Softwr

Education · head to head

MasterClass vs Skyward

MasterClass logo

MasterClass

Education

Learn from the world's best

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Skyward logo

Skyward

Education

Student information and school ERP for K-12 districts and municipalities

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: MasterClass annual membership required with no option to purchase individual courses; Skyward no pricing is published anywhere, so the only way to learn what a district of your size pays is to enter a sales cycle, and comparative quotes across vendors are hard to obtain before a board meeting deadline.
  • They diverge on capability: MasterClass covers High-quality video, Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MasterClass and Skyward actually diverge.

Attributes where MasterClass and Skyward differ
AttributeMasterClassSkyward
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in MasterClass

  • High-quality video
  • Workbooks
  • Community
  • Mobile apps
  • Offline viewing
  • Smart TV apps
  • Session stories
  • Smart TV platforms

Only in Skyward

  • Qmlativ SIS
  • School Business Suite
  • Position control
  • Family and student access
  • State reporting packs
  • Municipality edition
  • Data mining and reporting
  • Employee access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

MasterClass

  • Learning from expertsnot Skyward
  • Inspirationnot Skyward
  • Skill developmentnot Skyward
  • Entertainmentnot Skyward

Skyward

  • A district of 8,000 students that wants payroll, position budgeting and the SIS on one vendor contract instead of paying an integrator to reconcile employee records nightlynot MasterClass
  • A Wisconsin or Texas district where state submission deadlines are the dominant compliance burden and prebuilt state packs remove weeks of extract worknot MasterClass
  • A district still on the older PaC client-server product deciding whether to migrate to Qmlativ or replace the SIS outrightnot MasterClass
  • A county government buying the finance and HR half on its own, separate from any school usenot MasterClass

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

MasterClass

  • Annual membership required with no option to purchase individual courses
  • No instructor interaction or personalized feedback on student work
  • No hands-on exercises, assignments, or peer discussion with other students
  • Limited interactivity with focus on entertainment value over practical skill development
  • Difficult to cancel subscription according to customer reviews

Skyward

  • No pricing is published anywhere, so the only way to learn what a district of your size pays is to enter a sales cycle, and comparative quotes across vendors are hard to obtain before a board meeting deadline.
  • State reporting depth is uneven: the packs are excellent in the states where Skyward has a large installed base and thin elsewhere, so a district in a low-penetration state inherits reporting work the vendor absorbs for others.
  • The third-party integration ecosystem is much smaller than PowerSchool's, so an edtech tool your teachers want may support the market leader first and Skyward months later or not at all.
  • Two product generations are still live and the migration from PaC to Qmlativ is a project in its own right, meaning a district can be paying for a modernisation programme rather than new capability.
  • Buying SIS and ERP from one vendor concentrates risk: a pricing increase, an ownership change or a product direction you dislike affects enrolment, payroll and the general ledger simultaneously, and unpicking that is a multi-year replacement rather than swapping one system.

Pricing, plan by plan

MasterClass

On request
  • Individual$10/month
    • All classes
    • One device
    • Mobile access
  • Duo$15/month
    • All classes
    • Two devices
    • Offline viewing
  • Family$20/month
    • All classes
    • Six devices
    • All features

Skyward

On request
  • Student Management Suite$undefined/year
    • Enrolment, scheduling, attendance and grading
    • State reporting
    • Family and student portals
  • School Business Suite$undefined/year
    • Finance, payroll and HR
    • Position control
    • Usually quoted alongside the SIS as a bundle
  • Municipality Edition$undefined/year
    • Finance and HR for local government
    • Quoted per organisation

Which should you pick?

Choose MasterClass if

  • You need high-quality video.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want workbooks.
MasterClass review

Choose Skyward if

  • You need qmlativ sis.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want school business suite.
Skyward review

Questions people ask

Is MasterClass or Skyward better?
Neither clearly leads. MasterClass starts at On request and Skyward at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MasterClass or Skyward?
MasterClass starts at On request and Skyward at On request.
Does MasterClass or Skyward run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is MasterClass best used for?
MasterClass is most often used for learning from experts, inspiration, skill development, entertainment. Of those, learning from experts and inspiration are not what Skyward is typically brought in for.
What can MasterClass do that Skyward cannot?
MasterClass covers High-quality video, Workbooks, Community, Mobile apps. Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS, School Business Suite, Position control, Family and student access.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

MasterClass: What is the pricing structure for MasterClass?

MasterClass requires an annual membership with no single-course purchase option. Standard plan costs $10/month, Plus is $15/month with offline access, and Premium is $20/month for up to 6 devices.

Source
Skyward: Was Skyward bought by PowerSchool?

No. Skyward remains an independent company based in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and competes directly with PowerSchool in the K-12 SIS market. It is one of the few SIS vendors of scale not owned by a private equity roll-up.

MasterClass: How many courses are available on MasterClass?

MasterClass has over 200 video classes taught by celebrities and experts, with each course containing approximately 20 videos of about 10 minutes each plus detailed workbooks.

Source
Skyward: Is pricing per student?

Yes, the student system is generally quoted per student per year with the finance suite priced separately, but no rate card is published and discounts vary heavily by district size and term length.

MasterClass: Does MasterClass provide certificates or formal credentials?

No. MasterClass does not provide certificates upon completing a course, so it does not offer formal recognition for course completion.

Source
Skyward: Can we buy just the finance and HR suite?

Yes. School Business Suite is sold on its own, and there is a municipality edition for city and county government with no school component.

MasterClass: Do MasterClass courses include personalized feedback from instructors?

No. All MasterClass courses are pre-recorded videos, so there is no direct interaction with instructors or personalized feedback on student work.

Source
Skyward: What is the difference between Qmlativ and PaC?

PaC is the older client-server generation and Qmlativ is the current browser-based product. New districts buy Qmlativ; existing PaC districts are being migrated.

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