Luma alternative for paid online classes and workshops
Luma is great at event pages and RSVPs. When the event is a paid online class, you still need a live room, a question queue, a replay and certificates. Masterclass.tv puts the ticket, the broadcast, the Q&A and the replay behind one link, and you keep 75 percent of every ticket.
Run one test class with a room of 100 before you pick a plan.
PAID CLASS
Short answer
The best Luma alternative for a paid online class is a platform where the live room is part of the ticket. Luma sells the ticket and hands the session to Zoom. Masterclass.tv sells the ticket, runs the broadcast with an upvoted Q&A queue, keeps the replay on the same page and issues certificates, so buyers never juggle links.
Where Luma stops when the event is a paid class
Luma's own pricing page lists a Zoom integration with attendance tracking for virtual events. That works for a free community call. For a class people paid 99 USD to attend, these gaps start to cost you.
01
A second tool for the live room
The session runs in a separate meeting app, with its own account, its own limits and its own bill.
02
Links that get forwarded
A meeting link in a confirmation email can be shared with people who never bought a seat.
03
Questions lost in chat
With 200 people in a room, the best question scrolls away. An upvoted queue shows you what most of the room wants answered.
04
The replay lives somewhere else
You download the recording, upload it to another host and email a new link. Selling it to late buyers means yet another checkout.
05
No certificate of attendance
Professionals who expense a class often need proof they attended. Making certificates by hand eats an evening.
06
Discovery built for meetups
Luma's discovery shines for local and community events. Viewers looking for a class to learn a skill tonight browse a class schedule instead.
Luma vs Masterclass.tv for paid online classes
An honest side by side, based on Luma's public pricing page. Plans change, so check both sites before you decide.
| Masterclass.tv | Luma | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Paid live classes, workshops and webinars | Event pages, RSVPs and community events, in person or online |
| Live room | Built in, browser studio or any app with a stream key (RTMP) | Zoom integration, the session runs in Zoom |
| Access control | Only ticket holders enter the room | Meeting link sent to registered guests |
| Questions | Upvoted queue, answered on air, kept on the replay page | Whatever the meeting tool offers |
| Replay | On the same page, buyers keep it, sellable after the class on Pro and Studio | Recording handled outside Luma |
| Certificates | Issued automatically, with a public verification page | Not part of the product |
| Fee on paid tickets | 25 percent, you keep 75 percent | 5 percent on the free plan, 0 percent on Luma Plus, card processing on top |
| Subscription | Pro 99 USD a month, or 49 USD a month billed yearly | Free, or Luma Plus at 59 USD a month billed yearly |
| New buyers | Listed in a class schedule and categories, plus an All Access revenue pool | Event discovery and calendars, strongest for community events |
| In person events | No, online only | Yes, a core use case |
Where Luma wins: in person events, free community meetups and pure ticket cost. If your audience already lives on your Zoom account and you only need a checkout, Luma Plus is the cheaper route on fees. Where we win: everything that happens after the buyer pays, from the live room to the replay that keeps selling.
What a 99 USD class actually earns
Fees are only half the math. Take a two hour workshop at 99 USD with 120 buyers on the night and 40 more who buy the replay over the next month.
On Luma's free plan you keep the most per live seat, but the replay buyers need a separate checkout and host, and you pay for the meeting tool on the side. On Masterclass.tv the live seats and the replay sales come from the same page, the recording publishes itself, and late buyers land on the same link your list already has.
If your replay sells, that second wave usually covers the difference in fees. If you never sell replays and your classes are small, stay with the cheapest checkout. We would rather you pick the right tool than churn in three months.
| Example, 99 USD ticket | Masterclass.tv |
|---|---|
| 120 live seats | 11,880 USD sales |
| 40 replay buyers | 3,960 USD sales |
| You keep 75 percent | 11,880 USD |
| Extra tools to pay for | None for room, Q&A, replay or certificates |
Move a paid class off Luma in four steps
01
Create the class
Copy the title, outcome, date and price from your Luma event.
02
Connect payouts
Link your own payout account once in the studio.
03
Swap the link
Point your newsletter, bio and partners to the new event page with tracked affiliate links.
04
Go live
Teach from the browser or your streaming app. Replay and certificates follow on their own.
Who switches, and who should stay
A good fit for Masterclass.tv
- Founders and operators selling a two hour session to their followers a few times a quarter.
- Consultants running monthly paid workshops who want the replay to keep earning.
- Creators teaching AI, marketing or design who want viewers who are already browsing for a class.
- Anyone whose buyers expense the class and ask for a certificate of attendance.
Better to stay on Luma
- In person meetups, dinners and conferences.
- Free community events where RSVPs and calendars matter more than a classroom.
- High volume ticket sellers who run their own video stack and only need checkout.
Still comparing? Our guide to the best platforms to sell live classes covers Maven, Kajabi and Teachable too, and the paid webinar platform page shows the full ticket to replay flow.
Questions, answered
What is better than Luma for paid online classes?
For a paid online class, a platform with the live room built into the ticket usually works better than Luma. Luma handles the event page and checkout and relies on Zoom for the session. Masterclass.tv runs the ticket, live room, upvoted Q&A, replay and certificates in one link, so buyers never switch tools.
How much does Luma cost?
Luma has a free plan with a 5 percent platform fee on paid tickets, and Luma Plus at 59 USD a month billed yearly with no platform fee. Card processing fees are charged on top in both cases, according to Luma's public pricing page.
Does Luma take a percentage of ticket sales?
On the free plan, yes, Luma takes 5 percent of paid ticket sales plus card processing. On Luma Plus the platform fee is 0 percent. Masterclass.tv takes 25 percent per ticket and includes the live room, Q&A, replay hosting, replay sales and certificates in that fee.
Can you livestream on Luma?
Luma lists a Zoom integration with attendance tracking for virtual events, so the session itself runs in Zoom rather than inside Luma. On Masterclass.tv you broadcast from the browser studio or any streaming app with a stream key, and only ticket holders can enter the room.
Is Luma good for paid events?
Luma is good for paid in person and community events where the page, RSVPs and check in matter most. For paid online classes it covers the checkout, and you add a meeting tool, a recording host and certificates yourself.
How much does it cost to teach on Masterclass.tv?
Experts keep 75 percent of every ticket. After one free test class with a room of 100, you teach on Pro at 99 USD a month, or 49 USD a month billed yearly, with a room of 1,000, replay sales and affiliate links. Studio costs 299 USD a month, or 149 USD billed yearly.
FOR EXPERTS
Sell the seat, teach the class and keep selling the replay
One event link for tickets, live room, questions, replay and certificates. See every plan on the pricing page or read how to sell live classes online.