Manhattan Prep and Magoosh represent opposite ends of the GRE prep spectrum. Manhattan Prep's Live Online course at $1,600 offers intensive instructor-led preparation, while Magoosh at $179 provides a comprehensive self-paced alternative. The nearly 9x price difference raises an important question: does premium GRE prep deliver proportionally better results?
| Feature | Manhattan Prep GRE Live Online | Magoosh GRE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,600 | $179 |
| Practice Questions | 3,000+ | 1,400+ |
| Video Lessons | 70+ | 200+ |
| Live Class Hours | 27 | 0 |
| Access Period | 6 months | 6 months |
| Score Guarantee | Repeat course free if not satisfied | 5-point improvement or money back |
Graduate school admissions are competitive, and your GRE score is one factor in the equation. Both Manhattan Prep and Magoosh can help you improve your score, but they offer fundamentally different experiences. Understanding these differences helps you invest wisely in your graduate school preparation.
Manhattan Prep GRE Live Online ($1,600) features live instruction from expert teachers in small class settings. Their instructors are required to score in the 99th percentile on the GRE, which ensures they deeply understand the test. The live format allows for real-time Q&A, personalized feedback, and dynamic instruction that adapts to student questions.
Magoosh GRE ($179) is a self-paced video course with an extensive question bank. Their video lessons are clear and well-produced, covering all GRE topics. Each practice question includes a detailed video explanation. The platform tracks your progress and identifies areas for improvement.
Manhattan Prep is known for their depth of content, particularly in quantitative reasoning. Their strategy guides are considered among the best in the industry, and their approach to teaching math concepts goes beyond test tricks — they help you understand the underlying principles.
Magoosh covers all GRE topics competently but with less depth. Their approach is more focused on efficient test-taking strategies and pattern recognition. For students who need to build foundational math skills, Manhattan Prep's deeper instruction may be more valuable.
Both courses cover verbal reasoning, but Manhattan Prep's live instruction format is particularly beneficial for the verbal section, where discussing reading strategies and argument analysis in real time can deepen understanding.
Magoosh's verbal prep is solid, with vocabulary flashcards, reading comprehension strategies, and practice questions. For students who are already strong verbal learners, Magoosh's approach may be sufficient.
Manhattan Prep provides full-length practice tests, a question bank, and their acclaimed strategy guides. Their practice tests are well-calibrated to the actual GRE difficulty.
Magoosh offers a large question bank organized by topic and difficulty, plus practice tests. Their questions are generally well-designed, though some students find them slightly easier than the actual GRE.
Magoosh wins decisively on flexibility. Study whenever you want, wherever you want, at whatever pace works for you. Manhattan Prep's live classes follow a set schedule, which provides structure but limits flexibility.
Choose Manhattan Prep GRE if: You're targeting top-tier graduate programs, you learn best with live instruction, you need to significantly improve your quant score, or you want the most comprehensive preparation available.
Choose Magoosh GRE if: You're self-motivated and can study independently, you need flexibility in your study schedule, budget is a significant factor, or you're looking for solid preparation without the premium price.
Manhattan Prep is the better course; Magoosh is the better value. Manhattan Prep's expert instructors, deep content, and live instruction format make it the superior learning experience. But at nearly 9x the price, it's not 9x better. Magoosh delivers impressive results for $179, making it one of the best values in GRE prep. For most students, Magoosh provides everything needed for meaningful score improvement. Reserve Manhattan Prep for situations where you need significant quant improvement or are targeting the most competitive programs.