Access over 1,000 online courses from top industry experts to master photography, Photoshop, and Lightroom. Download lessons for offline learning and benefit from weekly new releases and curated learning tracks.

Highlights
  • Downloadable courses for offline learning
  • 1,000+ courses from 100+ experts
  • Weekly new content releases
  • Curated learning tracks
  • Exclusive member benefits (presets, brushes)
  • Learn on the go
Features
Read full description

Master Photography with KelbyOne: Downloadable Courses Anytime, Anywhere! Unlock your potential with KelbyOne, the premier destination for online photography training. Learn from over 100 top industry experts with our comprehensive library of 1,000+ courses covering everything from Photography Techniques, Photoshop/Lightroom and beyond. Key Features: -Download Courses for Offline Learning: Never miss an opportunity to improve your skills, even without internet access! -Weekly New Releases: Stay current with fresh content added every week. -Curated Learning Tracks: Progress at your pace and track your improvement. -Exclusive Member Benefits: Get free presets, brushes, and access to a supportive community. Whether you're starting your photography journey or looking to enhance your professional skills, KelbyOne offers practical, world-class instruction right at your fingertips. Learn on the Go: With KelbyOne’s mobile app, you can transform your commute or coffee break into a productive learning session. Join now and elevate your photography with KelbyOne! Terms of Use https://kelbyone.com/online-course-terms-of-use Privacy Policy https://kelbyone.com/privacy

About

The Great Courses

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
Read full description

Unlock your potential with The Great Courses, the premier platform for online courses that offers a wealth of educational videos to help you explore, learn, and grow in a wide variety of subjects. The Great Courses specializes in courses taught by the world’s greatest professors and experts covering diverse topics such as history, science, math, philosophy, religion, literature, health, travel, personal & professional development, and more. It’s the place to experience the pure joy of learning—anytime, anywhere. The Great Courses ensures an engaging and enriching learning experience for all. Catering to learners of all skill levels and interests, our platform provides the flexibility to deep-dive into specific topics or explore a variety of subjects at your leisure. The Great Courses grants seamless online and offline access to our extensive library of online courses, empowering you to learn and grow at your own pace. Existing users can sign in to access their purchases and subscription content, while new users can register and subscribe directly within the app to access thousands of educational videos online and offline for one low price. Optimized for iOS 15 and higher, The Great Courses offers a variety of subscription plans, along with a Free Trial to start your educational journey. Payment Details: - Payment will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed or canceled by accessing your Apple account - If you cancel during a Free Trial period, you will have access until the end of the trial period Privacy Policy: https://www.TheGreatCourses.com/Privacy Terms of Service: https://www.TheGreatCourses.com/TOS

Screenshots

KelbyOne4 screens
The Great Courses4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Great Courses at 4.8 against KelbyOne's 2.2. The Great Courses also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (17K vs 14). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. KelbyOne sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and The Great Courses sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Great Courses holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Great Courses has 17K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of KelbyOne's written reviews are positive against 40% of The Great Courses's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KelbyOne ships an update every 3 months, The Great Courses fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
KelbyOne versus The Great Courses: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKelbyOneThe Great Courses
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.2 (14 ratings)4.8 (17K ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.3% of reviews39.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1417K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#99 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB120 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKelby Media GroupThe Great Courses

Customer experience

KelbyOne

All ratings14 ratings
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%
Written reviews232 reviews
Positive26.3%
Neutral9.5%
Negative64.2%

The Great Courses

All ratings17,169 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews313 reviews
Positive39.6%
Neutral13.7%
Negative46.6%

User reviews

KelbyOne

From 14 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great content and training
  • 🎓 Valuable for photographers
  • 👍 Convenient mobile access

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy, crashes frequently
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
  • 📥 No offline viewing or download option
  • 🔇 Audio/video issues (freezing, quality drops)

The Great Courses

From 17K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 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!

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

KelbyOne

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues, unable to log in
  • App crashes on startup
  • Video playback problems (freezing, black screen)

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to download courses for offline viewing
  • Improved search and navigation
  • Resume playback from where you left off
  • Favorites/bookmarking system

The Great Courses

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • 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
Show 3 more
  • Playback issues when switching between audio and video
  • Inconsistent behavior when pausing/resuming playback
  • Poor navigation and course tracking

Requested features

8 requests
  • 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
Show 3 more
  • Ability to browse other content while playing a lecture
  • Note-taking during content and live closed captioning
  • Ratings and reviews for content

In-app purchases

4 purchases

KelbyOne

One-time4
  • KelbyOne Plus (1 Month Access)$9.99
  • KelbyOne Pro (1 Month Access)$19.99
  • KelbyOne Plus (1 Year Access)$99.99
Show 1 more
  • KelbyOne Pro (1 Year Access)$199.99
3 purchases

The Great Courses

Subscriptions3
  • TGCPlus Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Quarterly Subscription7 Days trial$44.993 Months
  • TGCPlus Annual Subscription7 Days trial$149.991 Year

Questions

Is KelbyOne free?
KelbyOne is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Great Courses free?
The Great Courses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, KelbyOne or The Great Courses?
The Great Courses is rated higher. KelbyOne averages 2.2 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while The Great Courses averages 4.8 from 17K ratings.
Do KelbyOne or The Great Courses have ads?
Neither KelbyOne nor The Great Courses shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KelbyOne or The Great Courses?
KelbyOne ships an update every 3 months, and The Great Courses fortnightly. Most recently, KelbyOne was updated on October 21, 2026 and The Great Courses on November 1, 2026.

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