Domestika Pro review: Is it worth it after 10 months?

Domestika is my favorite platform for creative courses, partially because there’s no subscription required. Why then, would someone like me spend money on a Domestika Pro subscription?

Aside from the fact that it’s extremely cheap at just $29.90 a year (yes, that’s for a full year), Domestika Pro has a number of benefits that are great for online learners of all kinds.

Now that I’ve been subscribed for nearly a year, I put together this Domestika Pro review to help you decide whether or not it’s worth it for you. Let’s hop into it!

Affiliate disclosure: Articles on Tiny Workshops may contain affiliate links.

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Domestika Pro at a glance

Before we get too deep into this Domestika Pro review, I wanted to touch on what the subscription service actually is.

As mentioned above, it’s a completely optional service that comes with a few benefits, most notably 7-day access to a different course every week and a 20% discount on purchases.

It’s also the only way to get certificates of completion. Granted, these aren’t certified and only bear the signature of the teacher. This means they may not be much of a benefit when job searching.

They do look nice though.

As mentioned above, Domestika Pro is not required to take and enjoy creative courses on the platform. It’s intended for more dedicated learners.

Discounts and benefits

Domestika Pro subscribers gain instant access to a number of great benefits. Here’s the full list:

• 20% off all courses: Courses can be further discounted with coupon codes and special offers.
• Open Courses: Gain limited access to a single courses that changes every week.
• Completion certificates: Downloadable certificates for courses that you have successfully completed.
• Pro badge: A small Pro badge will be featured next to your profile image.
• Unlimited messaging: Domestika is also a social media platform for creatives, so messaging is a great way to search for jobs or collaborations.
• Direct support: A direct helpline with Domestika consultants for questions or troubleshooting.
• News: Receive updates directly from Domestika with the latest happenings on the platform.

New users might not appreciate some of the social aspects, but they’re fantastic for building a creative network. You can also list yourself as available for freelance work (or hire freelancers for your own projects).

Domestika Pro unlocks unlimited messaging (and a Pro badge), making it far easier to reach out to other members. Keep in mind though, users that have private messaging blocked are still unavailable.

There are, however, a few more caveats to certain benefits.

For example, the 20% off deal works with other discount codes (tip: subscribe to the Tiny Workshops newsletter for an additional 10% discount code), but does not work with course bundles or gift purchases.

Granted, course bundles are already heavily discounted.

The bigger concern is that the discount doesn’t apply for purchases in the app. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing through the app anyway, since it’s been finicky throughout my testing period (10+ months) for this Domestika Pro review.

Still, with some simple math you can see that it doesn’t take much to make your money back. Ignoring all other benefits, you’ll have to buy about 15 courses to cover your subscription fee (at ~ $10 a piece).

Open Courses

For me, the biggest draw of Domestika Pro is the Open Courses.

These offer (limited) access to a single course for 7 days, starting on Monday of each week.

That’s a whopping 52 courses over the course of a year, some of which are in-depth Domestika Basics courses.

Read also: 15 best Domestika courses in English (plus 5 in Spanish)

I say limited because you can’t access additional course materials, forums, or the big final project. But even without these elements, you can still learn everything there is to learn from the course.

The bigger constraint is the 7-day time limit. While it’s enough time to complete shorter courses, longer ones like Domestika Basics courses can run 10+ hours long. Plus, you can’t go back and reference key parts once the timer is up.

Thankfully, every Domestika Pro Open Course is discounted to $10 during and after it’s run. This is, of course, reduced even further by the 20% discount.

During my 10+ months as a Domestika Pro subscriber, I got to participate in some truly excellent courses. Some I already had my eye on, but many others I wouldn’t haven’t taken if they weren’t “free.”

My favorite Open Course was Mattias Adolfsson’s The Art of Sketching: Transform Your Doodles into Art. I loved this course and instantly checked out his follow-up course Creative Sketching: Fill Your Illustrations with Life and Detail.

Keep in mind that each Open Course that you enjoy is technically $10+ saved, so you can see it adds up quickly. Here are a few upcoming Open Courses that I’m looking forward to:

• Art Direction for your YouTube Channel (April 5-11)
• Vector Illustration with a Surrealist Twist (April 12-18)
• Introduction to Weaving Wool Felt (May 24-30)
• Professional Photography and Video for Mobile (June 28-July 4)
• Introduction to SketchUp (July 5-11)
• Effective presentation of creative proposals (July 19-25)

How much is Domestika Pro?

Domestika Pro normally costs $59 a year, but at the time of writing there’s a special discount that puts it at $29.90 (or €29.90) a year.

That’s the same price as 3 discounted courses, or less than one course at the full $40 price. Divided out over a year, that works out to less than $2.50 a month.

Click below to start your subscription, and keep in mind that you have 14 days to ask for a refund should you change your mind.

Domestika Pro alternatives

There are a host of Domestika Pro alternatives out there for people looking for creative courses. But before we get to them, I’d like to remind you that you don’t actually need Domestika Pro to use Domestika. You can buy courses individually and keep them forever!

The same goes for Udemy, which has tons of creative courses available for outright purchase. However, there’s no subscription plan for individuals that bundles everything together.

For those looking for more creative courses on a subscription, Skillshare is a solid alternative. The quality of each course isn’t as good as Domestika, but there are so many more courses to choose from. It runs $19 a month (or $99 a year), with a two week free trial.

Learn more: Skillshare vs Domestika: Which is better for creative courses?

Another great alternative is CreativeLive, which has lots of creative courses for everything from crafts to illustration software and creative business entrepreneurship. You can purchase courses individually, but the Creator Pass subscription unlocks nearly everything for $39 a month, or $15 a month if you commit to a full year.

If you’re looking for something more affordable, Creativebug is an excellent option. It’s all about arts and crafts, with guides for cool projects that are trending on social media. It starts at just $8 a month (with a 7-day free trial), but there’s currently a special offer to get your first month for just $1.

Verdict: Is Domestika Pro worth it?

Due largely to its low annual price, Domestika Pro is totally worth it. It offers immense value for frequent learners with weekly Open Courses and sizeable discounts. At $29.90 a year, the price is just unbeatable.

Even for those who prefer learning more slowly (like me), it can be a great way to discover new courses and pick them up at a hefty discount to watch later.

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That’s it for this Domestika Pro review! What are your thoughts on the subscription? Do you think it’s worth it? Let everyone know in the comments below!