Main Act vs Berklee Online, Daily Practice or College-Style Music Courses?
Berklee Online is the online extension of Berklee College of Music. It offers individual courses, certificates, and degree programs across music subjects, with instructor and assignment structures that vary by program.
Free daily practice is available. No card required. After signup, we’ll open the recommended school.
How they differ
Start with how you prefer to learn.
Main Act is a different product entirely. It's not a credentialed course platform, there's no certificate, no transcript, no faculty contact. It's a daily practice app: three disciplines of structured exercises and drills, designed for the practicing-musician part of your week, not the studying-music part.
Choose Berklee Online when accredited study, instructor feedback, assignments, or a credential is the goal. Choose Main Act when the narrower need is independent daily practice rather than enrollment in a course or program.
What we compared
Product format, published features, and Main Act’s current price. Teacher fit, taste, and individual results will vary.
Features
Compare the products, line by line.
Main Act Artist prices match the current checkout price. Check the competitor’s official site for its latest price.
| Decision | Main Act Artist | Berklee Online |
|---|---|---|
| OrganizationA practice app and an accredited academic provider serve different outcomes. | A connected practice record across three Artist schools | Course, certificate, and degree curricula with instructor and assignment structure |
| Format | Interactive drills and adaptive sessions | Lectures, assignments, faculty feedback |
| Credential / certificate | Not included | Yes: certificates and college credit |
| Faculty interaction | Not included | Yes: Berklee instructors |
| Daily practice time | Adaptive 20-30 min daily | Course-paced, multi-week assignments |
| Songwriting depth | Authored exercises, Song Lab, and AI-assisted critique | Multi-course songwriting tracks |
| Mixing / production depth | Available in the separate Studio product or Everything scope | Multi-course production programs |
| Vocals depth | Authored vocal practice with a beta pitch tracker | Vocal production courses and programs |
| Schedule | Self-directed daily practice | Course and program schedules vary; check the current catalog |
| Belt / progression system | Yes: 9 belts across three disciplines | Course completion grades |
| Cost per course | One system: $7.92/mo billed yearly ($95/yr), $16.95 monthly, $249 lifetime. Everything starts at $11.83/mo billed yearly. | See Berklee Online's official source for current pricing. |
| Total cost | One system: $7.92/mo billed yearly ($95/yr), $16.95 monthly, $249 lifetime. Everything starts at $11.83/mo billed yearly. | See Berklee Online's official source for current pricing. |
Organization
- Main Act Artist
- A connected practice record across three Artist schools
- Berklee Online
- Course, certificate, and degree curricula with instructor and assignment structure
A practice app and an accredited academic provider serve different outcomes.
Format
- Main Act Artist
- Interactive drills and adaptive sessions
- Berklee Online
- Lectures, assignments, faculty feedback
Credential / certificate
- Main Act Artist
- Not included
- Berklee Online
- Yes: certificates and college credit
Faculty interaction
- Main Act Artist
- Not included
- Berklee Online
- Yes: Berklee instructors
Daily practice time
- Main Act Artist
- Adaptive 20-30 min daily
- Berklee Online
- Course-paced, multi-week assignments
Songwriting depth
- Main Act Artist
- Authored exercises, Song Lab, and AI-assisted critique
- Berklee Online
- Multi-course songwriting tracks
Mixing / production depth
- Main Act Artist
- Available in the separate Studio product or Everything scope
- Berklee Online
- Multi-course production programs
Vocals depth
- Main Act Artist
- Authored vocal practice with a beta pitch tracker
- Berklee Online
- Vocal production courses and programs
Schedule
- Main Act Artist
- Self-directed daily practice
- Berklee Online
- Course and program schedules vary; check the current catalog
Belt / progression system
- Main Act Artist
- Yes: 9 belts across three disciplines
- Berklee Online
- Course completion grades
Cost per course
- Main Act Artist
- One system: $7.92/mo billed yearly ($95/yr), $16.95 monthly, $249 lifetime. Everything starts at $11.83/mo billed yearly.
- Berklee Online
- See Berklee Online's official source for current pricing.
Total cost
- Main Act Artist
- One system: $7.92/mo billed yearly ($95/yr), $16.95 monthly, $249 lifetime. Everything starts at $11.83/mo billed yearly.
- Berklee Online
- See Berklee Online's official source for current pricing.
Recommendation
Which one should you choose?
Berklee Online is the relevant choice when the outcome is a course, instructor feedback, certificate, credit, or degree. Main Act offers none of those outcomes.
Main Act is the relevant choice when the outcome is a repeatable independent practice routine with interactive attempts and a cross-school record.
They can stack, but this page does not present a practice app as a lower-cost substitute for academic instruction. Compare the current offers only after deciding which outcome you need.
Keep researching
Frequently asked questions
Does Main Act offer certificates?
No. Main Act tracks your progression through belts (white to black) but does not issue certificates or college credit. If you need credentials, choose Berklee Online (or a similar accredited program).
Are Main Act exercises Berklee-influenced?
Some of the songwriting curriculum draws on Pat Pattison's prosody framework (Pattison teaches at Berklee). Main Act's exercises are original; the underlying pedagogy borrows from established Berklee-tradition methods where appropriate.
Can I use both?
Yes: many serious music students do. Berklee courses for the academic depth; Main Act for the daily skill-building between assignments.
Method and sources
Sources and review date
Reviewed August 29, 2026 using the provider page below and Main Act’s current product information. Features and third-party offers can change. This comparison is written by Main Act.
Pricing
The button opens pricing for the Main Act product recommended on this page. You can compare the Everything plan there too.
View current pricing